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    Family research, county by county

    Find a grave or an obituary County by county: the burial records, the obituaries, the certificates.

    Where the burial records, obituary indexes and death certificates are for the seven counties of the St. Joseph River valley, and how to ask for a copy. Each entry links to the office or library that holds the record. Fees and hours change: check before you write or go.

    Start with Cass CountyReading old gravestones

    Cass County, Michigan

    Burials and cemetery records

    • Township and village clerks / sextons. Most Cass County cemeteries are owned by the townships (or the village/city); burial and lot records sit with the township clerk or sexton. The Cass County MIGenWeb page notes that township officials, not volunteers, handle lots. Reach a township through its own office (township halls are listed on the county website). Example: Prospect Hill Cemetery in Cassopolis is owned and operated by the Village of Cassopolis, (269) 445-8648, manager@cassopolis-mi.us.
    • Cass District Library, Local History Branch - cemetery indexes. Holds the DAR (Capt. Samuel Felt Chapter) index of Cass County cemeteries made in the late 1930s-early 1940s, plus published township/cemetery indexes (e.g., Silver Creek Twp. 1994, Wayne Twp. 1994, Jefferson Twp. 1996, Young's Prairie 1996 with burial permits and sexton records). Printed, viewed at the branch (145 N. Broadway, Cassopolis; Mon-Thu 9-4; (269) 357-7823). Research guide PDF online; a second PDF lists additional indexes.
    • Cass District Library - additional cemetery indexes list. PDF list of further Cass County cemetery indexes in the Local History Branch.
    • DAR 'Cass County, Michigan cemetery records' (Capt. Samuel Felt Chapter). Compiled DAR cemetery readings; on microfilm at the Library of Michigan, Lansing (call no. F574.O847 C4 1980a), per the Library of Michigan Cass County guide.
    • Cass County MIGenWeb - Cemeteries. Volunteer index of about 71 cemeteries across 15 townships, marked active/retired/abandoned; most link to burial listings drawn from 1940s DAR readings and later volunteer readings; also sells transcribed cemetery books. Site warns listings may be incomplete.
    • MIGenWeb Tombstone Photo Project - Cass County. Volunteer headstone photographs by cemetery (e.g., Prospect Hill, Cassopolis).
    • Library of Michigan - cemetery transcripts. The state library in Lansing holds cemetery transcripts for Michigan counties among its family-history collections.
    • Find a Grave / BillionGraves. Both volunteer memorial/headstone databases cover Cass County cemeteries.
    • Interment.net - Michigan. Free index of cemetery transcriptions by Michigan county; check for Cass County entries.
    • VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs search for burial places of veterans and family members in national, state veterans' and some other cemeteries; last name required.

    Obituaries

    • Cass District Library - Local Newspaper Obituary Indexes. PDF name indexes to obituaries in local papers (file names cite the Cassopolis Vigilant, Edwardsburg Argus and Marcellus News). Years: 1998-2012 (one combined file; its filename says 2008-2012) then one PDF per year 2013-2025 How to get a copy: Indexes are free online; the papers themselves are on microfilm at the Local History Branch, 145 N. Broadway, Cassopolis. No copy-request form or fee is posted - call (269) 357-7823 or (866) 808-7323, or email the branch through the address on its page.
    • Southwest Michigan Obituary Index (Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society). Name index of over 89,000 obituaries for Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, citing the Herald-Palladium, Kalamazoo Gazette, South Bend Tribune, Niles Daily Star, funeral records and other sources; each entry gives date, source code and page. Years: earliest history through 2000 How to get a copy: By mail: $3.00 per item (check, cash or money order) with a self-addressed stamped envelope and the full index entry, to VBRGS, P.O. Box 143, Decatur, MI 49045 (terms as posted on the index page; confirm before sending).
    • Cass District Library - Connelly Funeral Home records. Year-by-year PDF listings of funeral home records. Years: 1917-1930 How to get a copy: Free PDFs online; originals at the Local History Branch.
    • Cassopolis Vigilant microfilm guide. Research guide to the library's microfilm reels of the Cassopolis Vigilant. Years: see guide How to get a copy: Use at the Local History Branch.
    • Library of Michigan newspaper microfilm. Cassopolis Vigilant 1872-2016, Dowagiac Times 1887-1906, Edwardsburg Argus 1879-2016, Marcellus News 1887-2015 on microfilm in Lansing. Years: 1872-2016 (varies by title) How to get a copy: Visit in Lansing or ask via Librarian@Michigan.gov / 517-335-1477.
    • Chronicling America - Cass County Republican (Dowagiac). Free digitized newspaper, listed by the Clarke Historical Library's Michigan newspaper portal. Years: 1858-1880 How to get a copy: Free online.
    • Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal (Clarke Historical Library, CMU). County-by-county index of digitized Michigan papers, each marked Free/Pay/Hybrid. For Cass it lists the Cass County Republican (free) and the Cassopolis Vigilant, Dowagiac Daily News and Edwardsburg Argus 2009-current (pay, NewsBank). Years: varies How to get a copy: Online.

