To read the article in full, hit here The article was on Family History Daily Blog.
An obituary can provide truly unique insights into your family’s past, and are a great way to add details and richness to the individuals in your family tree. They are also a wonderful way to discover more about a person who has passed more recently. And a surprising number of sites offer a free obituary search, along with access to original scanned records.
Whether you’re hoping to find the obituary, death or funeral notice of someone dear to you, or to uncover more facts about an ancestor, the following guide will help you locate the records you’re looking for.
Where can I search for free obituaries online?
Nearly all obituary databases, as well as collections containing them, will allow you to search their records at no cost. The real question is “How can I find free obituary records?” because this can be a bit more challenging.
While sites like Ancestry.com will allow you to search their obituary database for free, you’ll have to pay to view any actual notices you find. But there are many sites where you’ll be able to search and view records without a cost.
Why should I search for an obituary?
Whether you are looking for someone who died fairly recently, or far in the past, these records contain insights often found nowhere else and can help you connect the dots of a person’s life.
Dates and locations of birth, marriage and death, the names of living and deceased spouses, children, their spouses and children, occupations, hobbies, travels, accomplishments and religious or charitable activities are all often found in an obituary. You might even hit upon a photograph. If you can locate one, it can provide a wealth of information to help you feel more connected to the person you are researching.
Where can I search free obituaries for a person who died recently?
If you’re looking for recent records (in the last decade or two), there are a number of ways to find a person’s obituary, notice of death or funeral services online. The first is to search for their name, location and the word “obituary” in Google. This may sound simple but, often, this is all it takes to turn up the information you’re looking for.
The second way is to search the newspapers that are local to the person’s death or hometown. Many newspapers will allow you to freely search for obituaries in their main article search, while others will have a section for these entries on their website. If you’re lucky the information will be returned free of charge. Otherwise you may end up paying a fee to access it.
Remember to search multiple papers until you find what you need. This may mean the paper from the person’s last know residence, a larger paper near their city of last residence and papers from where their family is from or is currently located. Many retirees, for instance, move to new locations but their family may choose to publish an obituary in their original home town.
You can also check the website of the funeral home that serviced the family as they will sometimes post the records there. Find help with that in our courses.
Legacy.com also offers a free online obituary search and service that can be a great place to find recent entries (obituaries are submitted by family members, funeral homes and others). The site is packed full of ads but access to all records is openly available.
What if I am looking for an old obituary record for my family history research?
Finding older obituaries completely free can be a bit more challenging, but you would be surprised how many are available at no cost online.
Before beginning your search, arm yourself with as much information as possible. Know your ancestor’s full name, date and location of death and names of family members if possible. This will not only help you find the record you’re looking for but help you ensure that the obituary you are reading is for your ancestor and not that of a similarly named person.
