Ever wondered how to find obituaries online? You can find nearly anything on the Web; however, obituaries, published daily in nearly every newspaper around the world, aren’t so easy to find online. Finding obituaries online can actually be a bit of a tricky search task.
In fact, since most newspapers do not publish digital archives of their papers online, finding obituaries usually ends up being a (gasp!) offline research task. In this how-to, I’m going to give you a few pointers you can use to start your obituary search on and off the Web.
Note: one essential tool you’ll need in your obit search is a high-quality printer. Why a printer, you ask? Well, when you come across meaningful obituaries or family records online, you might want to preserve and cherish them. Printing them out ensures that you have a physical copy to hold onto or share with your loved ones. It’s also a tangible way to keep track of what you’re searching for.
I recently purchased this printer, upgrading my setup from a 20 year old printer that was ready to go to printer heaven. Not only does it not print with squiggly lines everywhere, it also prints wirelessly, meaning I don’t have to be right next to the printer; I can just connect, send my documents, and I’m ready to go. Check it out here; pretty amazing (and easy!) tech for a low price.
How to Find Obituaries Online: Getting Started
In order to make your obituary searches as efficient as possible, you’ll need to have this information available before you get started:
- last name
- first name
- place of residence
- place of death
- date of death
Also, because most obituaries are initially printed in newspapers, it would be extremely helpful if you knew the name and location of the newspaper in which the obituary was printed, as well as the date (the date won’t necessarily be the date of the person’s death).
Tips on Finding Obituaries Online
Gather as much information as you possibly can before starting your obituary or grave searches.
Realize that your obituary searches will take time and effort.
Unless the person you are looking for is a celebrity of some sort, their obituary could be somewhat difficult to track down.
Use all the resources in this article to gather bits of information. It’s unlikely that you’ll find everything you need at once, but add up all those little bits and you’ll have something substantial.
Find the Date of Death
- Name
- Birth and death
- Last known residence
- Last benefit
- Social security number
- state in which the social security card was issued
While the state in which the SS card was issued and the last known residence might not always be completely correct, it’s a good tidbit of information to add to your obituary search. Keep in mind that every little bit counts!
Find the Newspaper the Obituary Might Be Published In
Once you have as much information as you can find about your person, it’s time to start thinking about which newspaper their obituary might show up in. Without knowing the specific city and state that this information might be found, your chances of finding their obituary become very slim, so this information is vital.
If you have the city and state of your person, you can start searching online newspaper archives. Here are a few to get you started:
- Google News Archives: Over 200 years of archives to peruse here.
- US News Archives: Specific paper archives.
- International News Archives: Links to global archives.
If the obituary you’re looking for is fairly recent (within the last thirty days), there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find it online at the newspaper’s site it was published (for more on finding news all over the world, read How to Find News Online).
Finding Older Obituaries
If the obituary is older, you can check out the above-mentioned archival sites, or, if you have no luck there, there are a couple other methods you might try.
First, contact the newspaper that carried the obituary by phone or by email (all newspapers will have this information listed on their websites). Be sure to have all the information they will need.
Finding Grave and Grave Site Information
One of the most popular activities on the Web is tracking down genealogy records. Part of this search includes finding graves, interment records, or grave site information.
Much of this information can be found online, as these records have been digitized for easy access (previously, it took a trip to the library reading room and/or the county records office to track down even a small portion of the information that you can now find freely online).
The following sites are some of the best resources online for finding this information, as well as good points at which to start offline to track records that might need a little bit more research.
- FindaGrave: with millions of cemetery records, this site is a great resource. Includes a search for famous graves, location-based searching, date search, a listing of “interesting” monuments, and over 160 million grave records you can search through. In addition, users can also view epitaphs of interest, add burial records, and read success stories from other searchers who were able to find what they were looking for.
- Find a Grave Index – FamilySearch: FamilySearch offers quite an expansive family history database of records and images from cemeteries around the world. This initial search gives users cursory data and is a good starting point.
- Interment.net: Offers an extensive database of cemetery and burial records from thousands of cemeteries all over the world. Special collections include federal and state veterans’ cemeteries, cemeteries of the California missions, and cemeteries that have been unfortunately flooded by dam building. The site is primarily aimed towards genealogists and local historians, with an online archive of transcriptions from thousands of cemeteries across the world sourced from government bodies, churches, historical groups, and individuals.
- Arlington National Cemetery: Probably the most famous cemetery in the United States. and one of the oldest. Only interments conducted after 1999 can actually be found online using the Nationwide Gravesite Locator; however, the site also offers a detailed list of daily funerals, comprehensive burial information, and a detailed listing of historical figures buried at the site.
- Cemetery Junction Directory: One of the oldest genealogical sites on the Web, with over 100,000 separate cemetery listings from all over the world. Includes cemetery listings and transcriptions (provided by volunteers) from the United States, Canada, and Australia.
- National Cemeteries: Here, you can browse through 131 national cemeteries in 39 different states. Click on a particular listing, and you’ll see office and visitation hours, directions, historical information, historical figures buried there, and direct contact information.
- Death, Burial, Cemetery, and Obituaries: There is a wealth of information available here, including birth and death information, family origins, cemetery and interment details, and obituaries (note: this site requires a membership, but a free trial is available).
- Cemeteries and Funeral Homes: Exhaustive list of resources to find graves or cemeteries or cemetery records. Cyndi’s List is one of the best genealogical resources online.