birth records start in Michigan in 1867. If your ggrandmother was born before that there NEVER were any records. If you are talking about the courthouse fire in Lenawee, it happened in 1852 and ALL MARRIAGE records before that time were lost. ALL DEEDS survived the fire. NO BIRTH or DEATH records were lost, because there were NONE to loose! If you are talking about a fire in a home, you have our empathy, many family records and bibles are lost in house fires. Many births and deaths, even tho required to be recorded from 1867 on, were NOT! I have found deaths that happened as late as 1900 that were not recorded, the people are buried in Lenawee, and obits indicate they died in Lenawee, but there are NO records. Births since home birthing came back into vogue in our lifetimes, well, some of those are not recorded either. Then when mom goes to put the child in school she has to go record a delayed birth record. When records are lost in fires, we all lose, have you considered the possibility of ordering her social security card application?? If she lived longer than about 1938 she may have applied for a card. If she lived longer than ohhhh, 1960 (even some before that time), she may have had a death benefit paid by Soc. Sec. Administration, and may appear on the SSDI ( Rootsweb.com makes this data base available to you FREE!!) If you have not done so, even tho the fee is now outrageous, you should seriously consider purchasing her application. She will have signed it and the data on the form will be what she claims as her birth place, birth date and parents. Sometimes it shows where they worked, that is always interesting. Good luck in your research! On 28 Jan 2006 08:42:22 -0700, [email protected] < [email protected]> wrote: > > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Surnames: Davis,Newman,McNett,Cuffman,Dymond,Tower,Palmer > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/mFB.2ACE/2672 > > Message Board Post: > > Looking for info on the family of Philander Davis..he was born in Lenawee > Co., believe his parents were Ira and Betsy Davis. He married Louesa Jane > McNett(or Cuffman). My ggrandmother Zelphretta(,Etta, Nettie) was their > daughter and she was born in Lenawee Co., but was told all records lost in a > fire.Any help on this line would be very helpful thank you! > >