Grand Rapids, MI asked in Civil Litigation, Gov & Administrative Law and Probate for Michigan

Q: Searching for death record of Mary Jaworski, Kalamazoo 1924-1950, unable to find, suspect second husband involvement, extensive genealogy efforts.

I have been searching for 30 years to find a death record for my great-grandmother, Mary (or Maria/Marianna) Jaworski, who was born with the maiden name Bialacki and used the name Staskiewicz from her first marriage. She was admitted to the Kalamazoo State Hospital in Michigan in 1924 and remained there at least until 1950, as per the 1950 census. Before her hospital admission, she was serving jail time in Battle Creek, Michigan. I suspect her second husband arranged for her hospitalization as he didn't want to care for her.

She had four children with her first husband, Konstany Staskiewicz: Boleslawa (aka Bertha Staskiewicz Adamczak), Waclaw Staskiewicz (aka William or Bill), Julian Louis Staskiewicz (aka Stasker), and Salomea Staskiewicz (aka Sally). She also had a child, Julianna, who was born on the ship to the United States but passed away in 1906 upon arrival in Philadelphia.

I have utilized resources such as the Jesus Christ of the LDS, Ancestry.com, Genealogy Bank, Public Genealogy Library of Kalamazoo, Lansing and Grand Rapids, My Heritage, National Archives, Find a Grave, Cyndi's List, and even checked other areas such as Ann Arbor and Holyoke, Massachusetts. I also have newspaper articles about her arrest and transfer to Kalamazoo. Despite these efforts, the state of Michigan and Kalamazoo City and County have been unable to assist in locating her death certificate.

I also have her marriage record with her second husband, the divorce record from her first marriage, ship records, place of residence, an inquiry on her in Philadelphia, and one photo.

1 Lawyer Answer

A: This is more a genealogy question than a legal one, but you mention all sorts of resources you've checked but not the Social Security Death Index. That will tell you not only when she died but also WHERE your grandmother lived at the time letting you do searches more targeted for that elusive death certificate.

Do you know ROUGHLY when she died? A professional genealogist may be able to help

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