Obituaries and Death Notices are great resources for genealogist and for those tracing their ancestors. The information they provide varies in many respects and can lead to other forms or sources of information. Although obituaries and death notices are used synonymously, there is a difference.
An obituary generally is an announcement in the local newspaper regarding the death of an individual. It provides minimal information such as, name of the deceased, date of birth, date of death, place of residences, and perhaps a cause of death. Depending upon the town, city, or community obituaries may be published for free in the local newspaper or for a fee.
Death notices, on-the-other hand, have a tendency to contain more substantial information about the deceased. This includes information, such as the name of the deceased, his/her age, name of wife/husband, children’s names, parents, siblings, place of residence, cause of death, the name of the funeral home, occupation, and even a picture of the deceased. As with obituaries, death notices may cost to be published. If a fee is assessed, this may affect the amount of information contained in a notice, especially if the cost is per letter or per word.
Another item of note is that information contained in obituaries and death notices may not be accurate always. Errors in the information can occur anywhere in the process. Incorrect data may be provided by the individual supplying the information, or by the newspaper person taking the information, or by the editor proofing the obituary/death notice, or by the worker preparing it for press. Therefore, as with all genealogy research, you will want to verify the data using other sources of information, as much as possible.
Also, as mentioned earlier, obituaries & notices of death can lead to other primary and secondary sources for locating information regarding your ancestors. For example, an obituary/death notice can lead you (1) to funeral home data for funeral records, (2) to city directories (which you can use to trace the residential history of the deceased) which in turn may lead to court and land records, (3) to names of relatives and family members (who still may exist and be able to provide information about the deceased that cannot be found in a census record), and (4) to cemetery and other record types.
In short, when conducting genealogical research, don’t forget those obits and death notices.
An obituary generally is an announcement in the local newspaper regarding the death of an individual. It provides minimal information such as, name of the deceased, date of birth, date of death, place of residences, and perhaps a cause of death. Depending upon the town, city, or community obituaries may be published for free in the local newspaper or for a fee.
Death notices, on-the-other hand, have a tendency to contain more substantial information about the deceased. This includes information, such as the name of the deceased, his/her age, name of wife/husband, children’s names, parents, siblings, place of residence, cause of death, the name of the funeral home, occupation, and even a picture of the deceased. As with obituaries, death notices may cost to be published. If a fee is assessed, this may affect the amount of information contained in a notice, especially if the cost is per letter or per word.
Another item of note is that information contained in obituaries and death notices may not be accurate always. Errors in the information can occur anywhere in the process. Incorrect data may be provided by the individual supplying the information, or by the newspaper person taking the information, or by the editor proofing the obituary/death notice, or by the worker preparing it for press. Therefore, as with all genealogy research, you will want to verify the data using other sources of information, as much as possible.
Also, as mentioned earlier, obituaries & notices of death can lead to other primary and secondary sources for locating information regarding your ancestors. For example, an obituary/death notice can lead you (1) to funeral home data for funeral records, (2) to city directories (which you can use to trace the residential history of the deceased) which in turn may lead to court and land records, (3) to names of relatives and family members (who still may exist and be able to provide information about the deceased that cannot be found in a census record), and (4) to cemetery and other record types.
In short, when conducting genealogical research, don’t forget those obits and death notices.
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