An obituary is the notification of a person’s death along with their brief life story.[1] Whereas a death notice usually provides a short amount of detail including the deceased's name, date of death and age at death, an obituary usually summarises the person's key achievements and names family members. Obituaries that appear in the local press tend to be very complimentary, highlighting only the positive aspects of a person's character and life. If a person is well known enough for their obituary to appear in the national news then these often include the more controversial aspects of their life.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
Information provided in an obituaryInformation provided in an obituary
_obituary_in_The_Courier_and_Argus_of_Dundee,_Tayside,_Scotland_on_December_14,_1897.jpg)
Every obituary varies with regards to its length and the type of detail that it provides. Below is a list of information that you may discover in a person's obituary.
- Full name and nickname (possibly with a maiden name for married women)
- Date and place of birth
- Names of parents, siblings, spouses and children
- Where they received their education
- Names and locations of workplaces and the dates they worked there
- Religion
- Other beliefs including political and social
- Names of any groups they belonged to such as political groups, village groups and hobby groups
- Any notable achievements in their career
- Any awards or medals they were given
- Date and location of marriage
- Date, location and cause of death
- Details of the upcoming funeral and intended location of burial
- In more recent times a photograph may be provided
Reliability of obituariesReliability of obituaries
The reliability of obituaries as a genealogical source of proof should always be questioned in the United Kingdom, as well as anywhere else in the world. Obituaries tend to be written in great favour of the deceased and may give the reader an overly positive impression of a person. Any facts that are provided in a local newspaper obituary are usually provided by a member of the deceased's family. This means they may not be reliable. For example, a spouse or child of the deceased may give an incorrect place of birth, school name or workplace amongst other details. This is not usually deliberate. There are also examples of obituaries that have been incorrectly published before a person's death, followed by a hasty retraction in the following edition.
Obituaries should therefore be used as a guide to discover further proof of a person's life story. Any 'facts' that are given should be checked with corroborating sources.
Where to find United Kingdom obituariesWhere to find United Kingdom obituaries
.jpg)
A majority of people have not had an obituary published. Obituaries of notable members of society such as the royal family, aristocrats and celebrities tend to appear in national newspapers. Each newspaper may publish different information in their obituary so it is worth viewing them all to see what details you can gather. National magazines such as the Gentleman's Magazine published obituaries of notable people including military officers and clergymen. Details can be found in the collection An Index to the Biographical and Obituary Notices in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1731 - 1780 on MyHeritage.
For the less well known of our ancestors, if they have an obituary published this may appear in local newspapers. More recently, other local publications such as village magazines and local social media groups, have started to also publish obituaries. Local magazines may be held at local libraries or by the parish council. Social media pages can be searched for via the relevant website or app.
Many national and provincial (local) newspapers have been digitised and can be viewed online. Genealogy subscription websites such as MyHeritage offer access to UK newspapers via OldNews.com. This is a collection of nearly 4 million pages that can be searched by name, key word, publication title, date and place of publication. When searching for an obituary, it is best to search by the deceased's name as even if they were known by a nickname their full name is usually given.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
See alsoSee also
Explore more about United Kingdom obituariesExplore more about United Kingdom obituaries
- UK Newspaper records from Oldnews.com via MyHeritage
- Obituaries: Clues to Look For. Tips for making sure you get the full benefit from an obituary noticeat Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Get What You Came For: New Search Options Let You Target Obituaries, Photos, Passenger Lists, Births, Marriages, and More at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- These Genealogists Already Struck Gold on OldNews.com on the MyHeritage blog
- Family History: Telling tales of the dead on the MyHeritage blog