Grand Traverse County Death Records

Grand Traverse County death records and obituaries go back to 1867 and are held at the County Clerk's office in Traverse City. This page explains how to search for Grand Traverse County death certificates, what the Traverse Area District Library and local genealogical society hold, and how to access both free and paid online sources for northern Michigan death record research.

Grand Traverse County Clerk Death Records

The Grand Traverse County Clerk at 400 Boardman Ave. in Traverse City is the official repository for county death records. Under MCL 333.2882, Michigan death records are public documents. Anyone can order a copy without proving a family relationship. The fee is around $15 per copy. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. The county's official site is at grandtraverse.org.

Death registration in Grand Traverse County began under Public Act 194 of 1867. Records from that year are part of the county archive at the clerk's office. For online research, the MichiganGenWeb Grand Traverse County page at grandtraverse.migenweb.org provides death indexes and links to genealogy resources compiled by volunteers. The FamilySearch Grand Traverse County wiki lists archives and repositories where county records are held.

The MichiganGenWeb Grand Traverse County page is a volunteer-maintained resource with death indexes, cemetery records, and links to genealogy databases covering the Traverse City area.

The Grand Traverse County MichiganGenWeb site covers death indexes and genealogy resources compiled specifically for the Traverse City and northern Michigan area.

Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society

The Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society (GTAGS) at gtags.org is an active research group that has compiled death indexes, cemetery transcriptions, and obituary collections for the county. The society meets regularly in Traverse City and maintains a research library with materials not available through public online databases. GTAGS members have worked to index local newspaper obituaries and church burial records that fill gaps in the official registration system.

For older research, the society's holdings are particularly valuable. The county's resort and agricultural history brought families from across the Midwest, and the GTAGS indexes reflect that diversity. The society also participates in statewide genealogical databases and has contributed records to FamilySearch. Researchers from outside the area can contact GTAGS for lookup assistance with specific names or time periods.

GTAGS maintains death indexes, obituary collections, and genealogy research materials for Grand Traverse County that supplement the official clerk's records.

Traverse Area District Library Genealogy Resources

The Traverse Area District Library (TADL) holds genealogy resources for Grand Traverse County and the surrounding northern Michigan region. The library has microfilm of local newspapers, obituary indexes, and family history materials donated by area residents. TADL also provides access to Ancestry.com and other subscription databases through library card accounts, making it a cost-free option for in-person genealogy research.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is the county's main newspaper and has published death notices and full obituaries for well over a century. The paper's back issues on microfilm at TADL are the best source for obituaries outside the digitized online range. For research before 1920, the library's microfilm collection and the Michigan State Archives at michigan.gov/archivesofmi are the most reliable resources. Public Act 73 of 2006 limits online access to images of death records less than 75 years old, so older newspaper obituaries often provide details that online databases cannot yet show for more recent deaths.

TADL in Traverse City holds local newspaper microfilm, obituary indexes, and provides access to Ancestry.com for library cardholders researching Grand Traverse County families.

State Death Records for Grand Traverse County

MDHHS in Lansing holds certified death certificates for all Michigan counties. For Grand Traverse County records, call 517-335-8666. Certified copies cost $34 for the first copy and $16 for each additional copy. Online orders are available through VitalChek with a $12.95 service fee. For records from 1897 to 1952, the free GENDIS tool on Michiganology covers Grand Traverse County deaths at no cost. Searching GENDIS first can help confirm whether a record exists before paying for a certified copy from the state or county.

Note: Grand Traverse County sees significant seasonal population activity, and some obituaries for people with summer residences in the Traverse City area may appear in both local papers and in papers from their primary home county elsewhere in Michigan or in other states.

Cities in Grand Traverse County

Traverse City is the county seat and the primary city in Grand Traverse County. Traverse City does not currently meet the population threshold for an individual city page on this site. All Grand Traverse County death records are filed with the county clerk in Traverse City.

Nearby Counties

Grand Traverse County borders five northern Michigan counties. Records for families who lived near county lines may be found in any of these neighboring counties.