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Genealogy & Local History in Buffalo, NY

Death Notices and Obituaries in Buffalo & Erie County, NY

• A good obituary can be a genealogical gold mine, but finding one isn't always simple or straightforward. You will have the best results if you know the month, day, year, and place that the person died.

• Links have been added wherever possible to assist the out-of-town researcher, but local newspapers published before the invention of computerized typesetting, with few exceptions,  are not online. They are on microfilm.
• Obituary and death notice research can be performed in person at:
  Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Research Library (BECHS) and
  Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Grosvenor Room (BECPL)

• BECPL has a good online guide much like this page, Tips for Finding Death Notices & Obituaries in Buffalo Newspapers
  

• Quick Guide to Major Obituary Sources
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Minor Death & Obituary Links
• Buffalo's Major Daily Newspapers

• Are obituaries and death notices the same thing?

No, there is a distinction. A death notice contains factual information about the deceased: name, date of death, surviving kin, and place of burial. It is a classified ad paid for by the family. An obituary contains narrative, biographical data about the deceased, who was someone of some kind of prominence. Obituaries are news article written by a staff writer. Today, a typical issue of the Buffalo News contains about a dozen obituaries and 50-100 death notices. Obituaries go into their fee-based archives; death notices are searchable at a separate page at their website. 

• What do full text and citation mean?

Full text means that every word in the original obituary or death notice has been reproduced. Citation means that you are given only the name of the newspaper, the date, and the page number where the obituary or death notice can be found.

• I don't know the exact day (month, day, year) but I think the person I'm researching died after 1962.

If the person died after 1962, he or she might be found in the U.S. Social Security Death Index.

• I don't know the exact date but I know it was before 1962.

In this case, try getting a copy of the death certificate.  See: Vital Records.

• Who has every newspaper published in Erie County?

BECPL and BECHS have the most comprehensive collections of Buffalo newspapers. However, many papers from the towns and villages of Erie County are found only in the appropriate town library.  A list of town libraries can be seen at Libraries of Buffalo & Erie County.

• What's the oldest newspaper in Buffalo?

The first newspaper in Buffalo, the Buffalo Gazette, began publishing in 1811. It is owned by BECHS.

• How hard it is to find obituaries and death notices in the paper?

By the 1930s, newspapers usually have a table on contents on the first page telling you where the death notices and obituaries will be found. In pre-1930 newspapers, death notices and obituaries are usually found on the first or second page or the last or second-last page.

• What about older newspapers?

Newspapers from before 1900 often have microscopic print and are hard to read. It can strain the eyes to search for a death notice or obituary in 19th century newspapers. Sometimes the death notice might say only "John Smith died Tuesday at his home" and who the pallbearers, not next of kin, were. Nineteenth century death notices are rarely as informative as modern ones.

• Are the newspapers listed below the only newspaper microfilms in town?

No.  To see a comprehensive list of microfilmed newspapers from Erie County and who owns them, visit the New York State Newspaper Project's list of Erie County Newspapers on Microfilm.

• Will I find death notices for all of my Buffalo-area ancestors?

There is no guarantee that a death in the Buffalo area was recorded in local newspapers by an obituary or death notice.  No law requires that a death notice be published. In the 19th century, death notices were especially uncommon for women, children, and poor people.

• What if I live too far away to come to Buffalo to look up my own obituaries?

If you know the exact date of death (month, day, year), contact The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. The staff can read 5 days worth of newspapers and if a death notice/obit is found, they'll send a photocopy with a bill, usually around $25.00 for out-of-state residents; less for residents of NY state. For best results, don't ask for more than three obits at a time.  Other options:
    1.  Try to get a copy of the death certificate.  It will reveal the exact date of death.
    2.  Hire a researcher.
    3.  Contact a volunteer.  This pages lists volunteer obituary researchers for NY State. Be sure to read the instructions in full before firing off a request.
    4.  Use interlibrary loan.  The New York State Library lends out every film listed here. However, you must contact your local librarian to place all interlibrary loan requests.

If this page does not help, here is additional advice on How To Find An Obituary.

• Canisius College Archives is indexing obituaries about people with a Canisius College connection. This is a work in progess.
• In Memoriam--a list of Buffalo firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty, 1882-2006
  
• Index of Selected Death Notices Excerpted from Headlines & History--This book includes reproductions of the front pages of selected copies of the Buffalo News. During the period of 1882-1914, these front pages included a list of death notices. Those names & death dates appear here.
• Index of Selected Newspaper Obituaries (Buffalo, NY)--about 7,700 names from 1884-2006
• An Index of African American Obituaries and Funeral Notices, Buffalo, NY, 1998--the title is pretty self-explanatory
• University of Buffalo Reporter--the official campus paper of the University of Buffalo has obituaries online for those with some sort of UB connection, with searchable archives going back to October 7, 1993.
• Cheektowaga Times--sometimes has obituaries. Issues are archived back to April 6, 2000. Look on the left for an "obituaries" or "Archives" link.
• St Aloysius Church Funerals--about 30 names from various years. See also the tiny link for a list of names from 1998. St. Aloysius is in Cheektowaga.
• Genealogy Forum--scroll down to see tiny links to death notices from Collins, Collins Center, and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, dating back to 1998
• East Aurora Advertiser--sometimes has obituaries. It is not clear if they are archived or not.
• Erie County Memorial Cards--a table of several dozen names from funeral cards found at a garage sale
  
