Want to find an obituary for a specific person? This blog article provides helpful tips on how to locate obituaries, including checking with funeral homes, asking family and friends, and hiring a researcher. Whether you’re researching your family history or seeking closure after a loss, this article offers practical advice for finding the information you need.
Table of Contents
Why do Obituaries Matter?
Obituaries for a Specific Persons are written notices that announce the death of a person. They are often published in newspapers, online, or in other forms of media. Obituaries are an important part of genealogy and family history research, as they often provide details on a person’s life and death that may not be available elsewhere. These details can include a person’s birth and death dates, names of family members, education, career, and accomplishments.
Obituaries can also provide a glimpse into a person’s character and personality and may include stories or anecdotes that give insight into their life. They can be valuable resources for those seeking to learn more about their family history or for researchers studying a particular time period or community.
What is an Obituary for a Specific Person?
An obituary is a written notice that announces the death of a person and provides a brief summary of their life, accomplishments, and surviving family members. Obituaries are typically published in newspapers, online, or in funeral programs as a way to inform the public of the person’s passing and to honor their memory.
Obituaries usually include the person’s full name, date of birth, date of death, and place of death. They may also include details about the person’s life, such as their occupation, education, hobbies, and interests. Many obituaries also list surviving family members, such as spouses, children, siblings, and parents.
In addition to providing information about the person’s life and family, obituaries may also include details about funeral or memorial services and any charitable organizations that the family suggests donations be made to in lieu of flowers.
Where to Find an Obituary for Specific Person?
Nowadays, several resources are available for finding and publishing an obituary online for a person. Online resources, directories, and funeral websites have made this possible. Whatever the source you dig into, you can find accurate information about the person’s life and death from that very source. I have compiled here the best resources to discover the obituary of a person:
1. Newspapers
This is the best place to start with the obituary search. If you know where the person lived or died and the newspapers published in that town, you can easily find the obituary there. Most papers have digital archives where they save obituaries. Obituaries. You can contact those newspapers to find older and newer obituaries.
2. Legacy.com
The website has a massive online obituary database of millions of obituaries. The database has obituaries dating back two decades and from numerous countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australi, etc. On the website, you can run an obituary search online based on different demographic parameters such as country, state or province, city or town, name of newspaper, keyword, and date range.
3. Ancestry.com
The website is the largest genealogy resource where you can access obituaries and plentiful information about the life, death, and previous generations of an individual. Unfortunately, this is a paid service that comes with different subscription plans.
You can signup for the services with its free trial that lasts for two weeks. Once the free trial comes to an end, you have to buy its paid subscription to continue using its service. To search for an obituary, go to its Search menu. Here you can select “Birth, Marriage & Death” and then click on “Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries”. You can further narrow down your search by location and date range.
4. MyHeritage
This is another renowned Genealogy site. MyHeritage.com hosts extensive genealogical records that include obituaries for specific individuals as well. You can use this website for free with its 14-day free trial. After that, you have to subscribe to its paid plans to continue using its services.
5. AfriGeneas
AfriGeneas.com is the topmost resource for African American genealogy. To find an obituary, head on to the Search page. Find search under “Death Records” to find obituaries and death certificates for black Americans. You can narrow down the search by running the search using filters name, year, city, and state.
6. Find it Online
Besides using the above resources, you can run a simple Google search to find obituary information. To do so, just input the person’s full name plus the word “obituary” in the search box on the Google search page. It will show up a wide selection of results from different resources worldwide.
There are so many good free sources to research obituaries online. Those sites allow you to search for specific people. You can find them by using the location and approximate obituary date of that particular person. It may also take multiple searches and the use of variations on your information. With all that effort, you will be able to locate an obituary.
You can search online for that area in particular if you know your region of focus for the obituary. You may also find dedicated sites that can lead the way for efficient obituaries.
7. Public Libraries
A public library in the city where the person lived or died might be a great resource for an obituary for someone specific. These libraries subscribe to local newspapers and save obituaries digitally so that they could be accessed by others later. These libraries can help you narrow down your search and find the obituary.
You can use the local library in a town where your ancestor may have passed away might be an invaluable source for finding their obituary. You can search the death notification sections which may have full collections of local newspapers. You can view it online to save you the trip that some libraries may also have digitized versions of the obituaries.
Local libraries often keep archives of newspapers, including obituaries. If the person you’re searching for living in a specific area, you may be able to find their obituary in the archives of a local library.
