online obituaries « Search Results « Obituarieshelp.org/Blog (2024)

Obituaries are a valuable genealogical resource. They are the reason I began this website as you may recall. They are basically a written notice of a person’s death, and can confirm not only the date and place of death, but a person’s date and place of birth. Additionally they can reveal information about:

• Other relatives
• Where they worked
• Where they went to school
• Where they lived
• Where they may have immigrated from or to
• Clubs and Organizations they may have been members of
• Friends who may be able to provide additional information about them
• Religious affiliation
• Military service

Obituaries are found in newspapers, so you need to investigate every likely newspaper. Many cities boast more than one newspaper, and an obituary for someone could appear in an obituary for a neighbouring town or city as well. When you search for an obituary, you should include the name of the city where the individual died and any locations where they may have lived during the course of their life.

Often relatives will publish an obituary in a former place of residence so that old friends and relatives there may know of their passing. Some obituaries may have more information than others, so be sure to check them all. Keep your search to within a week or two of the death date, sometimes obituaries are delayed a bit before they are published, sometimes they are published within a day or two of the person’s death. Don’t get obituaries mixed up with death notices which only mentioned that the person is deceased, and contain very little info. If you come across a death notice, check the paper a couple of days later for the full obituary.

Modern obituaries are generally more detailed than those from the past, and are also easier to find online. If you are searching older obituaries, you may have to request a copy from the newspaper that published it. Keep in mind though, that it may well be worth the effort, as some obituaries contain a gold mine of genealogical data that could keep you going for months, even years in your genealogical research.

Be prepared to read between the lines in obituaries. Keep in mind that they are secondary sources of information normally provided by surviving family members. Those persons are not always close relatives, and may unwittingly provide wrong or inaccurate information. The greatest value of obituaries is that they can point you towards primary sources, and any information found within them should be verified by such.

If you wish to begin your research, we provide access to a nationwide database of Newspaper Obituaries that you can search by state. Keep in mind the points and strategies we’ve mentioned, and you’ll be finding your ancestors in no time!

Recently Library and Archives Canada has made the 1861 Canadian Census available online. I must say that it is a welcomed and valuable addition to their collection, and to anyone researching their Canadian ancestry, like me! The census is searchable through an on-site search engine, and the criteria are very simple – surname, given or first name, age, and province.

As with most genealogical search screens, you can search a record by name or place, but be aware that some records from sub-districts have not survived, though they are minimal. The Library and Archives Canada website provides a link on their Search Help Page, where you can find out exactly what records are missing and for where.

The 1861 census was the third such collection of population data in the Province of Canada’s history. The Province of Canada at that time included Canada East (modern day Quebec), and Canada West (now Ontario). Data was also collected at that time for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, and consists of information on 3,112,269 individuals.

Agricultural returns are also included in the 1861 census report, and information such as acreage, number of livestock, what products were produced, and the concession or lot number are provided. They are listed by the name of the head of household, and you can find them after the county personal returns. You may find that the name of the head of household is listed for both personal and agricultural returns, so there may be more than one entry for some individuals. Check and double check so that you neither miss any information, nor overlook any. Don’t assume that just because two people have the same name that it is a double listing.

Before being digitized, the 1861 census existed only on microfilm in the archives. This was due to a decree by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics in 1955, which authorized the Public Records Committee to place the original records on microfilm, and then to destroy the original. Unfortunately the microfilming was not always of the highest quality, and some records are very hard to make out. Additionally, the pages were not scanned in any particular order, so pagination is not always accurate, and some times they are even written in by hand.

As always, the transfer of one record format to another is susceptible to human error. We as genealogists however, are aware of that, and equipped with the tools to deal with it. The bottom line is that we have yet another database of valuable genealogical records at our disposal, and we can access them from the comfort of our homes. Never forget that tireless and dedicated volunteers give their time and energy freely so that we can search our ancestors at our convenience. We can forgive them for making a mistake or two!

