The In-Depth Genealogist a digital community for all genealogists
I found an obituary full of family information. I had so many names in one obituary it was fantastic! I got a response from a follower that obituaries are great but you have to do the research to make sure the names and relationships are accurate. We had a brief discussion on twitter after that and I thought this topic would make a great post for today.
Obituaries are death notices written when someone dies. They typically list the deceased’s name, possibly with a (nee …) “nee” stands for the maiden name and “…” is what the maiden name was. So you might see Alice (nee Smith) Jones died as the beginning of an obituary. The notices also usually tell you when and where the funeral and church service, if any, is being held and where the person is being buried.
Obituaries sometimes also provide a wealth of information on the deceased’s family. It may list the spouse, the names of the parents, siblings, in-laws, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. The obituary I found yesterday contained almost all of those groupings of people.
Ok, so the obituary has all the names now what? Well that depends on what information you already have. In my case, I had the names of all the people listed in the obituary in the family tree. Those people were also already listed by the relationship stated in the obituary. I already had other records documenting each person and relationship.
What if I didn’t already have documents? What if most of the people in the obituary were “new” to me? Then I would begin to search for documents that prove the relationships. I would start by looking at census records and vital records. I would compare the information to other obituaries in the same family.
At this point maybe I have proven most of the people are who the obituary says they are. But there are some I cannot find a record for….yet. Maybe they were born between census years and I cannot find a vital record online. This would require me to search paper records. Maybe there are vital records online and I need to do a more thorough search and change the spelling of the last name to attempt to find a record. I would also visit the cemetery and try to locate a grave and other information. Most cemeteries keep good records so you may be able to find out who the owner of a plot is. If someone you have not yet identified through other sources is buried with the family you think they should be, then you have a clue.
Don’t always believe everything you find in a record, book, or newspaper article. Follow the paper trail to prove the people are who it says they are. If you are still unsure after searching, make a note in your research report to follow up at a later time.
Thanks for the great advice. So much depends on who gave the info! I’ve broken down brick walls following leads from obits. But also, I’ve noticed that many obits don’t spell names correctly; omit 1 or 2 close relatives; focus on community or church activities without leaving much room for relatives’ names; or, worst of all, only mention that the person who died was beloved and will be missed–without naming names of spouse/kids/etc. Good luck with your research!
Thanks for stopping by and posting a comment Marian! That is one thing obits are famous for – misspellings. Something everyone should keep in mind, especially those new to genealogy. Thanks for mentioning this!
“Document every person” is very good advice! After reading an obituary of a recently found second cousin I asked if all the children mentioned were really his. To me, it didn’t add up some how. There were too many grown kids with families of their own for the years the deceased and his wife were married. I was told that some were the wife’s by her first husband. If I hadn’t asked or followed up on the children, they would have all been recorded as “their” children.
Thanks for stopping by IDG! You make an excellent point about paying attention to the details of those surviving the deceased. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the “find” we forget to closely examine what’s in the “find.”
Great advice. I was able to find a sister that stayed in Ireland from an obit in Massachusetts. Also, document that a mystery niece that shows up on census records with the family was her daughter. Fortunately I was able to find documentation to back up the relationship, but without that obit I wouldn’t have even known to look.
Isn’t it great when an obit provides that one clue we didn’t know we needed? That’s fabulous you were able to locate another family member. Thanks for stopping by and reading Dave!