    Death records

    • Michigan death certificates on Michiganology. The Library of Michigan says Michiganology has Michigan death certificates 1897-1946, indexed to 1952. The Archives of Michigan collection page describes about 1.6 million records with images for 1921-1948 and index only for 1949-1952, so check coverage for the year you need.
    • Library of Michigan - vital records research guide. Explains Michigan death indexes (1867-1914), returns (1867-1897), certificates (1897-1920 on microfilm; 1897-1952 on Ancestry), and the state Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 30721, Lansing MI 48909, 517-335-8666.
    • Cass County death registers (microfilm at the Local History Branch). Cass County death records 1867 to July 2005 filmed at the courthouse: indexes 1867-1960 and 1960-2005; Libers A and B 1867-1927; Liber C 1926-1940; volumes 1934-2005. No death records were kept 1829-1866.
    • Cass County Clerk/Register. Registrar of vital records; issues death certificates and genealogy copies (fees not posted; online ordering via a third-party portal). Phone (269) 445-4464.

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • Prospect Hill Cemetery, Disbrow Street, Cassopolis, MI 49031 (village-owned). The county seat's cemetery; first recorded burial 7 August 1832, incorporated 1879; maps are posted by the village, and volunteers flag veterans' graves for Memorial Day. More

    Berrien County, Michigan

    Burials and cemetery records

    Obituaries

    • Niles District Library - obituary requests. Obituary lookup service; the library's Newspapers.com collection holds the Niles Daily Star and Niles Daily Star-Sun (about 105,000 pages from 1887), usable in the library or on its WiFi. Years: newspapers from 1887 (index years not stated) How to get a copy: Obituary Request Form (https://nileslibrary.com/obituary-request-form/) or email reference@nileslibrary.net with name, approximate date of death and place. Emailed copies free; mailed copies $2. 620 E. Main St., Niles; (269) 683-8545.
    • Southwest Michigan Obituary Index (Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society). Name index of over 89,000 obituaries for Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, citing the Herald-Palladium, Kalamazoo Gazette, South Bend Tribune, Niles Daily Star, funeral records and other sources; each entry gives date, source code and page. Years: earliest history through 2000 How to get a copy: By mail: $3.00 per item (check, cash or money order) with a self-addressed stamped envelope and the full index entry, to VBRGS, P.O. Box 143, Decatur, MI 49045 (terms as posted on the index page; confirm before sending).
    • Berrien County MIGenWeb - submitted obituaries. Obituaries transcribed and submitted by volunteers. Years: varies How to get a copy: Free online.
    • Buchanan District Library - historical newspapers. Free digitized Berrien County Record (Buchanan) and other Buchanan papers, per the Clarke Historical Library portal. Years: Berrien County Record 1868-1939; other Buchanan titles 1863-1918 How to get a copy: Free online.
    • Niles District Library archives - early Niles papers. Free digitized Niles Gazette (1835-37), Niles Intelligencer (1838-41), Niles Enquirer (1858-60) and Niles Republican (1858-91), as listed on the Clarke portal; the archive page itself did not load for this check. Years: 1835-1891 How to get a copy: Free online.
    • Coloma / Watervliet papers. Free Coloma Courier (1889-1969), Watervliet Record (1890-1984) and Tri-City Record (1984-2017), per the Clarke portal. Years: 1889-2017 How to get a copy: Free online (not opened here).
    • St. Joseph / Benton Harbor dailies (pay sites). Herald-Press (St. Joseph) 1901-1975 on Newspapers.com; News-Palladium (Benton Harbor) 1904-1975 on NewspaperArchive, per the Clarke portal. Library of Michigan also has Herald-Press 1928-1965 on microfilm. Years: 1901-1975 How to get a copy: Subscription, or free at many libraries.
    • Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal (Clarke Historical Library, CMU). County-by-county index of digitized Michigan papers, each marked Free/Pay/Hybrid. Years: varies How to get a copy: Online.