Finding records is the goal of every genealogist, and locating them online is the initial preferred method. Once you know a record exists, you can order it from the repository that holds the original, but first it must be found. There are many websites that offer free records searches and free this and free that, but is what they offer really free, or real for that matter? Yes, it is true that many of the returns you get when searching for free genealogy records are from websites offering free trials of a subscription, but there are free records available and also sites to help you to learn how to research genealogy online.

Finding Records fast

You can begin finding ancestry records online in no time at FamilySearch.org. They maintain the largest collection of ancestral records in the world. Their collection currently holds over 6 billion records and is growing daily. FamilySearch is run by the Mormon Church (LDS), and is an excellent starting point for anyone tracing their family history. In addition to their massive record collection, they also give excellent advice on how to access them, interpret them, and request copies of them from the various repositories. Their collection is of the highest calibre, and it is recommended you register with them to take full advantage of the superb resources they offer – all for free!

Pick an Ancestor to Search

The first step to even finding an ancestor is to select one to search for. If you know the name of any relatives who are deceased, choose one that passed away before 1940, as they are the easiest records to find. Some records after that date have not been added to the online databases yet. If you don’t know the name of any ancestors ask other family members to choose one for you. If you can, ask for their date and place of birth or death as well, but don’t worry if you they don’t have that information. A name is enough to start off with, as discovering those other things about your ancestor such as their place of birth, where they lived, or when and where they died, is all part of the fun and challenge of genealogy.

Learn More About How to Search Genealogy Online at Obituarieshelp.org

The genealogy section right here at Obituarieshelp.org has tons of information and advice about how to research genealogy online. Our genealogy pages are chock full of resources with everything from Free Printable Blank Family Trees and Genealogy Forms, to instructional and informative articles about how to research every type of genealogy record.

The best thing about the genealogy resources at Obituarieshelp.org is that they are genuinely free. There is no registration involved, no hidden fees, and absolutely no obligation of any kind. We pride ourselves on being a genuinely free provider of quality genealogy resources, though if you like you can subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to find out about any new free resources we discover, and regularly access award winning content from experts in the field of genealogy.

Historical books are among the best free genealogy resources you can find online. During my genealogy research I have often found them to be extremely useful in filling in the blanks about my ancestors and the era and area in which they lived. Family and local histories especially reveal a wealth of information, and you may even find that your ancestors can be found in some of these publications. Even if you don’t locate your ancestor in them, they can help you to get a keen insight into how and where they lived. What’s more is that they are absolutely free genealogy resources!

During my research I have come across quite a few websites where you can access and read historical books online. The spirit of genealogy is growing, and thanks to countless, dedicated volunteers and generous donors, we have a wealth of wonderful online resources available to us. The following are some of the best websites I’ve discovered while researching my own family history. The best part is that all of them are free!

Internet Text Archive

Archive.org introduced us to the Wayback Machine. The Wayback Machine is a search engine that allows you to search over 240 billion web pages that have been archived since 1996, right up until just a few months ago. This in itself is a valuable genealogical tool, as you can find web pages that are no longer published. Their collection of Texts includes millions of public domain books, local, town, and county histories, published books containing historical records, family histories, and a wealth of other publications on a variety of genealogy relevant material.

Our Roots

This website boasts a wealth of Canadian local histories. In fact, it bills itself as having the largest collection of these precious genealogy resources in the world. You can easily search areas related to their search by simply clicking on a map of Canada, and a list of resources for that area will be given you. I did a quick search for Ontarioand 24 pages were returned. They consisted of local histories, letters written by emigrants, ethnic histories, school records, and much more. A genuine goldmine of free genealogy resources!

Their Own Words

Here you can find over 50 books containing regimental histories, autobiographies, biographies, and military journals. Additionally there is a collection of letters, pamphlets, and diaries dating from the late eighteenth century to the early 1900’s. You have to search alphabetically by author, but a summation of what they have written is located beneath their name.

