1.) Ionia County Vital Records can be obtained by contacting the Ionia County Clerk.

Birth Records are available from 1867 ( there are some scattered records from 1835 to 1867) Birth records are indexed. The earliest records are hand written and as usual, can be very difficult to read. Ionia County birth records that are 110 years old and older are available to the public now. On July 2, 1997, Public Act # 54 was signed into law by Governor John Engler. Thus, records from the county’s beginnings in 1867 through today’s date, 1888 should be available to the public. Although, the law also states that records or record indexes that are held in the same book (or liber) as those records that are not open are not freely searchable. The county clerk will assist you in obtaining those records that are open to the public.

2.) The State Archives of Michigan also holds copies of Ionia County birth records.

RG# 79-51 Index Type For the dates 1874-1891

3.) The Michigan Department of Public Health also holds Ionia County birth records.

You can order vital records directly from the Michigan Department of Public Health online here.

The Department of Public Health is required by Act 368 of 1978, to collect the statutory fee before a search may be made for any record. Checks and money orders are to be made payable to the STATE OF MICHIGAN.

Minimum fee for one certified copy is $13.00. Additional copes of the same record are $4.00 each. Additional years searched over 3 years are an additional $4.00 for each year searched over the 3 year search limit. FEES PAID TO SEARCH THE FILES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE, When a record is not found, the applicant will receive notification that the record requested is not on file in the office.

In 1867 (PA 194) the Michigan legislature passed a law requiring a state-wide system for the important information relating to births and other vital data. This law required the township supervisors to collect facts pertaining to all births that occurred in their jurisdiction, noting date, name of individual, gender, race, place of birth, and the names, birthplaces, occupations and residences of the parents. In 1925 the authority for maintaining these statistics was transferred from the Secretary of State to the Department of Public Health, where control remains today. In 1978, by authority of PA 368, the legislature restricted access to all birth registers and indexes. Consequently none of the birth records listed can be examined by researchers. Birth records for Ionia County are indexed at this site for the years 1874-1891. Birth certificates must be obtained from the Michigan Department of Public Health.

4.) The following microfilms of Ionia County births can be found at the Library of Michigan

Portland Township, Michigan birth records, 1910-1919. Genealogical Society, 1983. Film F 574 P67 P6 1983

Record of birth, county of Ionia, township of Ronald, 1906-1918. Genealogical Society, 1983. Film F 574.S844 R3 1983, No.5 on Reel

5.) The Family History Centers in Lansing, Michigan and in Grand Rapids, Michigan hold the following microfilm on Ionia County births.

Birth Records 1867 - 1909 (Microfilm)

Birth Index 1867 - 1974 (Microfilm)

BIRTH DATES OF EARLY IONIA SETTLERS

This newspaper transcription was submitted by Cheryl VanWormer, and avid Ionia County researcher and Ionia County GenWeb volunteer. Cheryl found this newspaper article while browsing through some old issues of the local newspaper looking for a death notice. What a wealth of information is found in this article! Enjoy -

(The original text was copied from The Ionia Sentinel Standard newspaper, Thursday, Jan. 19, 1882, page 8 and the following names were not in alphabetical order in the original text. The names were put into alphabetical order for easier searching.)

The Early Settlers.

The following statement prepared by Hon. Louis S. Lovell gives the names and date of birth, of more than a hundred of the older residents of this county, some of whom were pioneers who came here from other states, when the county was a wilderness, some were born here, and others removed here at a later period. It is thought that the list will prove of interest to those gentlemen now in the sere and yellow leaf, who have borne the brunt of the work in building up the county. Six at least of the number mentioned have died since the list was made; perhaps others. We have only hastily perused it. The names are as follows:

Alderman, Abraham April 24, 1828

Arnold, Walter D. May 25, 1827

Babcock, Herman June 29, 1818

Babcock , Jos. M. January 16, 1820

Babcock , Lucius April 13, 1811

Barber, Benjamin G. March 16, 1796

Bartow, Harvey March 31, 1813

Bayard, S. M. October 1, 1820

Bell, Alexander F. August 5, 1812

Blanchard, John C. September 19, 1822

Blanchard, W. Z. December 1, 1800

Brownell, Daniel S. February 14, 1808

Burhans, Winslow P. May 7, 1821

Cadwell, A. C. July 14, 1810

Carr, Archibald F. September 3, 1814

Clute, Lemuel August 7, 1834

Coon, Peter April 26, 1816

Cooper, George S. January 27, 1830

Cornell, Thomas January 28, 1806

Delaney, John September 20, 1799

Dewey, Thos. H. December 30, 1818

Dexter, John C. April 6, 1817

Dodge, David December 21, 1798

Dye, Richard October 23, 1810

Freeman, Frank S. February 14, 1829

Freeman , Joseph L. February 28, 1805

Germain, George W. June 4, 1818

Hackett, Peter April 7, 1810

Hall, Frederick March 24, 1816

Harter, Benjamin April 18, 1813

Harter, Harvey November 14, 1818

Hawley, Alpheus C. November 4, 1809

Hayes, Hector July 23, 1804

Hayes, N. B. December 13, 1835

Howe, Philander R. January 29, 1812

Irish, David April 3, 1811

Jennings, James L. January 16, 1819

Johnson, Ethan S. October 5, 1813

Kellogg, George D. December 31, 1814

Kidd, James M. November 13, 1813

Kinney, F. C. May 1, 1812

Kitson, William November 13, 1817

Letandre, Jos July 10, 1807

Lewis, Charles E. January 10, 1813

Lincoln, William B. December 29, 1807

Lovell, Cyrus September 9, 1804

Lovell, Louis S. November 15, 1816

Mann, Loomis September 26, 1818

Mather, Asaph March 21, 1810

Matthews, Charles June 13, 1813

McKelvey, John November 15, 1816

Mills, Major D. December 14, 1806

Mitchel, William W. February 20, 1831

Morse, A. Benton January 7, 1839

Overhiser, George C. October 15, 1811

Page, Stephen F. September 30, 1816

Page, Wellington C. November 12, 1820

Palmer, Asa September 20, 1815

Post, Edward B. February 5, 1811

Powell, Joseph P. February 28, 1821

Probart, John December 17, 1814

Probart, Thomas January 15, 1817

Rice, Calvin M. May 14, 1805

Rich, Hampton December 1, 1815

Roof, Adam L. February 10, 1810

Scott, Cornelius June 3, 1800

Searing, Nathaniel February 17, 1814

Sessions, Alonzo August 4, 1810

Sessions, Nathaniel August 20, 1790

Sessions, William May 2, 1821

Shelton, Benjamin December 27, 1819

Smith, Asaph C. July 26, 1807

Smith, Lewis D. July 16, 1818

Smith, Myron C. December 9, 1816

Smith, Nelson E. August 9, 1826

Stevenson, Edward April 18, 1819

Stevenson, George January 8, 1813

Stevenson, John August 28, 1811

Taylor, Charles September 30, 1817

Taylor, John L. May 25, 1824

Taylor, Palmer H. July 23, 1819

Taylor, Sylvester April 9, 1814

Thatcher, Moses November 14, 1795

Thayer, Isaac H. August 22, 1823

Tibbits, Jona January 29, 1809

Toan, John November 22, 1824

Toan, Robert July 12, 1796

Toan, Wm. June 1, 1831

Tompkins, John October 7, 1806

Tower, Osmond February 16, 1811

Tupper, Myron May 18, 1816

Van Vleck, Albert October 22, 1826

Van Vleck, Matthew May 22, 1794

Varnum, Phineas March 31, 1802

Vosper, Richard May 12, 1817

Webber, George W. November 25, 1825

Welch, Ezekiel January 29, 1809

Welch, John B. March 22, 1816

Wells, Willard B. March 28, 1829

Willey, Lewis September 26, 1815

Williams, Albert February 8, 1817

Winslow, William February 9, 1816

Woodworrh, William H. January 14, 1828

Yates, Job L. October 27, 1812

Yeomans, Erastus August 11, 1791

Yeomans, Sanford A. November 29, 1816