    Death records

    • Michigan death certificates on Michiganology. The Library of Michigan says Michiganology has Michigan death certificates 1897-1946, indexed to 1952. The Archives of Michigan collection page describes about 1.6 million records with images for 1921-1948 and index only for 1949-1952, so check coverage for the year you need.
    • Library of Michigan - vital records research guide. Explains Michigan death indexes (1867-1914), returns (1867-1897), certificates (1897-1920 on microfilm; 1897-1952 on Ancestry), and the state Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 30721, Lansing MI 48909, 517-335-8666.
    • Berrien County Clerk - genealogy research. Death records from 1867 on, open to the public in libers/microfilm. Certified copies only: $13 first, $4 each additional; request by email/contact form. In-person viewing at County Records, 2100 E. Empire, Benton Township (Mon 8:30-12:30, Wed 8:30-4:30, Fri 12:30-4:30).
    • Early Births and Deaths, Niles Township (Amelia Castle, 1990). Published abstract at the Library of Michigan (F574.N52 C37 1990).

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • Silverbrook Cemetery, 1400 E. Main St., Niles, MI 49120 (gates at Cherry and Main). Niles's public cemetery since 1836 (George Bond's six acres, lots sold from 1838), now over 60 acres; 1926 gates, abbey and chime tower; burials include Calvin F. Wilson, a charter member of Michigan's first Black Masonic lodge, and the Plym family of Kawneer. Friends of Silverbrook and the Niles History Center run an annual tour (4 Oct 2026) and a virtual tour. More
    • Crystal Springs Cemetery, Napier Avenue (between Pipestone Rd. and Crystal Ave.), Benton Township, near Benton Harbor. Founded in 1893 by the City of Benton Harbor; grew from 30 to over 110 acres, landscaped under superintendent Herman Vogt (1921-53), with the Tower of Remembrance bell tower; Calvary (Catholic) and a Jewish cemetery adjoin it. More

    Van Buren County, Michigan

    Burials and cemetery records

    • Township and city cemetery offices. Van Buren cemeteries are largely township- or city-owned. Paw Paw Township posts alphabetical occupant lists (PDF) and maps for Cuddeback, Prospect Hill and Wildey cemeteries; Hartford Township and the City of South Haven have cemetery pages; all are linked from the MIGenWeb cemetery index.
    • Van Buren County MIGenWeb - Cemeteries. About 60 cemeteries across 18 townships with locations; about 16 have readings or photos on the site, others link to USGenWeb tombstone images.
    • Van Buren District Library - Toni I. Benson Room of Local History and Genealogy. Holds 'cemetery books for Southwest Michigan' (contents not described online) and the VBRGS holdings. Webster Memorial Library, 200 N. Phelps St., Decatur; Mon-Fri 10-4, Sat 9-3; 269-423-4771.
    • Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society (VBRGS). Collection housed at the Hartford Public Library, 12 Church St., Hartford; in-house use, free to the public; volunteers help by appointment (VBRGS@yahoo.com). No cemetery publications for sale are listed on its site.
    • Library of Michigan - cemetery transcripts. The state library in Lansing holds cemetery transcripts for Michigan counties among its family-history collections.
    • Find a Grave / BillionGraves. Both volunteer memorial/headstone databases cover the county's cemeteries.
    • Interment.net - Michigan. Free index of cemetery transcriptions by Michigan county; check for this county's entries.
    • VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs search for burial places of veterans and family members in national, state veterans' and some other cemeteries; last name required.

