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(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
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One of the main goals for genealogists is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information, and more importantly – information about the relatives of the deceased’s family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, many indexes to obituary information and transcriptions of obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the scanned newspaper clipping is included.
And remember you can always find online historical newspapers to search for obituaries for free on this website (links at Newspaper Links).
Here are a few articles that may be helpful:
- How to Find Historical Obituaries
- What is the Future of Obituaries?
- What is the Difference Between an Obituary, a Death Notice, an Obituary Index, and a Death Index?
- 32 Reasons Why Searching for Obituaries is Like Finding Gold
- 9 Ways to Effectively Find Obituaries in Online Newspapers
Each entry below will be appended with one of the five types of obituaries: Transcriptions, Clippings, Index, Abstracts, or Online.
Online entries present an obituary on a website that publishes online obituaries, generally, a phenomenon that occurs after the year 2000.
Indexes are just that, an index that at a minimum includes the deceased’s name and the name and date of the newspaper that the obituary appears in. Some indexes also include the date of death, so be careful if you are recording the date in your genealogy database. Make sure that it is the death date.
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
- U.S., Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
California Obituaries
- Alameda County -Tri-Valley Newspapers Obituary Index
- Alameda County Obituary Forms 1968 – 1977
- Alameda County, Oakland, Obituaries, 1985-2011
- Alameda County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Alameda County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Alameda County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Alpine County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Alpine County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Amador County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Amador County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Amador County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Antioch, 1993 Vital Statistics, Contra Costa Times, Concord Transcript and Antioch Daily Ledger/Post Dispatch
- Bakersfield Vital Records, Jan 1971 to Mar 1971, Taken from the Bakersfield Californian
- Bay Area Reporter Deaths and Obituaries (Clippings)
- Berkeley Daily Gazette Obituary Index
- Butte County Death & Funeral Notices, 1852-2021
- Butte County Newspaper Articles Transcriptions, 1883-1899
- Butte County Obituaries and Records
- Butte County Obituaries, at PGS
- Butte County Obituary Index
- Butte County Obituary Index
- Butte County Obituary Index, 1963-1990 (Clippings)
- Butte County Vital Records Index (1854 to 1897)
- Butte County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Butte County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Butte County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Calaveras County, Newspaper File Index, 1860-1950
- Calaveras County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Calaveras County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Calaveras County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- California GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- California Obituaries – Obit City
- California Western Journal of Medicine California Medical Association Obituaries
- California, Berkeley Public Library Obituary Index, 1894-1979
- Chico, Funeral Records, 1896-1992 (Clippings)
- Clovis, Fresno Bee Obituary Index 1982-1987 (Clippings)
- Colusa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Colusa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Colusa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Concord 1992 Vital Statistics, Contra Costa Times and Concord Transcript
- Concord 1993 Vital Statistics, Contra Costa Times, Concord Transcript and Antioch Daily Ledger/Post Dispatch
- Contra Costa County Obituary Index
- Contra Costa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Contra Costa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Contra Costa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Del Norte County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Del Norte County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Del Norte County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Early Livermore Death and Obituary Indexes
- Eastern Alameda County Death and Obituary Indexes
- El Dorado County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- El Dorado County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- El Dorado County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Fillmore, Ventura County Death and Obituary Index
- Fresno and Napa Counties, Obituary Index, 1974-1997
- Fresno Bee Obituary Index 1982-1987 (Clippings)
- Fresno Bee Obituary Index, ca. 1980s – Early 1990s (Clippings)
- Fresno City Obituary Records, 1905-1956
- Fresno County Obituary Collection
- Fresno County Obituary Records, 1890-1971
- Fresno County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Fresno County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Fresno County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Fresno County, Obituary Notices, 1885-2000 (Clippings)
- Glenn County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Glenn County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Glenn County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Hemet–San Jacinto Obituary Index
- Humboldt County Every Name Index to Obituaries, 1850-1899
- Humboldt County, Iaqua Cemetery (Transcriptions)
- Humboldt County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Humboldt County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Humboldt County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Imperial County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Imperial County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Imperial County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Inyo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Inyo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Kern County Genealogical Society, Obituary Index
- Kern County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Kern County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Kern County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Kern Obituaries from the Kern Valley Sun Newspaper
- Kern Valley Sun Newspaper Obituaries 1969-1993 (Clippings)
- Kern Valley Sun Obituaries (Clippings)
- Kings County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Kings County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Kings County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Lake County Newspapers Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths 1863-1949
- Lake County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Lake County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Lassen County Obituary Index
