New York Newspaper Obituaries (1870 - Current)

Searching New York obituaries online can uncover all kinds of surprising family history, long-lost relatives, and family tales.

These records are excellent for people who want to know more about the history of their ancestors or conduct deep research in genealogy. Before the internet, searching for obituaries meant going through scores of newspapers and magazines, and that was a time-consuming and frustrating task.

Here’s why searching for obituaries in New York newspapers is so valuable:

• You can map out all the branches of your family tree.
• It can help you find relatives you may not have known about.
• You may learn about relatives who passed away long ago.
• Our collection includes over 13,000 newspapers, covering 330 years of U.S. history, and 95% of these records are unique to our site, GenealogyBank.

How to Search for a New York Obituary

Just type in a last name and hit “Search.” This is a great first step, especially if you’re new to this kind of research.

If you have more details, try:

• Entering the full name to see close matches.
• Adding a keyword, like a town or school name.
• Excluding terms to narrow down results.
• Choosing a specific time period.
• Sorting by oldest, newest, or best matches to see what fits best.

Tips for Effective Searches in New York Obituary Archives:

• Use recent ancestor information to guide your search.
• Search using initials—older obituaries often list names this way.
• Include a husband’s name when looking for information about a wife.
• Look for first and last names within certain dates to catch entries that might be spelled wrong.

In addition to obituaries and death notices, consider exploring these resources for a more complete view of your family history:

• U.S. newspaper archives
• Records of births, marriages, and passengers
• Government publications
• Social Security Death Index
• Cultural archives, such as those for African-American, Hispanic, Irish, Native American, German-American, Italian, and Jewish-American genealogies