    Obituaries

    • Southwest Michigan Obituary Index (Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society). Name index of over 89,000 obituaries for Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, citing the Herald-Palladium, Kalamazoo Gazette, South Bend Tribune, Niles Daily Star, funeral records and other sources; each entry gives date, source code and page. Years: earliest history through 2000 How to get a copy: Ask at the Van Buren District Library local history room (which says its copy of the index runs through 2011 and that some entries are not on Ancestry.com). The index page's mail-order terms ($3.00 per item plus SASE to VBRGS, P.O. Box 143, Decatur) may be out of date: VBRGS now gives PO Box 234, Hartford, MI 49057.
    • Van Buren District Library - obituary help. Local history room with the SW Michigan obituary index and microfilm of papers from Bangor, Bloomingdale, Decatur, Gobles, Lawrence, Paw Paw and South Haven. Years: index to 2011; film varies How to get a copy: Send requests through the 'Local History' option on the library's Ask a Librarian page, with birth/death dates and place. No fee is posted. info@vbdl.org, 269-423-4771.
    • VBRGS / VBDL newspaper name indexes. Volunteer item-level indexes (with death codes) to the Van Buren Republican (Decatur), Bangor Reflector/Advance, South Haven Daily Tribune, Marcellus News and Paw Paw papers. Years: not stated How to get a copy: Free online index; then read the paper on microfilm at VBDL or the Library of Michigan.
    • Van Buren Obituary File, 1880-2005 (FamilySearch). Filmed obituary file listed by Van Buren MIGenWeb (FamilySearch catalog 1328203). Years: 1880-2005 How to get a copy: Free FamilySearch account; availability may be limited to FamilySearch centers.
    • Library of Michigan newspaper microfilm. South Haven Daily Tribune 1914-1980, Tribune-Messenger 1903-1917, Bangor Reflector 1875-1889, Van Buren County Republican 1867-1882, Courier-Leader (Paw Paw) 1968, 1986-1991. Years: 1867-1991 (varies) How to get a copy: In Lansing, or ask Librarian@Michigan.gov.
    • Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal (Clarke Historical Library, CMU). County-by-county index of digitized Michigan papers, each marked Free/Pay/Hybrid. Years: varies How to get a copy: Online.

    Death records

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • Lake View Cemetery, South Haven, MI. South Haven's pioneer cemetery: lighthouse keeper James Donahue, early woman physician Marion Low, lumberman John Mackey, photographer Nanna Brown, Medal of Honor recipient William H. Wilcox, and a large GAR plot guarded by a Union soldier statue. The Historical Association of South Haven has run walking tours. More

    St. Joseph County, Michigan

    Burials and cemetery records

    Obituaries

    • St. Joseph County MIGenWeb - obituary resources. Main obituary index (617 references), 94 full transcriptions, and a Burr Oak Acorn obituary index (2,502 references). Years: not stated How to get a copy: Free online; the newspaper page lists Three Rivers titles (Daily Commercial 1914-1984, Commercial-News 1984-present) - county coordinator Joel Newport (joelnewport@gmail.com) for microfilm locations.
    • St. Joseph County Historical Society archives. Holds obituaries among its original records; archivists assist. Years: not stated How to get a copy: Visit Fridays 10-4 or by appointment; (269) 273-6003; SJCHS34@gmail.com. Fees not posted.
    • Sturgis Public Library - History Room. Local history and genealogy room for Sturgis and area (no online obituary index found). Years: not stated How to get a copy: 255 North St., Sturgis; (269) 659-7224.
    • Three Rivers Public Library - newspaper index. Library of Michigan holds 'Partial index to the newspapers of the Three Rivers Public Library' (Sue Imogene Silliman). The library's own website and any current obituary service were not found. Years: not stated How to get a copy: Ask the Library of Michigan (Librarian@Michigan.gov) or the Three Rivers library.
    • Library of Michigan newspaper microfilm. Centreville Observer 1890-1961, Advertiser Record (Constantine) 1924-1972, Colon Express 1900-1992, Three Rivers Tribune 1878-1906, St. Joseph County News (White Pigeon) 1972-1982. Years: 1878-1992 (varies) How to get a copy: In Lansing, or ask Librarian@Michigan.gov.
    • Michiana Genealogical Index (SBAGS). Free surname index of Michiana deaths, marriages and cemetery sources pointing to the record. Years: varies How to get a copy: Free online search.
    • Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal (Clarke Historical Library, CMU). County-by-county index of digitized Michigan papers, each marked Free/Pay/Hybrid. Years: varies How to get a copy: Online.

