how to search for deceased family members in obituaries

Search Obituaries - GenealogyBank.com

Obituaries: Getting all the clues

Thomas Jay KempDirector, Genealogy Products

NewsBank, inc. 28 March 2012

http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/obituaries/

http://www.genealogybank.com/


◦Over 1 billion names◦Over 5,850 newspapers

All 50 states 1690 to today

◦Over 263,000 rare books & documents

◦210 million obituaries & death records




Newspapers 5,850 & Growing! 1690-Today




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Obituaries -




Obituaries - • Full name• Names of relatives





• Name of cemetery





• Name of cemetery• Name of clergy and

their denomination




• Full name• Names of relatives• Date, place and

cause of death

Obituaries - • Name of cemetery• Name of clergy and

their denomination




Obituaries - • Full name• Names of relatives• Date, place and

cause of death• Date and place of

birth


their denomination






birth• Date and place of

marriage


their denomination






birth• Date and place of

marriage


their denomination• Occupation• Education• Social groups




Let’s see a typical obituary -

Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) 30 November 1920, page 13.




Let’s see a typical obituary -




Find the ancestral home town -

Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana) 26 April 1893, page 4.




Can be printed across the country -

San Francisco Bulletin (California) 23 October 1874, page 2.




Printed in another language -

El Continental (El Paso, Texas) 20 January 1959, page 3.




Or in long lost styles & syntax -

Boston News Letter (Massachusetts) 30 April 1705, page 2




Or in long lost styles & syntax -

Providence Patriot (Rhode Island) 18 September 1822, page 3




…. Papers Please Copy -




Typical Search -




Typical Search




Typical Search -




GenealogyBank.com




What do you have on Grace (Toms) Stewart – who was born and married in Stamford, CT?

What do we know about her?

Her maiden name: Grace TomsBorn: abt1896 in Stamford, CTSpouse: Charles StewartOther: “Toms” family lived/died in Stamford area.




Search for Grace Stewart = Over 3,500 hits





Just Recent Obituaries = 167 hits





Just Recent Obituaries = 167 hits

Limit to CT only = None




Search for Charles Stewart = Over 700 hits

Just CT Obituaries = 1 hit




Not him




New Search for Grace Stewart Adding “Stamford” to theExtra search terms box

Just One Obituary




It was her:




Grace M. Stewart, 93, …. died of pneumonia Feb. 1 at the Collingswood Nursing …Center, Rockville, MD

“…a native of Stamford, Conn. …”

“Her husband, Charles Stewart, died in 1920.”

Washington Post – 4 Feb 1992




Some Practical Tips




Can You Read This?i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr theiproamtnt ltteres in a wrod are, the olny tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!




Some Practical Tips




◦Over 1 billion names◦Over 5,850 newspapers

All 50 states 1690 to today

◦Over 263,000 rare books & documents

◦210 million obituaries & death records




We have never had this level of access before



how to search for deceased family members in obituaries

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