Hathi Trust Digital Library

The Hathi Trust is a partnership that includes a number of libraries and research institutes that are dedicated to preserving historical records. They pool their resources, the result being a massive collection preserved and made available to the public at no cost. There are thousands of digitized books of genealogical value, especially about local histories. Much of their collection was initially composed of content from Google Books, but they are continually publishing more and more books and other texts that are being digitized locally. You can download individual pages, and some full PDF documents are available for download from some of the partner institutions.

Historical books are really a very useful genealogy resource, especially if you are working on a project that involves in-depth historical research. They can educate you about historical trends, laws and statutes that might affect the records you need to consult, and in some cases even reveal personal information about your ancestor. The above are all completely free to use – no strings attached, the kind of free genealogy resources every genealogist loves, and the kind we like to share with you!

Historical newspapers that have been digitized and place online make great free genealogy resources. The technology they use to make them searchable however is sometimes imperfect, and it can be difficult to find the information you seek. Different newspaper archives employ different search technology, which compounds the problem further. The following tips however can help you to minimize that difficulty and give you the best shot at finding that crucial information about your long lost ancestor.

Tip #1 – Search Using only the Surname

It can be difficult finding an exact name in online newspaper archives. This can be because of the search technology employed by that particular website, or due to nicknames, misspellings, and abbreviations. Unless you are searching for a particularly popular surname like Smith or Jones, begin your search by using just the surname. This will increase the amount of returns you get, but if you take the time to weed through them, you could find the name of your relative, either their full name, one including a nickname that proved a road block, or an abbreviated version. If you get too many returns, enter further info such as a location.

Tip #2 – Search for Relatives

If you don’t have any success using the above strategy, try researching a relative of the ancestor you’re trying to locate. Try a combination of given names for other family members and you might be surprised at the results. Another strategy that sometimes works is to search the first name of your ancestor along with the first names of their parents.

Tip #3 – Search by Address

Sometimes the technology used by database search engines can miss surnames. The articles or obituaries you are searching for could well be there, the search technology is just not picking them up. This has happened to me several times, but perseverance usually pays off. A strategy that has worked for me in the past is to search using my ancestor’s last known address. Quite often obituaries list a person’s address, and wedding announcements sometimes do as well. They are one of the most popular types of free genealogy resources.

Tip #4 – Search by Date and Name of Publication

Sometimes you simply have to search a newspaper page by page to locate information on your relatives. If you know the date and location of an event in your ancestor’s history and have exhausted the first three strategies, this might be the way to go. If you know the date they died for instance, you can search obituaries for that time period. Find out what newspapers are or were published in the area in which your ancestor lived and use their browser option to locate the newspaper for the days the notice may have appeared. Make sure you check issues for a couple of days on either side of the event, or even a week or two. Sometimes a funeral notice or memoriam was published a few weeks after a person’s death. They also are excellent free genealogy resources.

Tip #5 – Search Using Subject Keywords

Instead of a surname search, sue the name of a specific type of documentation such as “obituary,” “wedding announcement,” or “death notice.” If you have the option, enter additional keywords such a “memoriam” or “funeral notice.” Old newspapers may use different terms, so have a look at them first, and take note of what they name particular sections of their publication. Some of them may have pages for birthday or anniversary announcement, so use as many terms as you can think of.

Tip #6 – Modify Your Keyword Search

While the above mentioned terms are important to use, you may have equal success by not using them. Don’t neglect using terms like “business notices” or “business listings.” Sometimes they mention individuals in their notices, so if you know what the occupation of your ancestor was so make use of them as well. Older newspapers sometimes listed those who immigrated to other countries; the options are really endless.

It depends on the search technology that a particular newspaper database uses, but sometimes just a name and address will get you surprising results. A genealogy search however requires imagination and resourcefulness, especially in these types of databases. Experiment using as many terms as you can think of. Terms such as “military” or “school” can sometimes be amazingly revealing. The main thing is to never give up. Make use of these excellent free genealogy resources and follow the ancestral trail as stubbornly as you can.