    Death records

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • Riverside Cemetery, 333 Michigan Ave., Three Rivers, MI. Laid out in 1858 on about 87 acres along the St. Joseph River, roughly 10,000 graves; Civil War veterans among them. More
    • Oak Lawn Cemetery, NE corner of S. Nottawa St. and E. South St., Sturgis, MI. City of Sturgis cemetery established in 1867 on 12 acres, now 40 acres with about 10,000 burials. More

    St. Joseph County, Indiana

    Burials and cemetery records

    • City and township cemetery offices. Indiana township trustees and city governments own many cemeteries. South Bend's City Cemetery (and Bowman Cemetery) are run by South Bend Venues Parks & Arts, 219 S. St. Louis Blvd., 574-299-4765, which posts an interactive City Cemetery map (in development).
    • South Bend Area Genealogical Society (SBAGS) - cemetery databases. Cemetery Locations in St. Joseph County (public; township, legal description, coordinates, directions, notes on lost stones); Cemetery Inscriptions Index (members only); Burial Permits Index 1910-1929; Graves Registration Project (county veterans who died before 1938).
    • SBAGS Graves Registration Project index (RootsWeb). Free text/PDF index of St. Joseph County male veterans who died before 1938/1939 with a cemetery code key; from SBAGS's printed 'Index to Graves Registration Project Form GR5', at the St. Joseph County Public Library.
    • St. Joseph County INGenWeb - cemeteries. Transcribed cemeteries, links to the SBAGS inscription index, Cedar Grove and old-section St. Joseph (Polish) inscriptions, and a combined spreadsheet.
    • Interment.net - St. Joseph County, Indiana. Free cemetery transcription index for the county.
    • Indiana DNR Cemetery & Burial Ground Registry (CBGR). State registry of all Indiana cemeteries and burial grounds kept by the Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology: location, marker count, condition, affiliations, veterans, features (not a list of names). Searchable inside SHAARD and shown on the IHBBC map.
    • Indiana State Library - Cemetery Locator Index. Statewide catalog of Indiana cemeteries by county and township with legal location and the State Library call numbers of books that list each one.
    • Find a Grave / BillionGraves. Both volunteer memorial/headstone databases cover the county's cemeteries.
    • VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs search for burial places of veterans and family members in national, state veterans' and some other cemeteries; last name required.

    Obituaries

    • St. Joseph County Public Library - St. Joseph County Obituary Index. Free online index, chiefly the South Bend Tribune, plus death records, funeral notes, articles and memorials; older papers being added by volunteers and staff. Years: indexing began with 1913; ongoing How to get a copy: View full records at Local & Family History Services, Main Library 3rd floor, 304 S. Main St., South Bend. Remote/homebound: online Research Request form or printable PDF (linked from sjcpl.org/lfh); 'there may be a charge' - no fee posted. local.history@sjcpl.org, 574-282-4621.
    • SJCPL Local & Family History - newspaper clipping files and databases. Print clipping files (1920s-1960s full, 1970s-2000s partial), newspaper collection index, microfilm, newspaper databases, and the Michiana Memory digital collection. Years: varies How to get a copy: In person or by research request.
    • St. Joseph County INGenWeb - obituary index. Volunteer index of over 15,000 obituaries. Years: not stated How to get a copy: Free online.
    • SBAGS newspaper indexes. Genealogical Index to Victorian-era St. Joseph County newspapers (1875-1913), Mishawaka Enterprise index and vital statistics index (1982-2003), Coroner's Records Index (1879-1960). Years: 1875-2003 (varies) How to get a copy: Online (some SBAGS content is members-only); contact via sbags.org/contact-us.
    • Michiana Genealogical Index (SBAGS). Free surname index (Norbert Cramer) of births, deaths, marriages and cemetery sources drawn mainly from area newspapers. Years: varies How to get a copy: Free online search.
    • Hoosier State Chronicles (Indiana State Library). Free digitized Indiana newspapers, over a million pages 1804-2018. Years: 1804-2018 (varies by title) How to get a copy: Free online.

