How Do You Search For An Obituary?
Finding an obituary can be easy if the subject is a celebrity, such as a politician or a movie star. But when it comes to searching for the death notice of someone who hasn’t been in the public eye–people like us and our family members–it can be tricky. Here are a few steps to follow. Learn everything you can about the individual: complete name, parents’ names, date and place of birth and death, place of residence and occupation. If the name is common, any of these clues might be necessary to identify the proper notice among dozens that could turn up in a search. You might need to do some phone work in your research–calling relatives, for example, or calling friends of the deceased. If you know only a little about the individual, contact the source that notified you about the death–or the possible death. A state or county public-records office might be able to help. An Internet search might help. Many periodicals are searchable online, and some funeral homes have websites that list
