How to Find an Obituary From 1953
Obituaries are often rich with information about past times and the people who lived them, even very ordinary people. How easy it is to find a particular obituary, however, depends on where the person lived and died and whether she was important enough or well-enough known to have an obituary written by newspaper staff. Most obituaries have been and still are submitted to newspapers by funeral directors, using information supplied to them by the family of the deceased. These are the obituaries least likely to have been entered into databases and searchable online. Finding one of them may require going to the city or town and paging through a newspaper or library archive.
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Instructions
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In the Newspaper
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Find out what information is available online. You're most likely to find the 1953 obituary online if the person died or was known in a city with at least one major daily newspaper that's still publishing. Go to that paper's website and search for obituaries in its archive by inserting the name of the person who died in 1953 into the newspaper's search function.
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Scan microfilm archives. The best-known papers from the biggest cities may be available in your local library. For a paper from a smaller city, you may need to travel to a library in a big city. For instance, the Manchester, New Hampshire, Union-Leader can be read in microfilm in the Boston or New York City Public Library. Unless you know the specific date that the obituary was published, you may need to scan weeks or months of newspapers to find the obituary you want.
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Read bound-back issues of the paper in a library, either in a nearby city, the city where the paper was published or in the archives of the paper itself. When papers cease publication, their archives often go to the local public library, historical society or college.
Using Other Sources
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Search public records in the state where you think the person died, using her name. Try several variations, using initials and even alternate spellings. Once you have clarified the date and place of the person's death, you'll be better prepared to check the newspapers in that place.
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Search records of the church or denomination the person attended, especially if he was a leader or member of the clergy. Some religious groups have placed their records in databases that are searched through genealogical services, and others have placed them in educational institutions.
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Search out the databases of the person's profession or trade group. Public safety organizations may have the records.
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Look in the alumni records of the deceased person's alma mater. Alumni offices often keep very close records.
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Tips & Warnings
Newspapers sometimes differentiate between staff-written and paid obituaries in their databases. The small paid obituaries may not be indexed, so you'll need the most detailed information and may need to do the legwork if the person you're researching was not well-known.
Obituaries from the middle of the 20th century may be the most difficult to locate online and 21st century obituaries are the easiest.
Most online databases of obituaries and genealogical information require registration or membership to read their information.
Free pages of resources for searching obituaries may be spotty. Try the links, and if they don't work, keep looking or register at one of the online databases.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit shelves of library books image by nextrecord from Fotolia.com
