Pennsylvania Newspaper Obituaries (1981 - Current)
Enter your ancestor's name below and we'll search obituaries to help you learn more.
Pennsylvania Online Obituary Archive of Local Death Notices
Explore the Pennsylvania Online Obituary Archive to explore the history of West Virginia through local death notices. Whether you're curious about your family's past or just interested in the region's heritage, this database has you covered. Dive into the stories of previous generations, connect with your roots, and uncover the fascinating history of West Virginia—all in one convenient place online.
Here are some great reasons to search through Pennsylvania's local newspaper obituaries:
- Extend your ancestery tree as far as you can until you reach the end of it.
- Giving you some background on people you’ve never met or known before.
- Figure out what happened to a specific member of your family who you’re not in touch with.
- By a few searches, you can access more than 13,000 newspapers published during the 300 years in the United States history that are only available at our service. These take up 95 percent of the findings.
Search Newspaper Obituaries
How to Search for Pennsylvania Obituaries
Begin with the basic search by typing in your relative’s last name and hitting "Search." This is a good first step for figuring out the meaning behind a surname.
To get more detailed:
- Step 1: Enter the full name of your relative to find similar obituaries.
- Step 2: Add keywords related to specific places, like towns or schools.
- Step 3: Remove certain keywords if you want to exclude specific locations.
- Step 4: Narrow your results by including specific years.
- Step 5: Choose how the results are sorted, like by oldest, newest, or most relevant.
Finding the right person, especially with a common name, can be challenging. Here are some tips to simplify your search:
- Start with information from recent family members to help narrow down your search for the correct obituary.
- In older records, it was common to use initials instead of full names. Keep this in mind when conducting your search, as it may lead you to the right obituary.
- When searching for a wife's obituary, consider using her husband's name as well. This approach can often yield more accurate results.
- Names and spellings can vary, so be sure to search using different variations and date ranges to ensure you don't miss any relevant obituaries.
Alternate Resources You Can Explore
In addition to obituaries, consider these resources to round out your family history:
- US Newspaper Archives
- Records of births, marriages, and passenger lists
- Government publications
- Social Security Death Index
- Archives for various cultural and ethnic ancestries
Once you have some results on the family tree, get additional resources to support the veracity of your findings before making them a permanent part of the tree!
Get the free guide “Tips for Searching Newspapers” that you will find more about finding Pennsylvania obituaries and other records on this blog post.