Finding Biographical Information

Death dates can often be obtained from the New York Times Index (see below) or the Social Security Death Index (1936-date, incomplete). With the date you can browse the correct year of likely journals.

For academic obituaries and other biographical articles, see resources in the Library Research Guide for History.

Newspaper Obituaries

NexisUni, late 1980s- (some earlier) is a good source for recent newspaper obituaries. Full obituaries may be searched with the person's name in the title. Short death notices are usually buried within a collective death notices article, so the name must be searched in full-text. If there are too many hits, qualify the name with "death! or obituar!".

New York Times, 1851-2003.

Many other newspaper indexes are listed in Guide to Newspapers and Newspaper Indexes.

Obituaries: a guide to sources / Betty M. Jarboe. 2nd ed.
LOCATION: Widener: RR 683.21
--Largely a bibliography of compilations of local death records and of obituaries, including obituary indexes of periodicals and newspapers. Includes an international chapter and chapters for other countries. Index includes professions, local place names, and names of publications.

Collected Obituaries

Obituaries are sometimes collected into books.

Examples of Subject terms:

• Celebrities Obituaries.
• Obituaries Cuba.
• Obituaries Newfoundland Butlerville.
• Presidents Greece Obituaries.
• Radiation workers Ukraine Kharkivs'ka oblast' Obituaries.