An obituary may tell the story of an ancestor’s life. A death notice may provide just enough information to help you discover that story.
Both can be valuable genealogy resources, but they serve different purposes.
An obituary may identify relatives, occupations, residences, accomplishments, and important events. A death notice generally provides a shorter announcement of the death, sometimes including funeral or burial arrangements.
And here’s an important consideration: An ancestor may have appeared in a newspaper more than once following their death.
Searching for both obituaries and death notices can reveal details that one announcement alone might miss.
Introduction
Obituaries and death notices are among the most useful newspaper resources for genealogy research. They announce an individual’s death and may provide information about family relationships, residences, occupations, burial arrangements, and important events in the deceased’s life.
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, obituaries and death notices traditionally served somewhat different purposes.
An obituary often provides a biographical account of the deceased, while a death notice is generally a shorter announcement containing essential facts about the death and funeral arrangements.
Both deserve attention because each may contain information missing from the other.
What Are Obituaries and Death Notices?
An obituary is a published account of a person’s death, often accompanied by biographical information about their life, family, career, community involvement, and accomplishments.
A death notice is generally a brief announcement of a death, sometimes including the deceased’s age, residence, surviving relatives, and funeral or burial arrangements.
Historically, newspapers published these announcements in various formats. Some were submitted by families or funeral directors, while others were prepared by newspaper staff.
The distinction between an obituary and a death notice has not always been consistent. Some newspapers labeled lengthy family-submitted announcements as death notices, while others published very brief obituaries.
Researchers should search for both types rather than relying on the publication’s terminology.
What Information Might Be Found?
Personal Information
- Full name of the deceased
- Maiden name or former surnames
- Nicknames or alternate names
- Age at death
- Date and place of death
- Date and place of birth
- Residence
- Occupation or profession
Family Information
- Name of spouse
- Names of parents
- Names of children
- Names of siblings
- Names of grandchildren
- Names of surviving relatives
- Names of relatives who died earlier
- Relationships to extended family members
Life History
- Education
- Employment history
- Military service
- Religious affiliation
- Membership in organizations
- Community activities
- Previous residences
- Immigration or migration information
- Personal accomplishments
Death and Burial Information
- Circumstances of death
- Funeral date and location
- Funeral home
- Cemetery
- Burial or cremation arrangements
- Memorial service information
- Names of pallbearers or officiants
The amount of information varies considerably. Some death notices contain only a name and funeral date, while detailed obituaries may provide several paragraphs of family history.
Why These Records Matter to Genealogists
1. They Can Identify Multiple Generations
A detailed obituary may name parents, spouse, children, siblings, grandchildren, and other relatives.
This can help connect several generations of a family and identify individuals whose names were previously unknown.
However, family lists may be incomplete, particularly when relationships were complicated by remarriage, estrangement, or other circumstances.
2. They May Reveal Married Names
Obituaries frequently identify daughters, sisters, and other female relatives by their married surnames.
These names can help researchers locate marriage records, census entries, and descendants.
A woman who disappeared from records under her birth surname may become easier to trace through an obituary.
3. They Can Document Migration
An obituary may identify previous residences, places of employment, or communities where the deceased lived.
Surviving relatives’ residences may also provide clues about family migration.
These details can suggest new locations for census, directory, property, and newspaper searches.
4. They May Reveal Occupations and Organizations
Employment history, military service, religious affiliations, and organizational memberships can point toward additional records.
An obituary mentioning membership in a fraternal organization, for example, may suggest the existence of membership or memorial records.
5. They Can Identify Burial Locations
Funeral homes, cemeteries, churches, and memorial service locations may appear in death announcements.
These details can lead to burial registers, interment cards, plot ownership records, and funeral home files.
6. They Can Reveal Previously Unknown Relationships
An obituary may mention a stepchild, foster child, half-sibling, former spouse, or other family relationship.
Such references can explain apparent inconsistencies in census or family records.
Obituaries Versus Death Notices
Although both announce a death, their usual emphasis differs.
Obituaries often focus on the person’s life and relationships. They may include a narrative biography, family history, career information, and community involvement.
Death notices generally focus on announcing the death and providing practical information about funeral or burial arrangements.
