The library will be closed Sunday, March 31st, for Easter

Memorial Hall Library

Finding Obituaries & Death Notices

Obituaries and death notices are very important sources for genealogists, but what's the difference? Obituaries are usually longer than death notices and are often written by a family member. Obituaries primarily developed after the Civil War. They became more common for longtime members of the community by the 1890s. Death notices were published to inform people of the time and location of funeral services. They are usually submitted to a newspaper by the funeral home. They became popular in the early 1800s. Neither are required, so there will not be one available for every death.

Try using these websites to find obituaries & death notices (remember that none are complete):

Genealogy Search Engine: Searches funeral home and obituary websites.

Chronicling America: The Library of Congress has a searchable newspaper database from 1836-1922. 

Cyndi's List: Cyndi’s List has all sorts of information, including links to sites that contain obituaries and death notices (or indexes). 

Free Obituaries On-Line: Similar to Cyndi’s List, this includes links to sources that contain obituaries and death notices (or indexes). 

New York Times: To search, scroll down the page.  The “Latest” tab is highlighted.  Select the “Search tab” and type the name next to the magnifying glass.  In most cases you won’t be able to see the full obituary, however, if you find one you want the Library can request it for you.  MHL has a subscription, as does the Boston Public Library (coverage differs). Learn how to get a Boston Public Library ecard.

State Archives: State archives often have a good collection of old newspapers on microfilm.  Each will be different. 

Obituary Links Page - Free Directory of Obituaries and Obituary Resources by State: Just what the subtitle says...

Obituary Central: More links to obituary indexes.

United States Obits Index: Most of the information is taken from online resources and don’t go back more than 20 years.

Legacy.com: This site allows you to search for obituaries, but then you have to have an account to view them. 

Online Searchable Death Indexes for the USA: This is a great list that includes links for searching obituaries, cemeteries and the SSDI. 

National Archives Library Information Center: They provide a good list titled “Genealogy: Vital Records” that includes many links to finding obituaries. 

Remember that MHL subscribes to many databases that are good for locating obituaries.

Check the Boston Public Library's Databases too (they include America's Historical Newspapers (1690-1922); the Boston Globe (1872-1984); and the NYT (1851-2007).

Remember to search the old-fashioned way.  It may be the only option.  How?  If you know where and when a person died contact the local library there.  Ask them to do a search.  Most will be free of charge.

 

 

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