How to Find Information on Someone Who Passed Away
Finding information on someone who passed away can be be done online or in person. Online searches are recommended since they are both are fast and discreet.
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Instructions
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Search the person's name using a search engine such as Yahoo! or Google, putting quotes around the entire name. Examine search engine results to confirm the listings shown are for the person you intended. The results of your Google search might reveal nicknames or other distinguishing information on the person you are researching.
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Search the person's name in local newspaper archives for their city and state of death for an obituary listing. The U.S. Library of Congress Newspaper Reading Room has a list of archived newspapers online for most states.
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Visit Genealogybank.com's Social Security Death Index and enter the last name, place of birth, and date of death of the person being researched. The search is free and includes basic information regarding the person's death from the Social Security Administration's Master Death File.
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Explore obituary archives on Obitcentral.com. Depending on which state you click, the website will direct you to either a local government website, media website or Obituary Central's listing of death information using the search service PICOsearch.
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Search Legacy.com using the deceased person's last name. Legacy.com is a fee-based obituary and guest book search of 750 newspapers in North America, Europe and Australia and provides ways for readers to express condolences and share remembrances of loved ones. Legacy.com claims over 14 million users per month and death information on over two thirds of the people who die in the United States.
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Sign up for a membership with Ancestry.com, if family member names are known, to obtain broader search results. Ancestry.com has a Social Security Death Index search as well as access to information about additional relatives, a historical newspaper collection and public records.
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Use your search results to begin new searches. If the obituary offers clues to the deceased's hobbies, memberships, college life, occupation or place of worship, search the websites for the organization or association to gather more information. If a spouse's name is found, search the spouse's name as well.
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Tips & Warnings
Read user reviews of fee-based sites prior to spending money.
Make sure you have gathered as much information as you can before you start. Without enough information, it may be easy to end up gathering data on the wrong person.