    Death records

    • Indiana death certificates 1899-2011 (Ancestry). Statewide death certificates with images and index, filed 1899-2011, from Indiana State Board of Health records on microfilm at the Indiana Archives and Records Administration. The Indiana State Archives says unofficial copies 'may be obtained on Ancestry.com'; the Indiana State Library lists it as available free in the library and statewide via Ancestry Library Edition.
    • Indiana State Archives (IARA) - vital records guidance. For 1882-1906 deaths, contact the county health office where the death occurred; 1907 and later from the Indiana Department of Health (orderable online). The Indiana State Library Genealogy Division holds WPA death indexes for about half the counties.
    • Indiana Death Index 1882-1920 (FamilySearch). Free index covering 67 of 92 counties, per the Indiana State Library.
    • SBAGS Coroner's Records Index 1879-1960. Index to St. Joseph County coroner's records.

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • South Bend City Cemetery, 214 Elm Street (at Colfax), South Bend, IN 46616. South Bend's oldest cemetery (land given by Lathrop Taylor and Alexis Coquillard; first burial 1831), 21 acres, about 14,800 burials, listed on the National Register in 2018. Graves include Vice President Schuyler Colfax, the Studebaker brothers (Clement, John, Peter), President McKinley's paternal grandparents, and Medal of Honor recipient Enoch R. Weiss. More

    Elkhart County, Indiana

    Burials and cemetery records

    • City of Elkhart Cemetery Department. Runs Rice (400 James St.), Grace Lawn and Prairie Street cemeteries; helps locate hard-to-find burials and handles genealogy requests; holds the list of people moved from the old Middlebury Street cemetery. Contacts: charles.choate@coei.org, hannah.colbourn@coei.org.
    • City of Goshen Department of Cemeteries - Goshen Cemetery Explorer. Oakridge, West Goshen, Violett and Dierdorff cemeteries; the online Cemetery Explorer map locates burials (Violett reviewed; Oakridge and West Goshen still in quality control). Office Mon-Fri 7-3, 574-534-5306; 202 S. 5th St., Goshen.
    • Elkhart County Genealogical Society (ECGS). Compiled 'Cemeteries of Elkhart County, Indiana' (vols. I-III, 1991; an older guide says four volumes), with a free online name index on the INGenWeb site; sells by mail funeral-home indexes and Burial Transit Permits for Elkhart City 1950-1984 and County 1950-1982 (prices on its page, last updated c. 2013 - confirm). P.O. Box 1031, Elkhart, IN 46515-1031. Its library (Sailor Memorial Library) is listed at the Rush Memorial Center, 304 W. Vistula St., Bristol, Tue-Fri 10-2.
    • Online Index of Cemeteries of Elkhart County, Vols. I-III. Name index to the ECGS cemetery books, on Elkhart County INGenWeb (page not opened; listed on the INGenWeb home page). INGenWeb also links Patricia Johnson's county cemetery list and the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project page for Elkhart County.
    • Library cemetery indexes. Elkhart Public Library and Goshen Public Library both hold Cemeteries of Elkhart County plus indexes to Grace Lawn, Rice, Prairie Street, Oakridge, Violett and West Goshen cemeteries and 'Tombstone Records of Elkhart County'.
    • Interment.net - Clinton Union Cemetery, Goshen. Transcription linked from INGenWeb; Interment.net's Indiana index may have more county sets.
    • Indiana DNR Cemetery & Burial Ground Registry (CBGR). State registry of all Indiana cemeteries and burial grounds kept by the Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology: location, marker count, condition, affiliations, veterans, features (not a list of names). Searchable inside SHAARD and shown on the IHBBC map.
    • Indiana State Library - Cemetery Locator Index. Statewide catalog of Indiana cemeteries by county and township with legal location and the State Library call numbers of books that list each one.
    • Find a Grave / BillionGraves. Both volunteer memorial/headstone databases cover the county's cemeteries.
    • VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs search for burial places of veterans and family members in national, state veterans' and some other cemeteries; last name required.

