One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information, and sometimes 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, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to Kentucky obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated January 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
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
Kentucky
- Adair County Obituary Index (some clippings and transcriptions)
- Alexandria Early Settlers Obituaries (clippings)
- Allen County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Allen County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Anderson County Obituary Index
- Appalachian Mountains Obituaries for Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and Tennessee]
- Barren County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Bath County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Bath County Obituary Collection
- Bell County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Bell County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Boone County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Boyd County – Ashland Daily Independent Obituary Index
- Boyd County, Kentucky, Ashland Daily Independent Obituary Index, 1922-1945, 1970-1973, 1998-2010
- Boyle County African American Obituaries in Funeral Programs
- Boyle County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Boyle County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Boyle County, African-American Newspaper Obituaries Danville Advocate-Messenger, 1994-2015
- Bracken County Obituary Indexes
- Bracken County, Obituary Index (on cards), Vital statistics and Cemetery records
- Breathitt County Miscellaneous Obituary Clippings
- Breckinridge County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Bullitt County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Carroll County Obituaries (clippings and transcriptions)
- Carroll County Obituaries, ca. 1900’s (clippings)
- Carter County Obituaries (transcriptions and clippings)
- Casey County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Casey County Obituaries
- Christian County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Clark County Newspaper Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Clinton County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Cumberland County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Danville Area African-American Obituaries 1996-2014
- Daviess County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Daviess County/Owensboro Obituary Index
- Edmonson County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Elliott County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Estill County Obituaries (clippings)
- Floyd County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Floyd County Obituaries and Index (transcriptions)
- Frankfort State Journal Obituary Index
- Franklin Community Public Library Obituary Index
- Fulton County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Garrard County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Gospel Advocate Obituary Index 1855-1994
- Grant County Death and Obituary Index
- Grant County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Grayson County Obituaries
- Hardin County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Hart County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Henderson County Death and Obituary Index
- Henderson County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Jefferson County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Jefferson County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Jessamine County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Jessamine County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Jessamine County Public Library Obituary Index
- Johnson County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kenton County Obituaries (clippings)
- Kentucky Footsteps Death and Obituary Indexes (transcriptions)
- Kentucky GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- Kentucky Miscellaneous Obituaries and Deaths by County
- Kentucky Obituaries – Obit City
- Kentucky Obituary and Death Notice Archive
- Kentucky USGenWeb Archives Obituary Search (transcriptions)
- Kentucky USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Knott County Obituaries
- La Center Obituaries
- LaRue County Obituary Index
- Laurel County Index to Obituaries 1990-1994
- Lawrence County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lawrence County Obituaries from Big Sandy News (transcriptions)
- Lawrence County Obituary Index
- Lewis County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lewis County Obituary Book (clippings)
- Lexington Public Library Local Index – Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lincoln County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lincoln County Obituaries (transcriptions and clippings)
- Logan County Obituaries & Death Notices, 1819-1937
- Logan County Obituaries from the Adairville Enterprise, 1913-1938
- Logan/Todd County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Louisville Newspaper Obituary Index 1918–1987
- Madison County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Magoffin County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Manchester Enterprise Index to Obituaries
- Marion County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Maury, Perry, and Lewis County Obituaries (transcribed)
- McCreary County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Mercer County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Metcalfe County Death Index and Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Metcalfe County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Monroe County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Montgomery County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Morgan County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Muhlenburg County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Murray Ledger and Times Obituary Index
- Northern Kentucky Newspapers and Obituary Search
- Owensboro Area Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Owsley County Historical Society Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Park City Daily News Obituary Index
- Pendleton County Obituaries and Index
- Pike County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Pike County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Pulaski County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Rockcastle County Obituaries (transcriptions and clippings)
- Shelby County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Shelby County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Taylor County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Trimble County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Union County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Warren County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Webster County Miscellaneous Obituaries and Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Webster County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Western Kentucky Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Western Kentucky Obituary Database
- Whitley County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wolfe County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wolfe County Obituary Index (transcriptions)
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on Kentucky Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Kentucky Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
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Kentucky, Boyle County — Could you add…
African-American Death Records, 1911-1964
African-American Newspaper Obituaries, Danville Advocate-Messenger, 1994-2015
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~kydaahs/The-Past/1-Vital-Records/death-recs.htm
Funeral Programs
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~kydaahs/The-Past/1-Vital-Records/funeralprograms.htm
Thank you Michael. These will be in the next Obituary links update.
Lawrence Co., KY obituaries are transcribed from the Big Sandy News and are available on this website
Thank you Alice. This will be in the next Obituary links update.