For only the third time in the past 28 years, the vital statistics for Leelanau County - births, deaths, marriages and divorces - fell in each category compared to the previous year.

The vital statistics compiled by the county clerk’s office since 1980 showed declines in all four categories for just the third time since 1980.

The number of births in the county is traditionally the smallest number tracked by the clerk’s office, and 2007 was no exception. Only eight children were born in Leelanau County in 2007, down from 10 the previous year. That continues a trend that developed after baby deliveries were discontinued at Leelanau Memorial Health Center in Northport in 1989.

Between 1980 and 1989, the average number of births recorded in Leelanau County each year was 24.5. The number of births recorded for each year thereafter has fallen to an average of 5.2 — topping out at 10 last year and dropping to just one in 1994.

Most of the birth certificates issued in Leelanau County are for parents who chose to birth at home, rather than a hospital setting.

The drop in vital statistics were a surprise to chief deputy clerk Sherry Nedow. “I knew the marriages were down, but I didn’t know we were down in each of the other areas,” she said.

Unlike new parents, who are often pressed to name their baby before leaving the hospital, home birth parents can take their time — in some cases up to a year after the birth.

“We usually see them at about a month old,” Nedow said.

Parents seeking a birth certificate are required to bring the child with them.

“If you’re married, the husband’s name must go on the certificate whether he’s the father or not,” Nedow said. “If you’re not married, the only way to get the father’s name on the certificate is to file an affidavit of paternity, which is a notarized form which goes to the state.”

The highest number of births since 1980 was 28, recorded in 1983. Those babies now would be approaching 25 and old enough to be having their offspring of their own.

The data contained in certificates of birth, death, marriage and divorce are accessed by the public, primarily those seeking genealogical information. However, there are some restrictions on who can access birth information.

“It’s closed to only you and your parents unless the person is deceased — then it can be accessed by their heirs,” Nedow said. “They’re also open once they are 100 years old.”

Deaths in Leelanau County last year also fell about seven percent, from 105 in 2006 to 97 in 2007. However, the general trend has been for the number of deaths to grow as the birth rate locally has continued at less than 5 percent averaged over the past 18 years.

From 1980 to 1990, the average number of death certificates issued in Leelanau County averaged 76.9. Between 1990 and 2007, the average jumped by more than 20 percent to 99.8 annually. 

Since 1980, deaths in the county have ranged from a high of 114 in 2004 to 64 in 1988.

Marriages and divorces, also recorded at the clerk’s office, are not only of interest to personal historians but others as well.

“Mostly attorneys and private investigators,” Nedow explained.

Marriages outnumbered divorces in the county by more than a 2-to-1 margin in 2007, with 154 couples tying the knot in Leelanau County last year compared to 177 the previous year, a 28-year high. July was the most popular month for weddings in Leelanau, with 27 ceremonies held. Late summer weddings in August were also popular with 24 marriages recorded.

Sixty-six couples divorced last year in Leelanau County, which happens to be the average since 1980. Marital bliss prevailed in 1984 when only 35 couples dissolved their marriages. The 28-year high for divorces was 105, recorded in 1999.

Space in the clerk’s office is currently limited. When it opens next month, new governmental center will have room in the lobby of the clerk’s office that will allow more space for genealogy research