Free South Dakota Obituaries and Obituary Index Links

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 South Dakota 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 May 2022)

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

South Dakota

• Beadle County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Bon Homme County Obituaries
• Brookings County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Brown County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Brule County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Brule County Obituary Indexes
• Butte County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Campbell County Obituary Index
• Codington County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Davison County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Deadwood / Black Hills Newspapers Index: 1877-1900
• Faulk County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Hand County Obituaries and Death Notices
• Hand County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Hand County Obituary Indexes (transcriptions)
• Hughes County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Hyde County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Indian Country Today Newspaper Index: 1996-2003
• Lake County Obituary Index
• Lincoln County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Lyman County Obituary Index
• Madison Daily Leader​ Obituary Index
• Melette County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Minnehaha County Obituaries (clippings)
• Minnehaha County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Potter County Obituaries
• Rapid City Daily Journal Obituaries, 1975-1998
• Rapid City Journal Death and Obituary Index
• Rapid City Journal Newspaper Index 1999-2005
• Rapid City, Obituary Index, 1968-2012
• Roberts County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Sioux Falls Argus-Leader Newspaper Index: January 1, 1979 – December 31, 1995
• Sioux Falls Argus-Leader Newspaper Index: January 1, 1996 – April 1, 2003
• Sioux Falls Obituary Index
• Sioux Valley Genealogical Society Obituary card files partial, (clippings)
• Sioux Valley Obituary Index
• South Dakota GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
• South Dakota Obituaries – Obit City​​
• South Dakota USGenWeb Obituary Project 
• Spink County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
• Sturgis Obituary Index
• Tripp County Obituaries (transcriptions)
• Tripp County Obituary Indexes (transcriptions)
• Union County Obituary Indexes 
• Watertown Public Opinion Obituaries 2003- (transcriptions)

If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on South Dakota Online Historical Newspapers Summary