    Obituaries

    • Elkhart Public Library - Elkhart Truth obituary index. Searchable citation index to Elkhart Truth obituaries (by date range, last, first and maiden name). Years: not stated on the page (a 1998-era guide described the file as 1980s-1990s) How to get a copy: Read the papers at the downtown library, 300 S. Second St. Remote requests via the research form: $5 per 30 minutes (covers 1-3 obituary requests), paid in advance, charged whether or not found, one request per person per month, SASE for mail (https://www.myepl.org/assistance/). reference@myepl.org, 574-522-5669.
    • Goshen Public Library - obituary indexes. Card file 1970-1994 (obituaries and anniversaries); index 1994-2007 at the reference desk; Goshen News index 2007-present. Goshen newspapers 1837-2022 in the Indiana Room on microfilm; NewspaperARCHIVE access. Years: 1970-present How to get a copy: The Reference Department will send a local obituary by mail or email; no fee or form is posted - contact the reference desk.
    • Funeral home indexes (Goshen Public Library / ECGS). Dale White (Elkhart) 1929-1993; Walley-Mills-Zimmerman 1912-1988 and 1999-2005; Waterman-Westbrook-Clouse 1940-2005; Stemm-Lawson-Peterson (Elkhart 1954-2002, Bristol 1978-2002); Carlyse Wagner (Bristol) 1944-1960. Years: 1912-2005 How to get a copy: Use at the library, or buy ECGS indexes by mail.
    • Elkhart County INGenWeb - submitted obituaries. Volunteer-submitted obituaries. Years: varies How to get a copy: Free online.
    • Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen College. Obituary index to the Herald of Truth (1864-1908) and Gospel Herald, per a dated (1998/2016) INGenWeb guide. Years: 1864 on How to get a copy: Contact the library at Goshen College.
    • Michiana Genealogical Index (SBAGS). Free surname index (Norbert Cramer) of births, deaths, marriages and cemetery sources from Michiana-area records. Years: varies How to get a copy: Free online search.
    • Hoosier State Chronicles (Indiana State Library). Free digitized Indiana newspapers, over a million pages 1804-2018. Years: 1804-2018 (varies by title) How to get a copy: Free online.

    Death records

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • Grace Lawn Cemetery, 920 Middlebury St., Elkhart, IN 46516 (city-owned). Dedicated in 1864 and named for Grace Clark, foster daughter of town founder-surveyor Charles Beardsley; early Elkhart families, over 100 Civil War soldiers, burials moved from the old Middlebury Street cemetery, a 1918 gateway and the Baldwin-Beardsley mausoleum. More
    • Oakridge Cemetery, 435 N. 1st Street, Goshen, IN. Burials from 1832, city-owned since 1859, over 40 acres; mayors, Goshen's first postmaster, veterans of every major American war, and GAR, Odd Fellows and Jewish (Sharis Israel) sections. More