8. Check with the funeral home
When searching for an obituary for a specific person, it can be useful to check with the funeral home that handled their services. Funeral homes often keep records of the services they provide, including obituaries that may have been published in local newspapers or other media outlets.
To check with the funeral home, start by identifying which funeral home was responsible for the person’s services. This information can often be found through online obituary databases, public records, or by contacting family members or friends who may have attended the services. Once you have identified the funeral home, you can contact them directly to inquire about any obituaries that were published for the deceased.
When contacting the funeral home, it’s important to be respectful and professional. Explain that you are searching for an obituary and provide as much information as possible about the deceased, including their name, date of death, and any other details that may be helpful. The funeral home may be able to provide you with a copy of the obituary or direct you to the newspaper or media outlet where it was published.
9. Ask family and friends
When looking for an obituary for a specific person, it can be helpful to ask family and friends if they have any information or resources that may be useful. This can include relatives, close friends, or anyone who knew the deceased well.
Start by reaching out to family members and friends who were close to the person. They may have saved copies of the obituary or remember where it was published. If they don’t have the obituary itself, they may be able to provide valuable information about the deceased, such as details about their life or the circumstances of their death.
You can also broaden your search by reaching out to more distant relatives or friends of friends who may have known the person. Social media can be a useful tool for this, as you can connect with people who may have information about the deceased and their obituary.
10. Hire a researcher
If you are having difficulty finding an obituary for a specific person, you may want to consider hiring a researcher to assist you. Professional researchers can help you search for obituaries and other relevant documents, using their expertise and resources to locate hard-to-find information.
When hiring a researcher, it’s important to find someone who has experience and expertise in the area you’re researching. Look for someone who specializes in genealogy or local history, and who has a track record of success in finding difficult-to-locate documents.
You can find researchers through professional associations, online directories, or by asking for referrals from other researchers or genealogists. When hiring a researcher, be clear about your goals and expectations, and make sure you have a clear understanding of their fees and services before you begin.
Working with a researcher can be a collaborative process, and you should expect to be involved in the research process by providing information and feedback along the way. Be prepared to share any information you have about the person you’re researching, including their name, birth and death dates, and any relevant details about their life.
Importance of Obituaries for Specific Persons
Importance To Family and Friends
You would have noticed your grandparent may have sitting and reading the local newspaper. They might be looking to see if anyone they know has died recently. That is because a morbid fascination with your own mortality takes over you as you get older.
And by extension with those, you know who is close to your age and their current status. It is the chance for a family to announce to people who may not already know that one of their loved ones has passed away.It allows the chance for old friends to attend and give their condolences at the person’s funeral. Because it often allows the family to let people know when the funeral is taking place.
Importance To the Genealogists
Technically, it is not considered strong proof of documenting death. But still, these obituaries hold great importance to a genealogist even though they are not sturdy proof. You may find out important information regarding them by searching through obituaries for ancestors such as:
- A Close family member.
- Their Religion and church affiliations.
- The Date and place of their birth.
- The Date and place of their death.
- Their Former profession.
- Their Important biographical information.
In an obituary, information about the family history can be found. It can be really beneficial in distinguishing two people with the same name in an official record. If you know the names of siblings and parents can help you in recognizing the correct census record for an individual and it is much easier.
You should always remember that obituaries can be inexact sometimes. And the information within the obituary should be viewed as a clue if it leads to finding better-documented proof.
Summing it up:
Finding an obituary for a specific person can be a difficult task, but there are many resources available to help you. By using online searches, checking with funeral homes and libraries, and asking family and friends, you can locate the obituary and honor the person’s memory.
FAQ:
Q: What should be included in an obituary?
A: An obituary should include basic information such as the name, age, and date of death of the deceased. It should also provide information about their life, such as where they were born, their education, career, accomplishments, and notable events or achievements.
Q: How long should an obituary be?
A: The length of an obituary can vary depending on the person and the publication. Generally, obituaries are around 200-500 words, but some may be longer or shorter depending on the circumstances.
Q: Who writes the obituary?
A: The obituary is usually written by the family or close friends of the deceased, although sometimes it may be written by a professional obituary writer or a member of the media.
Q: How do I submit an obituary for publication?
A: The process for submitting an obituary for publication varies depending on the publication. You can usually find information about submitting an obituary on the publication’s website or by contacting their obituary department directly. There may be a fee for publishing an obituary.
Q: Can an obituary be written before someone dies?
A: Yes, some people choose to write their own obituary before they die as a way to ensure that their life story is told in the way they want it to be. However, it is more common for family members or friends to write the obituary after the person has passed away.
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