Searching death records can be a tedious process; especially if you only have a limited amount of information and are not familiar with the process. However, in the last two centuries genealogy has become a popular hobby and growing profession. Thus, online resources to find death, birth, marriage, etc.. records are growing too. Newspaper obituaries, from across the world, are now archived in online sites. Newspapers are one of the easiest places to start an online search for death records. Here are some reliable places and tips to get you started:

Start by collecting all the personal information on the person or person's that you wish to search for. Some useful information will be; sex, race, first name, last name, middle name, social security number, place of birth, place of death, maiden name, religion, age of death, date of death, date of birth. Of course, you will not have all of this information...or else you probably would not be seeking an obituary. However, the more information that you have, the easier the search will be. If the name is common, like Joe Smith, there may be more than one name listed. A religion or middle name can help to narrow the search.

Older newspapers may refer to a woman by her husbands name - "Mrs. John Smith."

When looking for a newspaper obituary. There are several options:

Newspaper home site archives

Type in the name of the newspaper you wish to search into your browsers search line. Once at the newspapers home site, you can click the obituary tab. Some newspapers will only list current obituaries. Others, will have a past editions or archives tab - where you can search old obituaries. Usually, you can only go back to the late 90s.

Search engines and portals

These are usually online media companies that have collected a database newspapers. Here you will find a search portal to find obituaries. Most sites are indexed two different ways; by state and by newspaper. You can search by name, keyword, state, date of death, newspaper, etc. Some of these charge you a membership fee. So, you will need to pay close attention if the search is free or if it requires a membership.

University or Library databases

These essentially work like the search portals, but are all free to use.

Searching for newspaper obituaries will require a little patience and sifting, if you only have a limited amount of information. Keep in mind these are just places to start, there are many more options.

To Conduct Your Own Free Search of Death Notices and to Search Other Public Records, Visit the Public Records Depot Today at http://publicrecordsdepot.com/

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