Good news for Michigan researchers!

Yesterday (Monday) FamilySearch posted a new collection, "Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952." The official description says it includes images, but at this time it's just an index. Still a big help . . .

For the immediately prior period (1897-1920) the go-to source, index plus images of the original records, is at Seeking Michigan (use the "Advanced Search" button).

Advice for Illinois researchers

The other day I needed a Cook County death certificate from the 1940s. It appeared in the online database of Illinois death certificates 1916-1950, but not in the online database of death certificates in Cook County at the County Clerk's genealogy site.

I thought I had only three options: pay the Clerk $15 to look for it, pay the Illinois Department of Public Health $10 to look for it, or visit the Illinois State Archives in person.

I paid the clerk and waited 6 weeks, when I received a form letter to "valued customer" referring me to public health without explaining why they couldn't find a death certificate in their own jurisdiction. When I called to ask, I was referred to another number which rang 20 times without being answered.

The state Department of Public Health asserts (as if it were an ontological truth rather than an irrational quirk of state law) that death certificates are "not public records" and hence are available only to a few. It does acknowledge that it will make "genealogy" death certificates available for deaths more than 20 years ago -- and then offers only application forms that exclude the genealogy possibility.

The state archives are many hours away by car in a direction I rarely have occasion to travel.

The best option? None of the above. I logged on to Genlighten.com, looked for lookups in Springfield, Illinois, hired Molly Kennedy for less than any of the above figures, and received the desired death certificate within 1 (that's one) business day. What ever possessed me to do anything else in the first place?

Missouri shows 'em how

I left Missouri out of my definition of the Midwest, but it just keeps knockin' at the door...

Surely the most active of genea-institutional blogs -- of almost any genealogical blog, for that matter -- is the MoSGA Messenger, official blog of the Missouri State Genealogical Association. Their indefatigable blogger(s?) don't just stick to the Show-Me State, and often you'll find tips here that aren't on every other blog and mailing list. Recent posts have included McPherson, Kansas; the Washington State Library's free ask-a-librarian service (I've used it, it's great); an upcoming Sisson family reunion in Springfield, Illinois; and the National Genealogical Society's recently added members-only perk of viewing recent issues of the NGS Quarterly.

Speaking of Missouri, it just became even a state I wish I had more deceased relatives in: Joe Beine's Genealogy Roots Blog reports that the ongoing indexing and digitization of state death certificates is now complete from 1910 through 1957.