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 Minnesota 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 October 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
Minnesota
- Aitkin County Obituaries (clippings)
- Blue Earth County Deaths and Obituaries Index
- Blue Earth County Miscellaneous (transcriptions)
- Blue Earth County Miscellaneous Indexes
- Blue Earth County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Brainerd Historic Newspapers Obituaries
- Brown County, Mary Zins Obituary Collection and Marriages, ca. 1896-1988
- Brown County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Carlton County Obituary Index
- Carver County Newspaper and Obituary Index
- Clay and Steele County Obituaries, 1865-2006
- Clay County, Obituaries, 1950-1990
- Clearwater County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Cottonwood County Obituary file, ca. 1880-2004
- Crow Wing County, Obituary files, 1890-2004
- Dakota County Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Dodge County Death and Obituary Index
- Douglas County, Obituaries by cemetery, 1800-2005
- Douglas County, Obituary file, 1874-2004
- Duluth Area Obituary Index
- Goodhue County Deaths and Obituary Index
- Hedberg Public Library Death and Obituary Index
- Hennepin County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Hibbing Area, R. D. Remington collection : Obituary and Marriage Notice Clippings, 1933-1987
- Houston County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Hubbard County Death and Obituary Index
- Hubbard County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis counties, Selected obituaries 1966-1990
- Kandiyohi County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lyon County, Obituary files, ca. 1985-1990
- Mankato Daily Free Press, Obituary indexes ca. 1888-1982
- Mankato Free Press Obituary Index
- Mankato Weekly Review, Obituary index 1869-1879
- Marshall Area, Obituary file index, ca. 1873-1953
- Martin County Obituary file index, ca. 1875-2002
- Minneapolis Swedish Obituaries, Minneapolis minnen : Kulturhistorisk axplockning frän qvarnstaden vid Mississippi
- Minnesota Obituaries – Obit City
- Minnesota Obituary file, ca. 1960-2003 (clippings)
- Minnesota USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Minnesota GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- Minnesota, Obituary Index, 1891-2003
- Minnesota, Deaths and Obituaries 1865-2006
- Mower County Death and Obituary Index
- Mower County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Murray County Obituaries
- Murray County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Nobles County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Norman County Obituary Index
- Olmsted County Death and Obituary Index
- Olmsted County Personals Index
- Otter Tail County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Otter Tail County Historical Society Obituary Index Search
- Otter Tail County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Owatonna Public Library – Dalby Database Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Pennington County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Polk County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Portage, Waupaca, and Waushara counties, Cemetery burials and Obituaries, 1971-1978
- Redwood County Obituaries
- Renville County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Rice County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Rochester Newspaper Index
- Rock County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Sacred Heart, Renville County, Newspapers Obituary Index
- Scott County Obituary Index
- Scott County Obituary and Marriage Index Surname Search
- Sherburne County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Sherburne History Centre Obituary Indexes
- Sibley County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Sibley County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Southwest Minnesota Obituary index card file, ca. 1873-1961
- St. Cloud Daily Times Obituary Index
- St. Louis County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- St. Louis County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- St. Peter and Lafayette newspapers, Newspaper clippings ca. 1900 – 1991
- Steele County, Obituary file, 1865-2006
- Stevens County Genealogical Society Records, 1876-2006
- Stevens County, Funeral death records; Obituary index, 1811-2006
- Swift County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Todd County Obituary Index
- Wabasha County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wabasha County Obituary Directory (transcriptions)
- Wabasha County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wadena County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Washington County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Watonwan County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wilkin County Death and Obituary Index
- Wilkin County Historical Society Obituary Index
- Wright County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Yellow Medicine County Obituaries (transcriptions)
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on Minnesota Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Minnesota 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
The links took me to familysearch.org’s website, not exactly where I was expecting to be directed to. I wanted to also take the time to let you know that when I click on links for other “historical” newspapers, I am directed to the current paper in whichever place I’m trying to research.
FYI. The Lake County Deaths and Obituary Index listed above takes you to another Lake County in Illinois, not Minnesota.
Thanks for letting me know. I’ll delete it from the Minnesota list.