Search AJC Obituaries

Enter your ancestor's name below and we'll search obituaries to help you learn more.

Narrow by Date

Date Range or Date

to

for

Narrow by Keywords

Keywords

 
Narrow by Location

State

City

Newspaper

advanced search

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Obituaries in Atlanta, Georgia

Uncovering your family history can be difficult. Atlanta Journal-Constitution obits are an excellent source of information about those long-lost family members in Atlanta, Georgia.

With the Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituary archives being one of the leading sources for uncovering your history in Georgia, it's important to know how to perform a Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituary search to access this wealth of research from newspapers all across the country.

Our online database enables you to perform searches without the hassle of performing manual searches through old records.

Some of the most beneficial reasons to look into Atlanta Journal-Constitution local obituaries include:

  • Uncover the branches of your family tree.
  • Connect with extended family members.
  • Discover the stories of your ancestors.

Explore the comprehensive records in our online database, and you'll gain access to almost 150 years of local history.

Plus, 95% of GenealogyBank records cannot be found through any other online services.

How to Search Atlanta Journal-Constitution Obituary Archives

Looking up Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituaries in Georgia doesn't have to be difficult. Whether you're trying to understand where you come from for the first time or you're looking to add some detail to a family tree, it couldn't be easier to perform a Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituary search.

All you have to do to get started is enter the last name of a chosen relative and press the “Search” button. It’s an excellent launching point for further research into those elusive relatives.

You can also get some additional guidance by downloading the free “Tips for Searching Titles” guide.

If you’re trying to get more information on a specific relative, follow these steps to perform an advanced search of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituary archives.

  • Step One – Begin by entering the first and last names of your relative. You’ll get more accurate results if you also have a middle name. Our search results will present you with close match obituaries.
  • Step Two – Add a keyword, such as a school or a town, to narrow your search results.
  • Step Three – Exclude keywords to avoid uncovering obituaries unrelated to your family tree.
  • Step Four – Include a year range. With almost 150 years of history, the chances are your ancestors share the same name as someone else’s ancestor.
  • Step Five – Get different results by changing the sorting options. You can order your results by showing the best matches, newest entries, and oldest entries.

Tips for a Successful Atlanta Journal-Constitution Obituary Search

Genealogy research can be challenging as many records are incomplete or filled with mistakes. For a successful Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituary search, it’s good to have multiple strategies at your disposal to ensure you get the correct relative.

Most older obituaries will include some pieces of family information. Obituaries can be used to uncover information about other relatives or to confirm that you have the right person in Atlanta, Georgia.

For a successful search of Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituaries, follow these tips:

  • Use information from more recent ancestors to find older relatives.
  • Try searching by initials. Many old Atlanta Journal-Constitution obits used initials instead of full names.
  • Are you looking for a female relative? Try searching for their husband’s name.
  • Perform searches by using common misspellings. TITLE editors often didn’t fact-check spellings in the past.

By implementing these strategies, you can go deeper with your research and uncover the ancestors you never knew you had. It’s also ideal for fact-checking, as many obituaries weren’t necessarily created with 100% accuracy.

Atlanta Journal Constitution Obituaries: Why Are They Important?

Obituaries are local, formal announcements that someone in the community has died. They generally contain a small biography of the person. Atlanta Journal Constitution obituaries can provide insight into several areas through birth, marriage, and death announcements. Atlanta Journal obituaries can also help you find biographical sketches, legal notices, information about immigration and migration, as well as other historical events in your ancestors' lives. Read More

History of AJC Obituaries

Obituaries were initially introduced in the 16th century in North America. Later on, in the 19th century, the British started writing more detailed obituaries — usually for fallen soldiers, famous people, and important political figures. AJC obits have been used for many years to locate important genealogical information and learn about other historical events relating to our ancestors' lives.

Why is Obituary Information Useful?

The primary function of an obituary is to notify the community that someone has passed, allowing people to come to the funeral service and pay their respects. It serves as a tribute to the person’s life, and it can contain a list of their achievements, the family they left behind, and even anecdotal information. Recently, obituaries have taken on the vital role of a historical document. An obituary can help future generations track down ancestors and other information needed to fill in gaps in their past.

Newspapers are free to provide information that’s not recorded anywhere else. For example, let's consider a marriage that took place in Georgia. Most likely, a newspaper would include detailed information about the event, including the names of the couple’s parents, their occupations, where the wedding took place, etc.

