Obituaries and Genealogy

Notices of death vary greatly, whether in current newspapers or those published 200 years ago. There may be only a brief mention in a column of deaths (usually called “Death Listings”). There might also be a full obituary including age and place of residence, a summary of the deceased's life, career, church affiliation, lodge membership, and much more. Always, without exception, these should be sought. The name of the parents, where the deceased was born (providing the prior location of the family), when born, when and where died, and the places the deceased had lived—all might appear. This can serve as a pointer to other localities to search marriages of the deceased and the names of survivors—brothers, sisters, children, and others connected to the family may appear. The church where the funeral was held and the cemetery lead you to even more potential sources. Occupation, professional career, war service, special skills (weaving, making quilts), town offices held, and other such gems may help round out the details of your ancestor's life.

Checking Several Papers

Do not limit yourself to one newspaper. Determine which newspapers were in the area and examine them all. In the weekly publications, check at least three to four weeks after the date of death. Examine daily issues for at least a week later. Occasionally, the notice was not published for a significant time beyond the date of death. It is impractical, on a routine basis, to examine the newspapers for an extended period, but if it is important to your search and you have not been able to locate the notice, take the time. And if the person died in a new location, check the old location, too. News often drifted back several weeks later to the original hometown, resulting in a notice published on the death of one of their own.

After you have located the notice, do not stop. Look at the next two or three issues. In its rush to publish, the newspaper might at first have scanty details and enlarge upon them the following day or two. I have found this to be true often enough to warrant the search for at least a few days beyond. If the newspaper is a weekly, check the issue for the following week. In the issue of 6 December 1905 of the St. Lawrence Republican, a Nicholville, New York, newspaper, the obituary starts: “Hiram M. Rose whose death was mentioned in last week's issue …” (italics added). The subsequent notice tells that he was born in Vermont, came to New York as a boy, and gave his various residences during his life as well as where his mother and father died. It includes his three marriages, the year and to whom, and the children born of each. If you had stopped with the first notice, you would have missed this.

If the deceased died on 4 August 1871, do not assume that the newspaper of the same date would be too early. If you start searching with the following day, you may miss the notice. The newspapers were more flexible than present-day newspapers in their ability to add last-minute items, or that issue may have been late going to press.

Even a brief notice, such as the one that appeared in the New York Herald of Saturday June 26, 1852, can provide gems. The death of William E. Rose was reported, “after a short but severe illness,” aged 27 years, 1 month, and 7 days. Relatives and friends of the family and members of Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 were invited to the funeral to take place from his late residence at 33 Forsythe Street.” This provides an age at death from which a birth can be calculated, a residence address so city directories can be checked for others of the surname at that address, possible land records if he owned the residence, and even the occupation, which can lead to union or guild records in connection with his work.

Other Unexpected Rewards in Obituaries

An immense value of obituaries is locating relatives who moved elsewhere. The list of survivors can include the brother who went west and the uncle who still lives in Boston. Others who traveled a distance (and might be related) may also be listed.

When you find the notice, try to get a photocopy (or a microprint if it is on microfilm). Note the date of the issue, full name of the newspaper, and the page and column of the notice.

The family's thank-you after the father's death.

The family's thank-you when the mother died.

Urban Versus Small-Town Newspapers

Normally the small-town newspaper was more expansive in its notices than the larger urban newspapers. Tight-knit communities wanted details. They knew the family intimately and could provide interesting bits of data. The sheer volume of people in populated areas mandated that only selected obituaries could be included: usually prominent individuals or long-time residents. This holds true today. It can be especially important to check for death listings in a city newspaper, because they publish so few full obituaries.

The Family Thanks You

In some areas, it was, and still is, popular for the family to publish a card of thanks during the month following the funeral. Watch for these. A pair of examples are shown below.

These figures from early newspapers show two cards of thanks from the same family; one notice was published after the death of the father and the other after the death of the mother. Note the discrepancies in the lists. Some differences might be explained by marriages, but others are clear errors in one or the other list. Research will determine which names are correct. Such discrepancies are common and emphasize the necessity for gathering as many records as possible on the same individual.

The family may have published a notice to mark the anniversary of the death of their family member. Typically, these are brief “In Memoriam” types of notices. They are often signed, providing names of living relatives.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy © 2005 by Christine Rose and Kay Germain Ingalls. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.