Included are “State of Michigan, Department of State, Division of Vital Statistics, Transcript of Certificate of Death, Local Register” or the “Register of Deaths, State of Michigan” death records.

The death record copies list deaths from 1906-1910 and from 1914-1952. The records provide name, age, sex, and birth date, along with date of death and cause. After 1919, occupation, marriage status, and the undertaker are also included. Beginning in the 1920s more complete information regarding residence and family is given, with yet additional information on the deceased provided after 1950, including personal history. The reason for the gap between 1910 and 1914, and for the omission of earlier records, is unknown. It is unknown if all residents are documented here, or only a percentage.

An index to individuals and data in these photocopies, “Grand Rapids Township Death Records, Kent County, Michigan, 1906-1919, 1914-1952,” was prepared by Kathy Tabb, Jan Hulbert and Evelyn Sawyer of the Western Michigan Genealogical Society in 1991. A copy of that index accompanies this collection. No digital version of the index has been located. However, various online sources of death record information are available from the County, the State, and via the local genealogy websites.