I was recently informed of an exciting collection of nineteenth century primary content that will be made available online this spring. Gale Cenage Learning, a well known publisher of reference and research sources for businesses, schools, and libraries recently announced plans for its program of studies Nineteenth Century Collections Online. It is a global publishing and digitalization program comprised of rare nineteenth century content (primary source), and though still being developed, the first four modules will be released sometime between April and the end of May 2012.

Nineteenth Century Collections Online will remain a work in progress, with content from partner libraries such as the Bodleian Library (Oxford University), the British Library, and archives such as the UK National Archives and the US National Archives being added regularly. Such institutions and other smaller ones will in total contribute over 150 various collections this year, providing genealogists with yet another immensely important online resource.

The content to be on offer has never been digitalized, and most has never been put onto microfilm, so this is exciting unique content of a rare and valuable nature. Some of what will be available is:

• The Corvey Collection of European Literature: 1790-1840 –an original collection of essays covering an array of Romantic literature that was published in German, French and English sourced from Corvey Abbey located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This collection is one of the most prolific and important existing assemblages of works from this period. It specializes in rare, hard-to-find compositions by obscure female writers. It contains Dramatic Works, Gothic Novels, Poetry, Short-Form Prose, and Novels
• Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange – This collection covers topics such as U.S and British diplomacy and foreign policy, the Philippine Insurrection, Asian political, economic, and social affairs, theOpium Warsand much more.
• British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture – includes a wealth of materials, including scripts, playbills, musical scores, and operas. Many of these have never been filmed or made available in digital or other electronic format. They cover topics such as street literature, penny dreadfuls, Victorian popular culture and includes the Archive of the Royal Literary Fund.
• British Politics and Society – presenting a catalogue of primary sources that cover topics like Chartism, Owenism, radical movements, the cartographic record, political reform, and British domestic and foreign policy. It also contains working class autobiographies, British Cabinet papers, and accounts of riots and civil disturbances in nineteenth century England.

These works will be released in increments beginning in mid-2012, and will provide an exceptional resource to scholars. Family historians, and history and literature buffs. Genealogists will be able to get an even more detailed picture of how their ancestors may have lived during this period. You will come to know what sort of entertainment and literature they may have enjoyed, the civil disturbances and unrest they might have encountered, been involved in, or been affected by. You can learn what sort of domestic or foreign policy may have influenced them to immigrate, or uncover clues as to where they may have emigrated to. Such information can really help you to compile interesting and exciting Family History Reports.

So often we get bogged down in a records search that we forget just how interesting, educational, and entertaining genealogy can be. This collection will avail us of all these fringe benefits of pursuing our family history, and is a collection to be cherished. Mark your calendar for the spring of 2012, and subscribe to our Blog if you haven’t already. We’ll keep you up to date on the progress, and inform you when the collection comes online. Until then, Happy ancestor hunting, and enjoy genealogy!

Now you can show your lineage in an awesome presentation that spans up to 16ft. Check out my new extra large free family tree templates. If you’ve ever wanted to display your family history at a family reunion but found it too awkward to lug your files around and show your research on a standard sized family tree, you’ll love these large tree charts. They come in 8ft and 16ft widths and can be as high as 5.5 ft but the high quality of the PDF allows you to print it out as wide as 45 ft without distortion!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with trying to show my genealogy research on rinky-dink charts and pulling out files of this and that to show my family. And it’s almost laughable when there are three or four people trying to see the same family tree chart and their heads are bumping. It’s almost like a Laurel and Hardy slapstick comedy act.

These are extra large wall charts have large spaces for names and additional space you can use to enhance your family tree chart. So no more bumping heads to get a good look!

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Miriam Robbins Midkiff writes a blog about her genealogy research, called AnceStories. Her blog has won several awards and it’s full of tips, links and advice. She also is an Online Genealogy Teacher through the community colleges in Washington and is available for genealogy speaking engagements.

I asked Miriam these questions:

This is what Miriam had to say when I asked her these questions:

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