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 West Virginia 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
West Virginia
- Cabell County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Cabell County Obituary Indexes
- Calhoun County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Charleston Newspapers' News Library Article Index
- Elkins Intermountain Obituaries
- Fayette Tribune and Free Press Obituary Abstracts 1919-1920
- Franklin, Pendleton County Times Obituaries 1940-1966 (clippings)
- Franklin, Pendleton Times and Petersburg, Grant County Press Obituaries (clippings)
- Greenbrier County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Hampshire County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Harpers Ferry, Eackles-Spencer & Norton Funeral Home Obituaries
- Harrison County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Hinton Daily News Obituaries (transcriptions and clippings)
- Huntington Herald Dispatch Obituaries 2000-2014 (transcriptions)
- Jackson County Obituary Index
- Jackson County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Jefferson County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Kanawha County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kanawha County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Marion County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Martinsburg, Browns Funeral Home Obituaries
- Mason County Obituaries
- Mineral County Obituary Indexes
- New Martinsville, Wetzel Democrat Newspaper Obituaries 1959-1963 (clippings)
- Northern West Virginia Obituaries from the counties of Barbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Webster and parts of Marion, Wetzel and Wirt (transcriptions)
- Ohio County Biographies Index
- Ohio County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Ohio County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Parkersburg, Leavitt Funeral Services Obituaries
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1930-1939
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1940-1949
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1950-1959
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1960-1969
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1970-1979
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1980-1989
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 1990-1999
- Parkersburg News Obituary Index 2000-2007
- Parson's Advocate Obituaries
- Pendleton County Obituaries
- Pendleton Times Obituaries
- Pleasants County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Raleigh County Obituaries (transcriptions and clippings)
- Raleigh Register Obituaries (clippings)
- Tucker County Elkins Intermountain Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Tucker County Parsons Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Tyler County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Upshur County Record Delta Obituaries
- Webster County Obituaries
- Weirton Daily Times Obituary Index 1931-2014
- West Virginia GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- West Virginia Obituaries - Obit City
- West Virginia USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Williamson Library Obituary Index
- Wirt County Obituary Archive (clippings)
- Wood County Miscellaneous Obituaries 1 (transcriptions)
- Wood County Miscellaneous Obituaries 2 (transcriptions)
- Wood County Miscellaneous Obituaries 3 (transcriptions)
- Wood County Miscellaneous Obituaries 4 (transcriptions)
- Wood County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Wood County Obituary Index 1841-1875
- Wood County Obituary Index 1876-1885
- Wood County Obituary Index 1886-1890
- Wood County Obituary Index 1896-1900 V1
- Wood County Obituary Index 1896-1900 V2
If you wish to search this state's historic newspapers for obituaries, click on West Virginia Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free West Virginia Links, click on the category of interest:
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