There are many reasons for someone to initiate an Atlanta obits search, such as:

Medical or Personal

Many people have started to search through Georgia obituaries out of curiosity — to learn more about their heritage. Curiosity is the primary motivator for many individuals who were adopted or lost contact with family due to other circumstances, such as divorce. Others are driven by a need to find out more about their medical history. For example, if someone in the family is suffering from a rare condition or wants to rule out certain medical conditions for peace of mind, they can search Atlanta, Georgia obituaries, and hopefully, find some answers.

Establishing Identity

Looking back in history, it’s clear that genealogy played a crucial role in defining social status. We see many people tracing their genealogy to verify if they have tribal connections or links to royal blood. There’s more than just a romantic sentiment behind this question. In some countries and tribes, individuals can obtain citizenship and other rights based on their genealogy reports. For example, Greece and Ireland will give someone citizenship based on their genealogy.

Other reasons to look into AJC obituaries include:

  • Community Obligations
  • Religious Obligations
  • Legal Research
  • Forensic Research
  • Academic Research

How to Search Atlanta Obituaries Online

The database of Georgia obituaries from the Atlanta Constitution newspaper consists of a digital, searchable text of published articles. You can look for death notices, obituaries, Atlanta, GA, from select years between 1870-1924 using this computer-generated index. The more information you have at hand, the easier the search will be. The quality of images and information in the AJC obituaries will play a role in how much information you can locate. Read More

As you get ready to start your search, you might assume your last name has remained the same for thousands of years. That would make the search extremely easy. However, the last name you bear today might’ve only been spelled a certain way for a few generations. In many instances throughout history, people changed their names for various reasons, including social status, the desire to assimilate, religious reasons, and more.

To start your online search, you’ll need the last name you’re looking for in the Atlanta Journal obits. If you’re not sure of the correct spelling, it might be best to write down all the possible variations of the last name. Or, you can try inserting a “wildcard” in place of any letters that can easily be exchanged (such as “e,” “i” or “y”). ‘Wildcards’ are ‘?’ or “*.” The search engine will match up to five potential characters.

It’s also useful to have the following information when performing an advanced search online:

  • First and Last Name
  • Other Important Keywords (Use the keyword search to insert keywords that might help you find your relative. Keywords can be anything specific to that person, like a profession.)
  • Location (City, State)
  • Important Dates

Obituary Research Example

Here’s an example that can be found in the Atlanta Journal obits:

Jill Wagner, 88

Former Georgia resident Wagner Jill, 88, died Nov. 2, 2020, at her home in Atlanta, Georgia. At her request, no service will be held. Ms. Wagner was born May 27, 1930, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ms. Wagner was a very active member of the community, often holding fundraisers for various charities in the Atlanta area. She spent her working years as an elementary school teacher. She is survived by her 75-year-old husband, daughter Marie, and sons Michael and James.

The obituary also includes information about where condolences can be sent. As you can see, anyone connected to Ms. Wagner can easily extract important information to help locate more family members and other important family information.

Look into Your Past

Now you can access AJC obituaries through GenealogyBank services and unlock information about your ancestry through our newspaper archives. Whether you’re merely curious or you’re on the search for medical or other specific information, contact GenealogyBank for more details.

How to Find Georgia Death Notices in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Finding death notices in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution can be another vital source of genealogical research. But what’s the difference between a death notice and an obituary?

Although some people use the terms interchangeably, they’re actually two different things. Obituaries describe the person, who they are, and what they did in their lives. Death notices, on the other hand, are formalized reports of someone’s death in the local news.

Family members would have published death notices in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to detail the person’s name, age, residence, work history, and any information about the funeral service. As family members typically wrote these, they tend to be relatively accurate.

Death notices can help extract more information about an ancestor and uncover their place of burial. So, how do you look up local death notices and sift through hundreds of years’ worth of history? If you want to find death notices alongside Atlanta Journal-Constitution obits, follow these tips:

  • Include Boolean operators and proximity search techniques.
  • Use multiple collections to fact-check any found records.
  • Connect other family members mentioned in the death notice to confirm whole sections of your family tree.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution records are invaluable sources of historical information about local people. We make it easy for you to search, discover, and share your family’s untold story. Get started with GenealogyBank and start making connections today.

Other Useful Collections To Try

Trace your family history with the GenealogyBank database to begin growing your family tree.

Do you want to learn even more about unlocking your history? Visit the GenealogyBank Learning Center for tips and inspiration.