North Carolina obituaries are notices of death for recently deceased persons in the state of North Carolina. They are found in the state's newspapers or through funeral homes, and they can be valuable sources of genealogical information. Online databases, local libraries, and archives house these records, including historical newspapers across North Carolina's 100 counties.
MyHeritage has several online collections with North Carolina obituaries or death dates that can help find obituaries:
- North Carolina, Deaths 1931-1994 on MyHeritage - 8.9 million records
- North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930 on MyHeritage - 1.8 million records
- North Carolina, Craven County Obituaries on MyHeritage - 184k records
- North Carolina, Randolph County Obituaries on MyHeritage - 117k records
- North Carolina, Johnson County Obituaries on MyHeritage - 91k records
- Newspaper and Funeral Home Obituaries on MyHeritage: More than 8.6 million records covering the entire United States, including the state of North Carolina.
- United States and Canada, Index of Obituaries, 1900-2019 on MyHeritage: A collection that indexes 17.9 million obituaries in newspapers across the U.S. (including North Carolina) and Canada.
For the extensive collections of deaths listed above, once you find a date of death, you can look for a corresponding obituary with the historical newspaper resources listed in the sections below.
Information contained in an obituaryInformation contained in an obituary
An obituary typically includes the name of the deceased individual, the date of death and place of death. Oftentimes a list of survivors is provided, such as spouse (if applicable), children, and grandchildren. Sometimes parents' names or siblings are listed. Obituaries published in the 20th century or later are more likely to include biographical details like interests or hobbies, military service, memberships or affiliations, and immigration details (if applicable). Modern-day obituaries may include a portrait of the deceased individual.
The state's earliest published obituaries can be found in sources like the North Carolina Gazette (pictured). These death notices included well-known citizens or those who died in battle around the time of the Revolutionary War.
Since information in an obituary can vary widely, and an individual can have more than one obituary through different publications, it is advisable to find as many as possible when doing genealogy research. Start with your direct ancestors and then branch out to siblings and other family members to build a more comprehensive family tree.
How to find obituaries in North CarolinaHow to find obituaries in North Carolina
In addition to the MyHeritage collections cited above, these are helpful resources to locate obituaries in the state of North Carolina:
- North Carolina Newspapers: This digital collection maintained by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is an invaluable source for anyone with roots in the state. It includes newspapers for across the state, dating back to the 1700s, and it is searchable by word, county, or publication title. You can also filter results by time frame.
- J. Murrey Atkins Library in Charlotte: Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina, and if you have Charlotte area connections, this is a helpful resource. It includes links to local historical newspapers, as well as publications in the surrounding areas.
- North Carolina Digitized Newspapers from the Library of Congress: More than 120 newspapers, dating from 1820 to 1963, are digitized as part of the Chronicling America project. These are searchable by keyword or they can be browsed by newspaper by date.
- State Library of North Carolina: If you are able to visit, the State Library in Raleigh has one of the largest collections of North Carolina's historical newspapers on microfilm. If you're not able to visit in person, their website still has a useful guide to finding newspapers in the state.
For obituaries in the last few decades, Legacy.com has a robust collection of North Carolina obituaries, which are organized by metro area, county, or city, and they are searchable by name.
If you are unsure of a death date, consider inquiring with the NC Office of Vital Records. They house death certificates from 1930 to present.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about North Carolina obituariesExplore more about North Carolina obituaries
- North Carolina - Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries on MyHeritage
- North Carolina Newspapers by the NC Digital Heritage Center
- North Carolina Digitized Newspapers at the Library of Congress
- North Carolina Obituaries on Legacy.com
- Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries on MyHeritage
- How to Locate an Obituary for Your U.S. Ancestor on MyHeritage
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