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BuffaloResearch.com |
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 Table
of
Contents |
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| Quick
Guide to Major Obituary Sources |
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Frequently
Asked Questions About Obituaries |
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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.
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.
If
the
person died after
1962, he or she might be found in the U.S.
Social Security
Death Index.
In
this
case, try getting
a copy of the death certificate. See: Vital
Records.
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.
The
first newspaper in
Buffalo, the Buffalo Gazette,
began publishing in 1811. It is
owned by BECHS.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: If
this page does not help, here is additional advice on
How
To Find
An Obituary. |
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Death
& Obituary Links |
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Please be aware
that many of these
sites offer only
a
handful to a few hundred names.
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| Finding
Buffalo Newspapers |
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Back in the 1960s, libraries across America microfilmed all their newspapers and discarded the hard-copy originals.This was because newspapers consumed staggering amounts of space and got too brittle to withstand regular handling. In spite of its flaws, newspapers are archived on microfilm to this day. Here are lists of which libraries have which newspapers on film.
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