One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information and sometimes more importantly - information about the relatives of the deceased's family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to Michigan obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated June, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
Michigan
- Alcona County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Alger County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Allegan County Genealogy Indexes (clippings)
- Allegan County, Genealogical Records (transcriptions)
- Allegan County, Obituary and anniversary card file ca. 1884-2004
- Allegan County, Obituary and anniversary card file ca. 1884-2004
- Alpena County Obituary Indexes
- Amboy Township Obituary Scrapbook (clippings)
- Arenac County Obituaries
- Arenac County Obituary Indexes
- Banner Obituary card file, 1867-1997 (clippings)
- Bay City Times Death and Obituary Index
- Bay County Death and Obituary Index
- Berrien County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Branch County, Obituary Notices (clippings)
- Calhoun County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Calhoun County Obituaries Index
- Cass County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Charlevoix Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Charlevoix Obituary Index (clippings)
- Cheboygan County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Chippewa River District Library Obituary Index
- Chippiwa County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Clinton County Death and Obituary Index
- Delta County, Obituary card file, 1890-2004 (clippings)
- Detroit News Death and Obituary Index
- Detroit Obituary Indexes
- Downriver Genealogical Society, Obituary card collection, 1913-1999 (clippings)
- Downriver Genealogical Society, Obituary card collection, 1953, 1979-1982, 1986-1989 for the area of Wayne County, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario (clippings)
- Eaton County Obituaries and miscellaneous records 1874-1922
- Eaton County Obituaries (transcriptions and clippings)
- Farmington Death and Obituary Indexes (some clippings)
- Flint Public Library Death and Obituary Indexes
- Fremont Area Death and Obituary Index
- Genessee County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Gladwin County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Gladwin County Obituary Index
- Grand Haven Tribune Death and Obituary Index
- Grand Rapids Obituary File, 1930-1970 (clippings)
- Grand Rapids Press and Herald Obituary Index
- Grand Rapids, De Wachter Obituary Card file, 1868-1985
- Grand Traverse County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Gratiot County Obituaries (transcribed)
- Grayling, Crawford County Avalanche, Obituaries 1994-1995, 2000-2006
- Grosse Pointe Public Library Obituary Index
- Hartford Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Herrick Public Library, Obituary card file, ca. 1890-2003 (clippings)
- Hillsdale and Lenawee Counties, Obituary and marriage card file 1860-2004
- Hillsdale Area Obituaries (clippings)
- Hillsdale County, Obituary card file, ca. 1900-2004
- Hillsdale County, Obituary Files, ca. 1900-2004 (clippings)
- Huron County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Huron Daily Tribune Obituaries Index
- Ionia County Obituaries
- Iosco County Obituary Index
- Iosco County, Michigan, Obituaries Index, 1978-1990
- Isabella County Death and Obituary Index
- Isabella County Obituary Index (clippings)
- Isabella County Obituary Indexes
- Isabella County, Michigan, Obituary Index, 1875-2005
- Ithaca, Gratiot County Herald, Obituaries, 1884-1924
- Jackson County, Obituary and anniversary collection ca. 1965-2000
- Jackson County, Obituary card file, 1970-1987 (clippings)
- Kent County, Vital Records and Obituaries, 1892-1913 (clippings)
- Kingsley, Obituaries, ca. 1950-2002 (clippings)
- Lansing State Republican, Death and Marriage Index, 1855-1860
- Lapeer County, Obituary card file, ca. 1880-2004
- Leelanau County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lenawee County Obituary Indexes
- Lenawee County, Obituary card file, ca. 1840-ca. Oct. 2005
- Litchfield Gazette Obituaries, August 1901-November 1921, November 1924-November 1925
- Livingston County Death and Obituary Index
- Livingston County Death Notices (clippings)
- Livonia Observer Death and Obituary Index
- Macomb County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Macomb County Obituary Index
- Manistee County Obituary Index
- Mecosta County Genealogical Society Death and Obituary Index
- Menominee County Death and Obituary Index
- Michigan Obituaries - Obit City
- Michigan Obituaries, 1820-2006
- Michigan Soldier Obituary Index
- Michigan USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Midland County Obituary Index
- Midland County Obituary Index 1928 - 1950
- Midland Genealogical Society Obituary Index
- Milford Death and Obituary Index
- Monroe County News Death and Obituary Index
- Monroe County Obituaries
- Monroe County Obituary Search
- Monroe County, Michigan, Obituary Index,1821-2012
- Montcalm Obituary Indexes
- Muskegon County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Newaygo County, Memorial Newspaper ca. 1890-1982 (clippings)
- Newaygo County, Obituary card file, ca. 1900-2006
- Oakland County Death and Obituary Index (clippings)
- Oakland County Obituary Index 1890-1999
- Oakland County, Farmington Township Obituaries Index from area newspapers
- Oakland County, Michigan, Historical Resources Obituary Index, 1970-2009
- Ogemaw County Newspaper Index
- Otsego County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Ottawa County Obituaries
- Ottawa County Obituary Indexes
- Owosso Argus-Press Obituaries
- Pinconning Press and Pinconning Journal Death and Obituary Index
- Presque County Obituary Indexes
- Reed City Clarion Obituaries 1900-1911 (transcriptions)
- Rochester Avon Historical Society Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Saginaw Death and Obituary Index
- Saginaw Library Obituary Index
- Sandusky Library Obituary Index
- Sandusky Obituaries (clippings)
- Sandusky Obituary Index
- Sanilac County Jeffersonian Newspaper and Obituary Indexes
- Shiawassee County Argus Press Obituary Index
- Southwest Michigan Obituary Index
- Southwest Michigan, Obituary Index, 1875-2012
- St. Clair County Obituaries (clippings and transcriptions)
- St. Clair County, Obituary card file, 1975-1995
- St. Joseph County Death and Obituary Index
- State Republican Death Index, April 28, 1855 to Jan. 1, 1870
- Stockbridge Newspapers Obituary Index
- Sturgis and surrounding area, Obituaries, ca. 1970-2005
- Three Rivers Commercial-News Obituary card file, ca. 1900 - Mar. 2006
- Three Rivers, Riverside Cemetery, Obituaries 1935-1945
- Traverse City area, Obituaries ca. 1900-July 2005 (clippings)
- Traverse City Record-Eagle Index
- Traverse City Record-Eagle, Obituaries ca. 1900-1992 (clippings)
- Trenton Historical Society Obituaries
- Tuscola County, Obituary card file, ca. 1820-Feb. 2006
- Van Buren County, Obituary card file, ca. 1880-2005
- Warren Public Library Obituaries
- Washtenaw County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wayne County, Obituary card file, ca. 1880-1995
- Western Michigan Newspapers Index
- Willard Library Newspaper Index
- Wyoming, Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Burials and Obituaries
If you wish to search this state's historic newspapers for obituaries, click on Michigan Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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