Search St. Joseph County Death Records
St. Joseph County obituary and death records are held by the County Clerk in Centreville, with records going back to 1829. The St. Joseph County Genealogical Society maintains a searchable database of local deaths from 1993 onward, making recent searches faster. This southwest Michigan county borders Indiana and has a significant Amish and Mennonite community presence that affects how some older records are held. This page covers where to search and how to request records.
St. Joseph County Overview
St. Joseph County Clerk Office
The St. Joseph County Clerk in Centreville maintains death records going back to 1829. The fee for a certified copy is $20. Staff can search by name and year of death. You can request copies in person at the Centreville courthouse or by mail. For mail requests, include the full name of the deceased, year of death, your name and mailing address, and a check or money order for $20 payable to the St. Joseph County Clerk.
Under MCL 333.2882, death records are public in Michigan. Any adult can request a copy without needing to show a family relationship. The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday during standard business hours. The clerk also maintains a searchable death database from 1993 onward, which mirrors the work done by the St. Joseph County Genealogical Society on their own database from the same year. For recent deaths, starting with either database can save time before you pay for a certified copy.
| Office | St. Joseph County Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | Centreville, MI 49032 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, standard business hours |
| Fee | $20 per certified copy |
| Online Database | Deaths from 1993 and later |
| Records Start | 1829 |
St. Joseph County Genealogical Society
The St. Joseph County Genealogical Society has built a searchable death database covering 1993 to the present. This resource lets you check whether a death record exists in the county before ordering a certified copy. The database is accessible and free to search. It draws from county death filings and is kept reasonably current by society volunteers.
The society also holds older compiled records, cemetery transcriptions, and indexed obituary data for the Three Rivers and Centreville areas. For deaths before 1993, their compiled records and microfilm files at local libraries are often the best supplemental source. The society's members are knowledgeable about St. Joseph County records and can often point you to the right source when a standard search comes up empty.
The MIGenWeb page for St. Joseph County at stjoseph.migenweb.org links to volunteer-compiled death records and other local genealogy data. Combined with the genealogical society's database, these resources give you good coverage of St. Joseph County deaths across multiple eras.
The St. Joseph MIGenWeb site provides compiled death indexes and cemetery records that support genealogical research in this southwest Michigan county.
FamilySearch covers St. Joseph County in its Michigan genealogy wiki. See the St. Joseph County Michigan Genealogy page for a guide to available record sets and research tools.
St. Joseph County Death Records via MDHHS
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services holds statewide death records from 1897 forward. Public Act 194 of 1867 began the state's death registration requirement. St. Joseph County deaths from 1897 onward are in the MDHHS system. Certified copies cost $34 for the first and $16 for each additional copy ordered together. Call MDHHS at 517-335-8666 or order through VitalChek online, which adds a $12.95 fee.
Public Act 73 of 2006 restricts full image access to death records less than 75 years old. For genealogy research, the free Michiganology database at michiganology.org covers deaths from 1897 to 1952. Earlier indexed data is available through GENDIS at michiganology.org/gendis.
One note about St. Joseph County: the Amish and Mennonite communities in the county sometimes recorded births and deaths through their own church registers rather than civil registration channels, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. If you are researching a family that may have been part of these communities, contact the genealogical society for guidance on how to access those records. Standard county records may be incomplete for these families.
Note: If the person you are researching lived near the Indiana border, check with the relevant Indiana county as well. Some border families filed records on the Indiana side.
Cities in St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County is in southwest Michigan, bordering Indiana to the south. Three Rivers is the largest city in the county.
Communities in St. Joseph County include Centreville, Three Rivers, Sturgis, Mendon, and Colon. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page. All death records are filed with the St. Joseph County Clerk in Centreville.
Nearby Counties
These counties border St. Joseph County. If the death occurred near the county line or state border, check both the neighboring Michigan county and the relevant Indiana county.