- Lassen County Obituary Index
- Lassen County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Lassen County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Lassen County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Livermore Area, Tri-Valley Obituaries
- Long Beach Deaths and Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Los Altos Obituary Index
- Los Angeles County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Los Angeles County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Los Angeles County, Obituaries, 1999-2011 (Clippings)
- Los Angeles Obituary Abstracts from Los Angeles Times, 1969-1989
- Los Angeles Public Library Death and Obituary Index
- Madera County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Madera County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Madera County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Madera, Fresno Bee Obituary Index 1982-1987 (Clippings)
- Marin County Obituaries
- Marin County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Marin County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Marin County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mariposa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mariposa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mariposa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mendocino County Miscellaneous Newspaper Obituaries, 1920-1960
- Mendocino County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mendocino County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mendocino County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Merced County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Merced County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Merced County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Modesto Bee Obituaries, 2005-2007 (Clippings)
- Modoc County Obituary Index
- Modoc County Obituary Index
- Modoc County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Modoc County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mono County Obituaries
- Mono County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Monterey County Obituary Index
- Monterey County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Monterey County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Monterey County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Mountain View Obituary Index
- Napa and Butte Counties, Obituaries, 1866-1992 (Clippings)
- Napa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Napa County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Napa Register Obituaries, 1974-1983 (Clippings)
- Napa, Napa Register Surname File to Obituaries from 1974 Through June 1997
- Nevada County Obituary Index
- Nevada County Vital Records Index 1860 from Newspapers
- Nevada County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Nevada County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Oakland Deaths and Obituaries Collection 1985-2011 (Clippings)
- Oakland Family History Center Obituary Collection, 1980-2011 (Clippings)
- Ontario City Library Newspaper and Obituary Index
- Orange County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Orange County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Orange County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Oroville, Funeral Information Files, 1967-1992 (Clippings)
- Pacific Grove Obituary Index
- Pacific Grove Public Library, Obituary Search
- Palmdale Death and Obituary Index
- Palo Alto Obituary Index
- Paradise Obituary Index, 1902-1967 (Clippings)
- Pasadena Obituary Index
- Placer County, Lincoln, Obituaries, 1893-1930
- Placer County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Placer County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Placer County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Placer Herald Newspaper and Obituary Index
- Pleasanton Times Obituary Index 1928-1934
- Plumas County Obituary Indexes
- Plumas County Plumas County Obituary Index
- Plumas County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Plumas County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Plumas County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Riverside County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Riverside County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Riverside, Press-Enterprise Newspaper Obituaries 2003-2007 (Clippings)
- Sacramento County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sacramento County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sacramento County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sacramento, Bee/Union Newspaper Index, 1906-1937
- Sacramento, Death Records from the Sacramento Daily Union, 1863-1874
- San Benito County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Benito County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Benito County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Bernardino County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Bernardino County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Diego County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Diego County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Diego County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Diego Union and San Diego Herald Obituary Index
- San Diego Obituary Index
- San Fernando Valley Death and Obituary Indexes
- San Fernando Valley, Newspaper Extracts Index, 1911-1945
- San Francisco and Stockton, J.S. Godeau Funeral Records, 1894-1931 (Clippings)
- San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979 (Clippings)
- San Francisco County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Francisco County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Francisco County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Francisco Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Francisco, Gantner Bros. Funeral Records, 1906-1921 (Clippings)
- San Francisco, H. F. Suhr & Co. Funeral Records, 1902-1921 (Clippings)
- San Francisco, N. Gray and Company Funeral Records, 1850-1921 (Clippings)
- San Francisco, W.P. Petersen & Co. Funeral Records, 1906-1916 (Clippings)
- San Jacinto Genealogical Society Obituaries, at HSJGS
- San Jacinto Genealogical Society Obituary Index
- San Joaquin County Public Library, Obituary Index File, Ca. 1850-1991
- San Joaquin County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Joaquin County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Joaquin County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Joaquin, County Public Library Obituary Index, 1850-1991 (Clippings)
- San Luis Obispo County Death Notices, Obituaries and Articles: 1888-1903 (Transcriptions)
- San Luis Obispo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Luis Obispo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Luis Obispo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Mateo County Death and Obituary Indexes, 1853-1948
- San Mateo County Index to Obituaries