• Deaths in Elma, NY--a list of about 400 residents who died prior to 1901
• Past Grand Islanders--some recent obituaries
• Hamburg Sun--has past editions online, including obituaries, going back to May 10, 2001
• Springville Journal--has past editions online, including obituaries, going back to Sept. 21, 2000
• Obituary Daily Times--has names of about 100 people from the Buffalo News, many of them non-Buffalonians, who died from 1996-2000
• Erie County Pre-1923 Newspaper Abstracts--transcriptions of obituaries and other articles, contributed voluntarily by researchers just like you. Feel free to post pre-1923 obituaries here for the benefit of others.
• Erie County New York Obituaries--from the Digital Library of The USGenWeb Archives (tm) Project
• Erie County New York Obituary Search Engine--this can't be a very big database because when I searched on Smith, I got only 16 hits. None were from the Buffalo News.
• NYERIE-OBITS--instructions for subscribing to this mailing list. You can also browse the archives at this page.
• Deaths from the Western NY Masonic Relief Association, 1874-1893--look here if there was a Mason in the family
• Newspaper Abstracts, Erie County--a user-contributed database of local newspaper articles from 1938 and earlier.
• Executions in New York State--Names of 1130 people who were executed in New York State from 1646 to 1963.

Buffalo Daily Courier, microfilm available at BECHS and BECPL: 1842-1926

1842-1880:

Mostly a business and commercial newspaper, filled with advertisements. There are 1-3 obituaries and death notices per issue, usually found on pages 2 and 3. No table of contents.

1880-1885:

There are 4-5 obituaries and death notices per issue, usually found on pages 2 and 4. The death notices start to name surviving kin and ancestry. Obituaries include more biographical information.

1885-1890:

Daily issues now average 8 pages, with 8-10 obituaries and death notices per day. See Saturday issues for announcements of births, marriages, and deaths.

1890-1920:

Paper expands to 10-14 pages per day and the Sunday issue averages 40 pages. There are 10-15 death notices and obituaries per issue but they are scattered, usually found on page 1 or 2.

1920-1926

Paper expands to 14-16 pages per day. Death notices and obituaries are usuallly found on or near the last page.

Buffalo Morning Express, microfilm available at BECHS and BECPL: 1846-1926

1846-1880:

Issues average 4 pages, with no index or list for the deceased. Death notices are few and are usually found on the bottom right corner of page 2 or the last page. Obituaries are rare.

1880-1900:

Daily issues expand to 8-12 pages. Death notices are usually found on the last page, near the bottom. Obituaries can be scattered anywhere in the paper.

1900-1926:

Death notices are usually found towards the end or on the last page.

Buffalo Courier-Express, microfilm available at BECHS and BECPL: 1926-1982

The newspaper, a merger of the Buffalo Morning Express and the Buffalo Daily Courier, expands significantly. See the table of contents on the bottom of the first page for a list of the recently deceased and where their death notices are located. Obituaries are scattered throughout the paper, but often found near the death notices.

Buffalo (Evening) News, microfilm available at BECHS, BECPL, BSC, and UB: 1881 to present

1881-1920:

Daily issues are about 4 pages long. By the 1920s, it grew to about 16 pages. There are 10-15 brief death notices per issue, usually found on page 1-2. Obituaries are usually found on page 1.

1920-1930:

Death notices are found at the end of the paper. Obituaries can be at the beginning or end. Sometimes vital statistics appear near the end.

1930-present:

See the table of contents on the bottom of the first page for a list of the recently deceased and where their death notices are located. Most obituaries are found near the death notices. Vital statistics sometimes appear near the death notices.

1962-1976:

The Western New York Genealogy Society has death notices from the Buffalo News for these years on 6 rolls of microfilm, shelved in GRO.

1982:

The Buffalo Evening News shortens its name to the Buffalo News.

1989 to present:

The website of the Buffalo News has searchable archives back to 1989, including obituaries but not death notices. Enter names with first name first and last name last, like John Smith instead of Smith, John. There are small fees to retrieve the full text of articles.

1989 to present:

In-person visitors to any Buffalo and Erie County Public Library branch or town library can search the Buffalo News full-text database, which contains obituaries but not death notices. Due to licensing restrictions, at-home or other remote access is not permitted.

1997 to present:

Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, microfilm available at BECHS: 1839-1924 and BECPL: 1844-1924

1844-1885:

Daily issues average 4 pages. There are 1-5 death notices per issue, usually found on the bottom right corner of page 2.

1885-1924:

Daily issues expand to 8 pages, and by 1924, to 16 pages. There are 5-10 death notices per issue, usually found on the last or second-last page near the bottom. Obituaries are uncommon.

The Commercial Advertiser folded in 1924.

From 1891 to around 1905, death notices are usually found on page 1. Starting around 1905, death notices are usually found on the last or second last page.  

Buffalo Evening Post, microfilm available at BECHS and BECPL: 1852-1925

Buffalo Sunday News, microfilm available in BECPL: 1894-1915

Buffalo Times, microfilm available at BECHS and BECPL: 1883-1939

1883-1895:

Daily issues average 8-12 pages. Death notices are usually found on the last page. Obituaries are uncommon.

1895-1920:

Death notices are usually found on page 1 in the bottom right corner.

1920-1939:

The weekday issues expand to 24 pages and the Sunday Times averages 50 pages. Death notices are usually found on page 1. Vital statistics might be found in the middle of the paper.

Buffalo Tribune--Freie Presse, microfilm available at BECHS and BECPL: 1886-1914

Buffalo Volksfreund, microfilm available at: BECHS and BECPL: 1891-1969

Dziennik dla Wszystkich, microfilm available at: BECHS: 1911-1957 and BECPL: 1930-1957