Some newspapers published both for the same individual.
A short death notice might appear immediately after a death, followed by a longer obituary several days later.
A funeral announcement, memorial tribute, or acknowledgment might also appear separately.
For this reason, searching newspapers for several days or weeks after a death can uncover additional information.
Where to Find Obituaries and Death Notices
Historical Newspaper Collections
Digitized newspaper collections are among the most important resources.
Searchable newspaper websites may provide original page images, text transcriptions, or both.
Newspaper Websites
Many newspapers maintain online obituary archives, although coverage and access vary.
Funeral Home Websites
Funeral homes frequently publish obituaries and service announcements.
Some maintain archives of older notices.
Library Newspaper Collections
Public libraries, state libraries, and university libraries may provide access to digitized newspapers, microfilm, clipping files, or obituary indexes.
Genealogy Websites
FamilySearch, Ancestry, and other genealogy services may provide obituary collections or indexes.
Obituary Aggregator Websites
Some websites collect obituary announcements from newspapers and funeral homes.
These can be useful finding aids, but the original publication should be consulted when possible.
Local Historical and Genealogical Societies
Societies may maintain obituary scrapbooks, newspaper clipping collections, or indexes created by volunteers.
Research Challenges and Cautions
1. Obituaries May Contain Errors
Family members, funeral directors, and newspaper staff may supply incorrect names, dates, ages, or relationships.
An obituary is not automatically accurate simply because it appeared in a newspaper.
2. Not Every Death Was Announced
Some individuals had no published obituary or death notice.
Cost, newspaper practices, family preferences, and local circumstances influenced publication.
3. Names May Be Difficult to Search
Married surnames, nicknames, initials, spelling variations, and OCR errors can prevent an announcement from appearing in search results.
4. Family Members May Be Omitted
A list of survivors should not be assumed to represent every living relative.
5. Publication Dates Differ From Death Dates
An obituary published several days after a death may contain references such as “yesterday” or “last Thursday.”
Interpret these relative dates using the newspaper’s publication date.
6. Multiple Versions May Differ
Different newspapers or later announcements may contain additional or conflicting details.
Compare versions rather than assuming one is complete.
Practical Research Strategies
Search multiple newspapers. An ancestor may have been mentioned in newspapers from their birthplace, former residence, or the communities where relatives lived.
Search beyond the death date. Look before and after the known date for death notices, funeral announcements, obituaries, and memorial notices.
Use alternative names. Try nicknames, initials, maiden surnames, and spelling variations.
Search for relatives. An ancestor may be mentioned in a spouse’s, child’s, sibling’s, or parent’s obituary.
Search funeral home archives. An announcement may survive there even if the newspaper version is unavailable.
Examine the original newspaper page. OCR text may omit names or misread important details.
Compare information with other records. Verify relationships, dates, and locations through independent sources.
Preserve the publication details. Record the newspaper title, publication date, page number, and source location.
Key Takeaways
- Obituaries and death notices are related but not identical types of death announcements.
- Obituaries often contain biographical and family information, while death notices tend to be shorter.
- Both may identify relatives, residences, occupations, funeral homes, and cemeteries.
- Multiple announcements may have been published for the same person.
- Newspaper announcements can contain errors or omissions.
- Searching relatives’ obituaries may reveal information missing from the ancestor’s own announcement.
- A short death notice can provide the clue that leads to a much more detailed family history.
Examples
Example 1 – A Married Daughter Identified
An obituary names a deceased woman’s surviving daughter as Mrs. Helen Peterson.
The researcher previously knew the daughter only by her birth surname.
Genealogical value: The married surname provides a lead to marriage records and later census entries.
Example 2 – Two Announcements, Different Information
A brief death notice identifies the funeral home and cemetery.
A longer obituary published several days later names the deceased’s parents and siblings.
Genealogical value: Searching both announcements provides information that neither contains alone.
Example 3 – A Relative’s Obituary Solves a Mystery
A researcher cannot locate an obituary for an ancestor who died in 1905.
An obituary for the ancestor’s brother, published in 1920, identifies the ancestor as a deceased sibling and provides the community where he lived.
Genealogical value: A relative’s obituary supplies a new location and evidence of the ancestor’s death before 1920.