Obituaries are essential for families and friends to remember and honor loved ones. Today, obituaries are published online. However, it can be difficult to find obituaries because of media changes, lost records, or a lack of current websites.
One of the best ways to locate missing Oklahoma obits is to search old newspapers and online obituary databases, which are often updated with official obituaries. Genealogy websites and local libraries or historical societies in your area can also be very helpful in finding missing obituaries.
Tips To Find Missing Oklahoma Obituaries
Here are the tips you need to follow:
1. Check Local Newspaper Archives
The old copies of local newspapers are a good place to begin. A lot of newspapers in Oklahoma have obituaries online and in print. Some may keep digital records from many years ago, while others may only keep records from the last few years. The obituary you are looking for may be there.
If you can’t find it, call the newspaper right away. They might give you copies of older versions for a small fee. In the Oklahoman and Tulsa World, you can find in-depth obituaries and two local newspapers covering big cities and small towns. Looking through these files is a good place to start.
2. Use Online Obituary Databases
Several online sources collect obituaries from all over the state. You can look for things on these sites by person, date, or place. Some are free, and some you may need to pay for to get the most out of them. Legacy.com, other national sites, and smaller sites for funeral homes sometimes keep a lot of information.
There are now many funeral homes with websites with obituaries and guest books where people can leave messages. If you can’t find what you need, look for it in multiple sources.
3. Explore Genealogy Websites
Genealogy websites are another great place to look for obituaries you may have missed. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are two websites that have records from the past, like old newspapers and death records. You can often find digital copies of old newspapers and magazines on these sites. Sometimes you can even find obituaries that you can’t find anywhere else.
You can narrow your search if you know basic things about the person, like their full name, date of birth, or where they live. Many people use these sites to find out more about their family history. You may also find census records or family trees with more details.
4. Visit Local Libraries and Historical Societies
Libraries remain one of the best places to look for obituary information. There are microfilm copies of Oklahoma newspapers that are more than 100 years old in many libraries.
Staff members can help you find specific dates or point you in the direction of directories with lists of obituary notices. Also, historical groups are very important. Obituary files, cemetery records, and funeral programs are just a few of the things they keep in local history libraries.
5. Search Funeral Home Websites
There are now obituaries on the websites of many funeral homes. For the most part, these listings show up faster than print ads. Sometimes they have more information, like pictures and service times.
Call the funeral home first if you know where the plans were made. Even the smallest funeral homes have digital records that might be easier to find than old newspaper copies. If people send their thoughts online to some funeral homes, more personal stories can be added to the obituary.
6. Check Social Media and Community Pages
It’s a common practice to tell people on social media that a loved one has died these days. The family often posts an obituary on Facebook, Twitter, and online group pages. Local churches and community groups may also share obituary information. Search for the person’s name on these pages to locate obituary information.
People don’t keep official records on social media, but there are often posts about the person who died or links to funeral home websites that will take you to the full obituary.
7. Use Public Records and State Resources
You can look in public records if you still can’t find the obituary. The Oklahoma State Department of Health has information on deaths that could help you prove what you think. You can use these to find the right times and places to look in newspapers or libraries, but they are not obituaries. The county clerk’s office is another place to get copies of death records.
Conclusion
Checking newspaper archives, internet obituary databases, genealogy sites, libraries, funeral homes, social media, and public records can often help you find missing Oklahoma obits. Each step gives you more choices and helps you gather important family information. If one method doesn’t work, another often will.
