Genealogy Obituary Records Search

Obituaries are a cornerstone of genealogy research because they contains so much family information. Fortunately, many new and old obituaries have been placed online. You can begin by searching obituaries online:

Obituary and Memorial Search

  • Ancestor Search Obituaries
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    Enter name and location

  • Ancestry.com Obituary Collection
    Ancestry.com has complied a large collection of obituaries in its own databases and links to obituaries across the Web.

  • Chronicling America
    Newspapers from The Library of Congress 1836 - 1922 contain many obituaries.

  • Genealogy Bank Obits
    Over 24.8 million obituaries from 1977 to today in 900 newspapers. Subscription based.

  • Legacy
    Search Legacy for newspaper obituaries from 1930 to present day. Most current obituaries from the United States are included as well as many from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, and Scotland.

  • Obituary Central
    Rootsweb has over 16 million user-contributed obituaries from all around the world.

  • Obituary Daily Times
    Rootsweb has over 16 million user-contributed obituaries from all around the world.

  • Public Libraries
    Local libraries generally have archives of local newspapers and will do a lookup for a nominal fee.


What Can You Learn from an Obituary?

Obituaries vary greatly in size. Obits can range from a few words announcing burial date to a very long life history.

Here are some of the things that might be mentioned in an obituary:

  • Photographs
  • Birthplace
  • Birth date
  • Death date
  • Cause of death
  • Place of Burial
  • Spouse name
  • Children's names and their spouse's names
  • Grandchildren's names and their spouses
  • Parent's names
  • Sibling's names and their spouse
  • Military Service
  • Education
  • Occupation and places worked
  • Where born and places lived
  • Interests and Hobbies
  • Character traits

    Not only can an obituary tell the life story of the person, it gives many clues for additional research. Because many newspapers charge to print an obituary at the time of death, the length of the obit can vary according to the family's means.


    Related Vital Records Searches:  US. Social Security Death Records | Cemetery Records | Vital Records | FreeBMD of England & Wales