This index contains abstracts of vital records formally published or referred to in articles in the Ypsilanti Commercial newspaper.

Here are things to know when using it:

1. This is only an index. One should always look at the cited article on microfilm at the Whittaker Road branch for additional information. Most entries are curt but some may offer extensive biography and genealogy. One should also review several issues earlier and later than the event for references to the event.
2. The articles in question are very prone to error in presentation and material fact. All names and dates presented in this index are as they appear in the newspaper. A great deal of care was spent on reproducing names accurately according to the text.
3. It can be guaranteed that some vital records were missed. The intention of this project was to record the births, marriages, and deaths of the residents of Ypsilanti and its environs or with connections to the area. General national and state-wide records are not included here.
4. If the date of the event is unclear the date of the newspaper article is used in its place.
5. The Ypsilanti Commercial was for much of its run privately owned and reflected the population of subscribers. Most vital records of its area of coverage are not included in it. For instance, there were a large number of Irish Catholics working and living in town. It is very rare for them to appear in this paper. African-Americans fare a little better and are generally identified by “col.” for “colored”. The readership of the Ypsilanti Commercial were overwhelmingly white, Protestant, and Republican. That is who subscribed to it and whose interests were represented.
6. Women and children are less visible in the paper than men, and so they may often be referred to as “his widow and children”, “his lovely wife”, “their bouncing baby boy”, etc.
7. Whenever there were more relatives mentioned than there were database fields for them, we tried to cite those that gave the maximum coverage of both possible surnames and geographic area.
8. If there were more than one article referring to a vital record we strove to present the one that had the most information.
9. The researchers for this index were Jerome Drummond, Dr. Kathryn Ziegler, and Laura Jacks. They wish you Happy Hunting!