How To: Searching for Obituaries
Sometimes the best place to begin is at the end. Obituaries, or death notices, can be a great access point into genealogy research. This post will provide an overview of locating, accessing, and understanding obituaries through resources available in the City Archives & Special Collections, as well as digital resources available from home.
What is an obituary?
An obituary is a death announcement placed in a newspaper by a family member or other close person for a fee. It can provide a brief biography of the deceased person along with other important details, including the place of burial, address of residence, place of birth, and names of relatives. It is also important to remember that not everyone had an obituary; they are not vital records/ legal documents/ required in any way.
Where can I find an obituary?
Obituaries are typically found in the newspaper a few days after the individual’s death. Sometimes, they run in multiple papers on multiple days, and include additional information as it becomes available.
The Obituary Index
The City Archives & Special Collections houses an obituary index, a WPA project begun in the 1930s, indexing the obituaries from New Orleans newspapers. The index came to the library along with the City Archives collection in 1946, and the Archives department spent over 40 years adding to the index. The index is complete for the Times Picayune from 1837-1972, with partial coverage of additional New Orleans newspapers including the States, Item, the Louisiana Gazette, the Bee, and some 19th century German newspapers.
The obituary index is completely digitized and is available through our website. Researchers do not need a library card to access the index.
Searching Tips
A simple search allows you to search by surname (last name), first name, and death date. The surname search will bring up entries for last name and for a woman’s maiden name. Just searching the surname is a good place to start if you are unsure of the first name/ spelling of the first name.
Newspaper Access
The obituary index provides a citation to the newspaper where you will find the obituary. Once you obtain the citation, you are ready to access the newspaper. The majority of obituaries referenced in the index are available digitally with a New Orleans Public Library card. Access the Times Picayune, States, Item, and States-Item through the New Orleans Newspaper database. If the citation references any other newspaper, it will be available on microfilm in the City Archives. Contact the department to schedule an appointment to view materials.
Order an Obituary
Located out of town? Patrons can request copies of obituaries through our Search and Copy Services. If you have any additional questions, contact us at archivist@nolalibrary.org.
Understanding Obituaries
Obituaries can often provide a wealth of information about the individual, and suggest additional avenues for research. For instance, the obituary for Joseph Edward Farrell provides us with the following information:
- Date and Time of death: April 21, 1919 at 9:30 pm
- Marital Status: Married; Edna Ackerman (living)
- Parents: Mary Curen (living) and John T. Farrell (deceased)
- Children: None listed
- Place of Birth: New Orleans
- Associations: Police Benevolent Association
- Address: No. 300 South Broad
- Burial Location: St. Patrick’s Cemetery No. 1
Looking for an obituary after 1972?
The Archives’ obituary index only covers New Orleans obituaries from 1804-1972. Researchers looking for obituaries post 1972 should review the Times Picayune Index provided by the USGenWeb Archvies Project. Obituary citations are organizaed by year. To search, click on a year, and then press ctrl + F. Once the search bar appears, type in your individual’s name. I would recommend beginning by last name. You may need to search through multiple years if the individual’s death date is unknown.
Can't find an obituary?
If you can’t locate an obituary in our indexes or in the newspaper, generally it means that the family did not pay to run one. Researchers should search for and request a death certificate from the State Archives in place of an obituary. Remember that Louisiana is a closed record state, and that death certificates are not public record until 50 years after issued.
Search for Death Records
Search the City and State Archives for death certificates.
Where do we go from here?
Once you have your obituary, what kinds of records should you look at next? Additional records in our collection can help fill out your family history. Some possible next collections to consult would be:
- Cemetery Records
- Census Records
- City Directories
- Court Records
- Immigration Records
- Naturalization Records
- Additional Newspaper articles
- Police Records
Be sure to consult our Guide to Genealogical Materials for more information about genealogy collections.
Ask an Archivist
Got a question? Ask an archivist. Questions are answered Monday-Friday, 10-4pm.
This post is based on previous presentations made by Christina Bryant and Amanda Fallis. Reformatted and edited by Brittanny Silva in 2024.
