One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information and sometimes more importantly - information about the relatives of the deceased's family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to New York obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated January, 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
- U.S., Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
New York
- Albany Newspaper Obituary Index 1986-
- Albany County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Allegany County Historical Society Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Allegany County Miscellaneous Obituary Indexes
- Allegany County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Attica Obituaries
- Berne Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Brockport Death and Obituary Index, 1856-1923
- Brockport Death and Obituary Index, 1925-1953
- Bronx County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Brooklyn Area Obituaries and Death Notices
- Broome County Republican, Death Notices 1831-1870
- Buffalo and Erie County Death and Obituary Index
- Buffalo Dziennik Dla Wsystkich Obituary Index
- Buffalo Obituary Index
- Canastota Obituary Index
- Cattaraugus County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Center Moriches Record Obituary Index 1927-1934
- Chemung County Death and Obituary Index
- Chenango County Miscellaneous Obituary Notices
- Chenango County, Sherburne Newspapers, Deaths 1864-1900
- Chenango Obituaries
- Connetquot Public Library Death and Obituary Index
- Cortland County Miscellaneous Obituaries
- Delaware County Death and Obituary Indexes (transcriptions)
- Delhi, Delaware County, Delhi Gazette, Deaths Nov. 1819 to Aug. 28, 1844
- Dutchess County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- East Hampton Star Index to Obituaries, 1885-1983
- East Hampton Star Obituaries Index 1983-1993
- East Hampton Star, News Index, 1975-1979
- Erie County Grand Island Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Erie County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Essex County Obituaries (short transcriptions)
- Franklin County Malone Palladium Obituaries (short transcriptions)
- Fredonia Censor Death Notices, 1819-1899
- Fulton County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Genesee County Obituary Indexes
- Genesee, Allegany County, Obituaries and cemetery records
- Glen Cove Newspapers Obituary Index
- Goshen Public Library Death and Obituary Index
- Greenwood Lake Public Library Obituary Files (clippings)
- Hamilton County Obituary Indexes
- Hamilton, Madison County Newspapers,Deaths, Births, and Marriages 1818-1886
- Havana Republican Obituary Records
- Herkimer County Obits Bulletin Board (transcriptions)
- Herkimer County Winfield Star Death and Obituary Index
- Herkimer Evening Telegram Obituary Index
- Ithaca Journal Obituary Index. 1903
- Ithaca Journal Obituary Indexes (numerous)
- Jefferson County Newspaper Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Jefferson County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Kings County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Lansingburgh Newspapers Obituary Notices 1787-1895
- Lansingburgh Obituary Index
- Lewis County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lewis County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Lisle Obituaries, 1909-1912
- Livingston County Miscellaneous Obituary Indexes
- Livingston County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Livingston County/Dansville Deaths and Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Long Island Collection Index to Biographical Sketches, Obituaries and Illustrations
- Long Islander, Death Index 1839-1864
- Madison County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Madison County Obituaries (clippings)
- Medical Register of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Index of Obituaries 1862-1895
- Middletown Obituary Index 1981-1988
- Monroe County Miscellaneous Deaths and Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Monroe County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Montgomery County Obits Bulletin Board (transcriptions)
- Moriches Bay Obituary Index
- Morrisville and Madison County, Death Notices, 1840-1844
- Nassau County/West Hempstead Death and Obituary Index
- Nassau County Obituaries and Death Notices
- New York City Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- New York City Newspaper Obituary Index 1999-
- New York Evening Post Deaths, November 16, 1801 to May 22, 1822
- New York GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- New York Obituaries - Obit City
- New York USGenWeb Obituary Project
- New York State Newspaper Obituary Index 1986-
- New York Weekly Museum Marriage and Death Notices 1789-1796
- Niagara County Obituary Index
- Oneida County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Oneida County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Oneida County/Waterville Times Death and Obituary Index
- Oneida Sachem Marriages and Deaths 1855-1862
- Oneonta Herald Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Onondaga County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Onondaga County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Onondaga Death and Obituary Indexes
- Ontario County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Ontario County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Orange County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Orange County Times Herald Obituary Index
- Orange County/Middletown Death and Obituary Index
- Orleans County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Oswego County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Otsego County Newspapers Obituary Index 1808-1875
- Otsego County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Otsego County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Rensselaer County Obituary Indexes
- Richmond County Obituary Index
- Rochester Newspaper Death Notices
- Saratoga County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Saratoga County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Schenectady County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Schenectady County Obituary Indexes
- Schuyler County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Scoharie County Obituary and Death Indexes
- Steuben County Obituary Index
- Steuben County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Suffolk County - Mattituck-Laurel Library Obituary Indexes
- Suffolk County/Local Moriches Obituary Indexes
- Suffolk County/Long Island Advance Obituary Index
- Suffolk Times Obituary Index 1900-2003
- Syracuse; Onondaga County and adjacent areas of Central New York, Obituaries and Biographical Clippings 1860 to 1926
- Tioga County Miscellaneous Obituaries
- Tioga County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Tompkins County Obituary Indexes (transcriptions)
- Tompkins County/Ithaca Journal Obituary Indexes
- Tompkins County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Troy Newspapers Obituary Index 1797-1860
- Troy Obituary Index
- Ulster County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Warren County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Washington County Death Notices
- Wayne County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- West Hempstead Obituary Index
- Westchester County Death and Obituary Index
- Westchester County Miscellaneous Obituaries
- Westchester County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Western New York Index
- Wyoming County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Yates County Penn Yan Newspaper Obituary Index
- Yonkers Death and Obituary Index
If you wish to search this state's historic newspapers for obituaries, click on New York Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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