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Using Obituaries for Family Tree Research

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Updated: Aug 13, 2023



Did you know that you can begin to build a family tree or add information to your current tree through a simple obituary of an ancestor? There can be a wealth of information in these old (and sometimes newer) obituaries that have been published in newspapers and on funeral home websites.




In searching through these obituaries, we can find facts, clues and leads, and sources to solve some family mysteries or to corroborate previously discovered facts.


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Following is a list of the information that you may be able to gather from these life stories:


1. Name of ancestor - including given names, middle names, maiden names, and nicknames

2. Image or photo of ancestor

3. Date of death, inferred by information given in the obituary and the date of newspaper publication

4. Residence at time of death

5. Place of burial – geographical location, town, or even the cemetery’s name

6. Native city – or place of birth

7. Family members - surviving and deceased

8. Schools attended

9. Parents, siblings – possibly one or a few prominent relatives

10. Residences - including previous residences

11. Occupation(s) – sometimes more than one throughout the lifetime of the ancestor

12. Place of occupation(s)

13. Education, level of education, where educated – high schools, colleges, universities

14. Military service

15. Cause of death - possibly leading to whether the person died with a will or intestate. For instance, if someone died a sudden death at an early age there may not have been a will. If someone was older, they may have already created a will and you can search for the will in the geographical area of residence or place of death.

16. Organization affiliations

17. Awards, achievements

18. Surviving family members - remember living people will show as “private” in your tree

19. Names of children – possible birth order or deduced approximate ages

20. Names of siblings - Approximate ages of siblings through deduction

21. Residential areas of siblings or children

22. Religious affiliation

23. Place or date of marriage

24. Maiden name of spouse




For instance, if you use Ancestry.com or Familysearch.org begin with the deceased’s name, add parents, children, residences, occupations, etc. Then “hints” may come up for you to add information to each ancestor. When using ancestry.com you may want to create a new private tree or a “floating tree” to discern where this person fits into your tree (if you are searching for one of your own family ancestors).


Newpapers.com or ChroniclingAmerica.loc.gov will be of significant help in your search. Newspapers.com is a paid website but ChroniclingAmerica.loc.gov is free once you set up an account.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When you purchase through a link to an Amazon affiliate link placed on our website, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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