Death Records Now

Does anyone know where the records are kept that the GENDIS database is transcribed from? Are they with the individual counties or is there a state repository that has these records?

My great great grandmother, Anje Ruiter Jansen was born on April 20, 1834 in Spijk, Groningen, Netherlands, the daughter of Tonnis Bartelds Ruiter and Imke Jans Lanting. She immigrated to America in 1883 and according to a printed genealogy, she died in Feb 1885. I’ve been unable to locate a record to verify this, but found a record in GENDIS that is close. Here is the link:

http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/gendisx/scripts/individual.asp?UniqueID=504803

As you can see, this death record is one year off from the printed genealogy I have, but it is the right month. The only thing that bothers me is that her age at time of death says 30 according to GENDIS; however, I believe that the original record may have been handwritten and her age of 50, may have been mistranscribed as 30. Any ideas?

They come from the records that were sent to the State Archives back in the 40s. Most are copies from the Secretary of State holdings and are copies of records from individual counties. Most counties weren’t keeping consistent death records in 1885.

Assuming she was either Dutch Reformed or Catholic, she either lived on the east side of the state in the Bay City/Thumb area or on the west side in the Grand Rapids/Holland/Muskegon area. Most recent immigrants stuck together for the first generation. It wouldn’t be hard to find the death records if you know the community where she died. Both the RCC and the DRC were wonderful record keepers.