Obituaries
Guide to locating newspaper obituaries for ancestry, family history, and genealogy research.
What are obituaries?
Obituaries are brief biographies of deceased persons, usually published by newspapers or funeral homes. They are also used to announce funeral arrangements.
- "An obituary (obit for short) is a news article that reports the recent death of a prominent person. Two types of paid advertisements are related to obituaries. One, known as a death notice, omits most biographical details and may be a legally required public notice under some circumstances. The other type, a paid memorial advertisement, is usually written by family members or friends, perhaps with assistance from a funeral home." Wikipedia: Obituary
Why use Obituaries in Family History Research?
Obituaries may contain more detailed information about a person's life. It can be a substitute record for giving birth and death information when a birth or death record cannot be located. Obituaries can be easier to access than vital records that may have restrictions because of privacy laws.
What can you find in obituaries?
Some obituaries are very brief, merely announcing the death. More elaborate obituaries can contain some of the following elements:
- Name of deceased
- Age of deceased
- Date and place of birth
- Maiden name of female
- Father’s and mother’s names
- Name of spouse(s)
- Date and place of marriage
- Names of children, their spouses, and where they now reside
- Date and place of death, occasionally cause
- Time and location of funeral
- Place of burial
- Occupation history
- Religious affiliation
- Membership in clubs, lodges, associations
- Immigration information
- Educational accomplishments
- History of different residences
- Family members (parents and siblings) preceded in death and still surviving
- Residences of family members surviving
Online Obituary Collections
By Country
- Australia Obituaries
- Canada Obituaries
- Czechia Obituaries
- Fiji Obituaries
- Germans from Russia Obituaries
- Hungary Obituaries
- Monaco Obituaries
- New Zealand Obituaries
- Russia Obituaries
- Slovenia Obituaries
- United States Obituaries
Finding Obituaries Not Online
- Find the death date or approximate date of the person so that the obituary
- Records that give death date:
- Statewide death index
- Cemetery in the local area where the person is believed to have died
- Obtain the newspaper:
- Online newspaper databases
- Public/local library - many offer obituary lookups for a small fee
- State or local archives