| Whether you're in the midst of settling an estate, | | | | Obituaries are published in newspapers and |
| assembling a scrapbook or just looking to fill in the | | | | typically contain more biographical information than |
| missing branches of your family tree, online | | | | the sparse records maintained by governmental |
| obituary archives are plentiful if you know where | | | | agencies. Most list the deceased person's |
| to look. | | | | occupation, surviving family members and funeral |
| Death records are among the most readily | | | | arrangements. Some smaller newspapers even |
| accessible of all public records because they are | | | | include a photograph. Many newspapers maintain |
| maintained in a number of different places. | | | | online obituary archives dating back anywhere |
| Newspapers routinely publish obituaries for their | | | | from a few months to a few years. For older |
| news value, state and local authorities are required | | | | issues, you can try the local library or one of |
| to keep death certificates on file and the | | | | many genealogy web sites. |
| combined efforts of genealogy researchers have | | | | A genealogy site is a good place to start if you're |
| produced a virtual treasure trove of obituary | | | | armed with limited information or sleuthing for |
| archives and other databases. | | | | especially old records. Most if not all are loaded |
| The best place to start depends largely on what | | | | with links to archived obituary databases compiled |
| you're looking for. | | | | from a wide swath of sources, search engines |
| If you're probating a will or filing an insurance | | | | devoted solely to public records and newspapers |
| claim, for example, you'll need a copy of a death | | | | dating as far back as the 1700s. You'll find that |
| certificate, which is an official record certified by a | | | | some information is available free of charge and |
| coroner or medical examiner and filed with state | | | | some you can access only by registering with the |
| and local authorities at the time of a person's | | | | site and paying a monthly subscription fee. |
| death. Death certificates contain basic information | | | | You can usually get a copy of an archived |
| like age, race, gender, cause of death and place | | | | obituary for nothing more than the cost of |
| of burial. If you know where the death occurred, | | | | making the copy. A notarized copy of a death |
| the National Center for Health Statistics can tell | | | | certificate, on the other hand, typically runs |
| you which local agency to contact to request a | | | | anywhere from $10 to $20. |
| copy. | | | | |