How to Find Obituaries From the 1900s

Obituary information can reveal the way a person lived, his remaining family members and all kinds of personal information. People searching for information about others who died in the 1900s are generally interested in history, their family genealogy or simply conducting research. Locating old newspaper obituaries can be difficult, however, once you find the obituary you can learn quite a bit about the person from the information provided.

Instructions

1. Locate all the information that you can about the person. The first and last name, social security number and where the person lived, will all be helpful in your search. Place all the information in one file so that you can access it any time.

2. Research information about the person's family. Family bibles, pictures and newspaper clippings can lead you to clues about where the obituary might be located.

3. Visit the town library where the person died and request to look through old newspapers. Some libraries now have their old newspapers archived online and give people online access to the newspaper collection.

4. Search the Internet for newspaper archives. Type the person's name into the Internet newspaper archive. Internet archives that cater to locating ancestors and relatives often include obituaries in the information that they archive.

Tips & Warnings

• Write down any information that you gather so that you can find it easily.

• Some online search engines designed to locate an obituary may charge you fees. Check with the company for the cost of the search before you begin.

References

• Roots Web: Social Security Directory
• Obituary Central
• Ancestor Hunt

Resources

• Find a Grave
• Roots Web: Social Security Directory
• Obituary Central