    LaPorte County, Indiana

    Burials and cemetery records

    • Michigan City Cemetery Department. Runs Greenwood (with Sinai, Calvary and Islamic sections), Calvary and Swan Lake Memorial Gardens; official burial records searchable online at swanlake.cemsites.com (gravesite search, maps). Office 5700 E. US Hwy 20, Michigan City; (219) 873-1522; Mon-Fri 7-3:30.
    • Michigan City Public Library - LaPorte County cemetery lists. Guide to printed lists (Cemetery Records of LaPorte County vols. 1-4; Abandoned, Destroyed Cemeteries of LaPorte County by Gloria Arndt and Patricia Gruse Harris; Greenwood burial book index 1873-1950; St. Stanislaus 1898-1979; Indiana State Prison cemetery 1927-1989, and more) and online sources, including the Cemetery & Research Association of LaPorte County's lists for 80+ cemeteries and DAR (Miriam Benedict Chapter) 1970 records on FamilySearch.
    • Cemetery Records of LaPorte County, Indiana (FamilySearch catalog). Catalog entry for the county cemetery records.
    • Indiana State Library - Cemetery Locator Index. Statewide catalog of Indiana cemeteries by county and township with legal location and the State Library call numbers of books that list each one.
    • Indiana DNR Cemetery & Burial Ground Registry (CBGR). State registry of all Indiana cemeteries and burial grounds kept by the Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology: location, marker count, condition, affiliations, veterans, features (not a list of names). Searchable inside SHAARD and shown on the IHBBC map.
    • Find a Grave / BillionGraves. Both volunteer memorial/headstone databases cover the county's cemeteries.
    • VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs search for burial places of veterans and family members in national, state veterans' and some other cemeteries; last name required.
    • Interment.net - Indiana. Free cemetery transcriptions by county; LaPorte County has entries.

    Obituaries

    • Michigan City Public Library - obituary index. Incomplete index of about 90,000 obituaries from Michigan City newspapers; text on the library's microfilm. No online index URL given. Years: 1887-present How to get a copy: $5.00 covers up to two obituaries; request by phone (219-873-3044) or mail to Michigan City Public Library, Reference Dept., 100 E. 4th St., Michigan City, IN 46360, with check/money order and a SASE per two requests; copies can be emailed (https://mclib.org/explore-topics/genealogy).
    • La Porte County Public Library - Indiana Room. Staff help locate obituaries and genealogical records; regional newspapers on microfilm from the late 1800s. No public obituary index found. Years: late 1800s on (film) How to get a copy: Online Research Request Form (fees not posted); help@laportelibrary.org; 219-362-6156 ext. 101.
    • USGenWeb Archives - LaPorte County obituaries. Downloadable obituary index files for 1920-1929 and 1940-1949 plus a few transcribed obituaries. Years: 1920-29, 1940-49 How to get a copy: Free online.
    • Michiana Genealogical Index (SBAGS). Free surname index (Norbert Cramer) of births, deaths, marriages and cemetery sources from Michiana-area records. Years: varies How to get a copy: Free online search.
    • Hoosier State Chronicles (Indiana State Library). Free digitized Indiana newspapers, over a million pages 1804-2018. Years: 1804-2018 (varies by title) How to get a copy: Free online.

    Death records

    • Indiana death certificates 1899-2011 (Ancestry). Statewide death certificates with images and index, filed 1899-2011, from Indiana State Board of Health records on microfilm at the Indiana Archives and Records Administration. The Indiana State Archives says unofficial copies 'may be obtained on Ancestry.com'; the Indiana State Library lists it as available free in the library and statewide via Ancestry Library Edition.
    • Indiana State Archives (IARA) - vital records guidance. For 1882-1906 deaths, contact the county health office where the death occurred; 1907 and later from the Indiana Department of Health (orderable online). The Indiana State Library Genealogy Division holds WPA death indexes for about half the counties.
    • Indiana Death Index 1882-1920 (FamilySearch). Free index covering 67 of 92 counties, per the Indiana State Library.
    • LaPorte County Health Department / WPA death indexes. Health Department holds county death certificates 1882-present (fee; also via VitalChek). The WPA 'Index to Death Records: LaPorte County, 1882-1920' and a separate Michigan City index (1882-1920) are at Michigan City Public Library and the Indiana State Library.

    Old cemeteries you can walk

    • Greenwood Cemetery, 153 Tilden Avenue, Michigan City, IN 46360. Michigan City's city cemetery, established 1863 and dedicated 1864 by Mayor H. H. Roberts; holds Sinai (Jewish), Calvary (Catholic) and Islamic sections; burials moved from the old city burial ground; the county historical museum has led tours ('History and Mystery at Greenwood', Oct. 2025). More

    Good manners in old cemeteries

    Ask us to find it Reading a death certificate Family research