- San Mateo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Mateo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- San Mateo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sanger, Fresno Bee Obituary Index (Clippings)
- Santa Barbara County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Barbara County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Barbara County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Barbara Newspaper Extracts Index, 1868-1880
- Santa Clara County, Evening News, Morning Times, Mercury News, and Daily Herald Newspapers Obituary Index 1877-1901
- Santa Clara County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Clara County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Cruz County Newspaper Indexes
- Santa Cruz County, Births & Deaths Newspaper Index 1856-1919
- Santa Cruz County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Cruz County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Santa Cruz Evening News, Local News Index 1919-1941
- Santa Maria, Community Deaths, 1893-1915
- Selma, Fresno Bee Obituary Index 1982-1987 (Clippings)
- Shasta County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Shasta County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Shasta County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sierra County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sierra County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sierra County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Siskiyou County Obituary & Death Indexes
- Siskiyou County Obituary Indexes
- Siskiyou County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Siskiyou County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Siskiyou County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Solano County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Solano County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Solano County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sonoma County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sonoma County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sonoma County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Stanislaus County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Stanislaus County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Stanislaus County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sutter County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sutter County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Sutter County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tehama County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tehama County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tehama County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Thousand Oaks Local News Index
- Torrance, Funeral Records, 1950-1980 (Clippings)
- Trinity County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Truckee, Cemetery Census & Death Records, 1922-1983
- Tulare County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tulare County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tulare County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tuolumne County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Tuolumne County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Ventura County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Ventura County Obituaries
- Ventura County, California, Obituary Index, 1916-1996
- Ventura County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Ventura County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Ventura County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Ventura County, Obituaries from the Ventura County Star Free Press, 1971-1984
- Walnut Creek 1992 Vital Statistics, Contra Costa Times and Concord Transcript
- Walnut Creek 1993 Vital Statistics, Contra Costa Times, Concord Transcript and Antioch Daily Ledger/Post Dispatch
- Willows Obituaries, 1966-1991 (Clippings)
- Yolo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Yolo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Yolo County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Yuba County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Yuba County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Yuba County, Obituaries (Transcriptions)
- Yucaipa Valley Death and Obituary Index
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on California Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
Obituary Search Frequently Asked Questions
Many current obituaries can be found online via a Google search. These obituaries may be found on obituary archive sites, newspaper websites, or on funeral home websites. You may even find some obituaries by doing a search on social media. If it is someone who died many years ago, you should search newspapers, do a Google search, or look on local library websites.
Unless you visit a library with newspaper originals or access to a microfilm machine for newspapers that have been scanned, the easiest way is to search online newspapers. There are subscription newspaper databases and free historical newspaper collections. For free online collections, you should use The Ancestor Hunt’s lists of links to collections from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Access to links to over 75,000 titles can be achieved, by going to that site’s Newspaper Links Page.
If you are looking at the original local newspaper or a scanned copy, just go to the Obituary section in the few days following the death. If you are searching online, it is more difficult because the newspaper had to be scanned and the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process had to be applied. Depending on the quality of the original, you might need to be creative with your search criteria, especially if you do not have the date of death. Make sure that you are looking in the right location as well as making sure that the online newspaper collection has a date range that includes the date of death.
Fortunately, public libraries, some genealogy sites, and genealogy societies have transcribed millions of newspaper obituaries, and they also have created obituary indexes that specify the deceased’s name, the title of the newspaper that contains the obituary, and the date of publication. Using The Ancestor Hunt’s Obituary Page will lead you to obituary and obituary index collections for the U.S. and Canada. It has about 20,000 links to free transcription, index, and clipping collections.
Many libraries and genealogy societies have either transcribed obituaries in their local area or have created obituary indexes that list the deceased’s name, the title of the publication, as well as the date that the obituary was published. With this information, you can track down the newspaper that has the obituary in it. Often if you find the deceased in an index in a library or the library offers research services and the library has the newspaper, they may be able to send you a copy via email or postal mail.
Some of the most popular are Legacy.com’s Memorial websites, Forever Missed, and Ever Loved. To find a possible memorial site for someone who has passed away in recent years, look for these sites as well as complete a Google search.