You can learn more than you might suspect from the obituaries of your ancestors. GenealogyBank.com sent me an email with a list of seven facts that you can learn from reading the obituary or death notice of your ancestors. The seven facts they point out are just the beginning!
GenealogyBank.com is a website that genealogists can use to learn more about their ancestors. This one will let you search for free, but will require you to spend money if you would like to see the results of your search. I don’t think it is incredibly expensive to do so, but, it is something that genealogists who are on a budget should be aware of.
I got an email from GenealogyBank that contained a list. The list was called “7 Facts About Your Ancestors Found in Obituaries and Death Notices”. At the end of the list it says “And much more!”, indicating that this is just a small portion of the things you can learn from your ancestor’s obituary.
You probably already know that you can learn the date of death from your ancestor’s obituary. You can also learn the name of the cemetery that he or she was buried in. This information could help you to locate their gravestone. The date of the funeral will also be listed in the obituary.
An obituary will also show you the full name of your ancestor. Sometimes, a family will refer to a person by their middle name, instead of their first, or by a nickname that has nothing to do with their actual name. The obituary will show what your ancestor’s actual name was. You can also learn your ancestor’s year of birth and where he or she was born.
Most obituaries will contain a portion that includes information about the person’s life. Often, this starts with a phrase that goes something like: “He is survived by…” The obituary will then name the person’s spouse, and his children. It might note grandchildren, as well.
It is not easy to learn what an ancestor who died long before you were born was really like. Her obituary can tell you something about her personality. It might list her favorite hobbies, or her profession. If you are lucky, it might include a story that gives details about something fascinating, heroic, or noteworthy that she did. If your ancestor was in the military, his or her obituary should have some details about your ancestor’s military career.
Image by Don LaVange on Flickr