How to Research Obituaries for Genealogy

If you want to build a genealogy, you can start by searching through the obituaries of your ancestors. Official birth and death records can also be used in your genealogy search. Here's how to proceed.

Instructions

1. Talk to family members to get as many names as possible. Record your family history into a family tree. Go online and search the obituary sites using the last name of your family members.

2. Genealogybuff.com is a site on the Internet that lets you search obituaries for surnames.

3. Obitcentral.com will let you search by states.

4. Make a family tree linking all the branches of your family, using the information you found in various obituaries. Information from these sources will help you link siblings, children and other relatives of your deceased ancestors.

5. Put a copy of your family tree where other family members can find it so the next generation will be able to see their family tree.

Tips & Warnings

• Old family bibles can provide records of marriages, births and deaths. Use the names to search online obituary sites.

• Keep records of the names you find using the Internet or the newspaper obituaries.

• Have a family member who knows your family history either write down names or record them on a tape recorder.

• If an ancestor changed their last name it will be hard to search beyond that person unless someone knows what the ancestor's birth surname.