{"id":78581,"date":"2021-06-04T10:06:32","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T14:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=78581"},"modified":"2026-04-09T06:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:40:46","slug":"obituaries-can-be-different-keep-looking-for-all-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/obituaries-can-be-different-keep-looking-for-all-of-them.html","title":{"rendered":"Obituaries Can Be Different \u2013 Keep Looking for All of Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Jessica Edwards gives tips for finding and using obituaries in your genealogy research. Jessica has had a lifelong interest in her family\u2019s history \u2013 especially on her father\u2019s side, which goes back to the first settlers in Pennsylvania, Jamestown and New England \u2013 and has documented and added more than 21,000 people to her family tree!<\/em><\/p>\n

In my many searches for obituaries for my family tree I have learned this lesson: be sure to look for multiple obituaries, as they may be published in several areas because of family members living in other places. Also, obituaries are often published in the deceased\u2019s hometown as well as where they were living when they died.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration:<\/a><\/p>\n

The reason for trying to find multiple obituaries is that each area may print different information. Sometimes, after finding an ancestor\u2019s obituary, a genealogist may think \u201cGreat, I found the obituary \u2013 now I\u2019ll look for other records such as birth records, marriage announcements, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t stop at the first obituary \u2013 try to find others, and use variations on your ancestor\u2019s name to do so: searching just on the surname; try different spellings for the surname; use only an initial for the first name with the surname, etc.<\/p>\n

In my searching recently in GenealogyBank\u2019s Obituaries Collection<\/a> for a distant member of my tree, I looked for the obituary for Daniel James Mullin, and I found two. Here\u2019s what I found (be sure to compare the information in both).<\/p>\n

The first is from the Progress<\/em> newspaper.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Progress (Live Oak-McMullen County, Texas), 11 February 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second is from the Star Tribune<\/em> newspaper.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 19 May 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first obituary, published 11 days after his death in a Texas newspaper (he died in Texas), had a wealth of family information, including the married names for the daughters and grandchildren. Also, it gave me the information on which of his brothers were deceased (I hadn\u2019t looked yet for their information) as well as his parents, the names of his three living siblings (two brothers and a sister), and more about Daniel as a person. It also gave me information on approximately when he had married his wife (which allowed me to look for the marriage documentation).<\/p>\n

This obituary said he was originally from Minnesota, and concluded with this line: \u201cInterment will be held at St. Walburga Catholic Church and Cemetery in Fletcher, Minnesota, at a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the second obituary comes in handy. Although it doesn\u2019t have as much family information as the first obituary, it was published on May 19 (3\u00bd months after he died) in a Minnesota newspaper, for one important reason: it waited until the final funeral arrangements had been made, in Minnesota. Now I know that the \u201cFuneral mass will be celebrated Saturday, June 1, 2019, at St. Walburga Catholic Church in Fletcher, MN, at 11am, with visitation one hour prior to mass.\u201d It also confirmed that \u201cInterment will follow at St. Walburga Cemetery.\u201d These are important clues for finding out more information about the funeral and gravesite.<\/p>\n

So, in closing, always look to see if there are multiple obituaries, as they might give you more information for your family tree. Use variations of your ancestor\u2019s name to find those other obituaries. Don\u2019t forget to be sure to document each source as well!<\/p>\n

Happy Hunting!<\/p>\n

Create a free account<\/a> at GenealogyBank for 7 days to start your journey and discover the stories your ancestors left behind.<\/p>\n

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