Old Newspaper Obituaries

About Newspaper Obituaries

The art of humans immortalizing humans dates back to Ancient Egypt when memorial walls and stones were left in honor of kings and heroes who died. This practice transcended into modern times with obituaries, and the advent of the newspaper press. This medium allowed families to have one or two-line death notices printed as part of a single- or double-sheet newspaper. However, by the mid-19th century, the invention of the rotary newspaper press allowed for longer obituaries to be printed in daily and weekly newspapers. Today, not only can you find death notices and obituaries in print newspapers, but many are also available online for free, or a minimal charge. This has made searching for obituaries much simpler.

An obituary should not be confused with a death notice, which often appears in newspapers too. A death or funeral notice is a paid announcement often placed in the paper by family or the funeral home, and usually includes a picture and short sentiment. An obituary is a free announcement, written by a newspaper reporter, with information supplied by the funeral home. It usually includes full name, age, dates and places of birth and death, surviving family members and time, and the date and location of the funeral. Death notices often receive a more prominent location on the page because it is a paid advertisement.

Information Needed to Find an Older Obituary

Before starting your quest for an old-time obituary, there is some information you will need in order to make your search a little easier:

• Full legal name of the deceased, including maiden and any nicknames
• City and state of birth and death
• Approximate date of birth and death, the month and year are most important
• If possible, the name of the cemetery where he or she is buried or the funeral home utilized
• Next of kin or other family members

You may first want to obtain a death certificate from the vital records department of the city, county or state in which the person died. This certificate provides pertinent information such as where the person died, and the cause of death. This can provide you with a starting point.

Search Newspaper Volumes

From there, you can do a search of newspapers (either Yellow Pages or Google). You can then inquire about finding old newspaper obituaries, if the newspaper is still in print. Many newspapers keep a "morgue" of old newspapers and articles filed away. Be prepared to spend some time looking through stacks of bound volumes of newspapers looking for the obituary.

Use the Microfilm at the Public Library

If the newspaper is no longer in print, or doesn't have editions dating back to when you need, check out the local public library of the town where the individual died. Long before the Internet and digital technology, each edition of a newspaper was scanned and put on microfilm. The negatives were put on reels and viewed through special projectors at the library. Many larger public libraries still have these available for use, and can be quite useful in finding newspaper obituaries from 20th century (and sometimes even earlier).

Locate the Funeral Home or Cemetery

If you can pinpoint the city where the individual died, you may also be able to track down the funeral home and/or cemetery that handled the arrangements. Each establishment may have files that date back to the time period you want. Again, you may have to sift through records to find what you want.

Utilize the Internet

There are several websites that can provide, or at least help you search for, an old newspaper obituary. However, while many of these sources will do the search for free, they require a membership fee to release the information. Sites include:

• Ancestor Hunt is an obituary search engine for various libraries, universities and other sources, including newspapers. The site is divided up by states for easier navigating.
• Newspaper Obituaries is a database for various websites and newspapers that published obituaries. This site works directly with Ancestry.com in searching for older obituaries.
• Newspaper Archive allows you to search millions of newspaper articles and obituaries. If the person you are searching for was a prominent figure in any way, there is a good chance there will be an article or obituary about him or her. The site's archives go back about 240 years.

Word of Mouth

If the obituary in question is for a family member, your best research is word of mouth. Contact family members, friends and neighbors for information. If he or she was a religious person, spend time at place of worship looking up marriage and death records. Chances are that if there was a religious funeral service, there may be a record of that at the church.