Listed are indexes and databases designed to help users research Virginia death notices.
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Virginia obituary records are a good way to find data you may need for your genealogy records or other family history records. You can conduct a search either online or in person, but most find doing a combination of both works the best. Start with as much information as possible, including full legal name and the county in Virginia where the death may have occurred. Though this may not be entirely necessary, it can make your search much easier.
For Virginia, it can be very helpful to have the county. For some states, it is easy to do a statewide search, but Virginia is broken down into counties for the data. For instance, if you are looking for a death record in Petersburg, Virginia, you may be able to track data back to 1797. This can be very useful.
Virginia is also a state with a great deal of record keeping that dates back to the 1700s and 1800s. Another type of search is for deeds and wills, but it dates back to 1727. So, if you can use this as a resource in addition to obituaries, you may be able to track down some good information.
There are ways to order documentation online for a fee. You can also research online to gain contact information for public buildings that may house this kind of data. You can get physical addresses, phone numbers and contact names. Whenever possible, you may also want to establish contact through email with someone who may be able to help you. For example, consider emailing someone who works for the library you want to visit to ask if they know which branch in a county may have what you are seeking.
The best resource for Virginia obituary records is usually the library. This does mean you should narrow it down to one or just a few counties. Trying to travel to different counties can be time consuming. It is also a good idea to try to contact someone ahead of time to find out how the library system set up is in the county where you are looking. Some areas will keep their newspapers and microfilm in one location, while others will divide the data up between branches.
If you are unable to travel to an area in Virginia, or do not live in the state, you still may be able to get the documentation you need. Try contacting the library to see if an employee or volunteer at the library can assist you. If not, you can check to see if there is a genealogy organization in the state that can help. There are usually volunteers who can help with locating and sending whatever types of records you need. Virginia obituary records can be very helpful for getting the information you need for your records.
Searching for and finding Virginia obituaries online is easy thanks to several top online archives that exist throughout the state. This is a state that takes its history very seriously and that commitment to preserving the past can be seen in all of the hard work in these archives. For instance, you can check the website for the Alexandria Library to find listings that date back all the way to 1916.
These listings have been put together from clippings from various Alexandria newspapers. Don't trip over the name, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library has quite a collection of online listings you can look through. These listings date back to 1992 and come from published obituaries in the Free Lance Star newspaper. We all remember this town from history class, the Appomattox Regional Library System has an easy to use online system that allows anyone to access listings from the 1920's in the Hopewell area of Virginia.
Finally, the Library of Virginia has massive amounts of information online, including listings from as far back as 1804. One final place you can look is the website for the Virginia Genealogical Society. They have listings dating back to 1853 for anyone to look at.
Listed are indexes and databases designed to help users research Virginia death notices.
The Local History/Special Collections Division of the Alexandria Library has a complete Virginia death notices index of all of the obituaries published by the Gazette after 1915. The reason that the records start in that year is that there was a volume published by Willow Bend Books that covers the clippings from before that time, back to 1784.
The official website for the city of Newport News has several resources where obituary indexes can be searched in order to try to locate a specific clipping. From the Daily Press database (which is available directly on the site) to offsite links, they have made a real effort to help people track down the right file. Once found, a copy of the original clipping can be requested.
Below is a list of Virginia newspaper obituaries to aid in genealogical research.
Being able to search for online obituary records is useful, which is why newspapers like the Central Virginian are highly valued by researchers. This paper offers the latest death notices online grouped by date, with some older records available. Unfortunately, there's no easy search tool, so finding exactly what you need, especially among older records, could be complicated.
The Daily News Record of Virginia takes an interesting approach to obituaries and death notices. Instead of having thumbnail tabs or other search functions, the website begins with a list of the day's deceased, followed by a two sentence death notice. These death notices are followed by paid obituaries for those individuals who's loved ones wrote a more detailed story.
Often obituary pages are so complex that they are difficult to navigate quickly. For anyone who appreciates information at a glance, the Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, Virginia lists not only the names of the day's deceased, but also includes a search function so visitors can search for previously published death notices.
For anyone who sometimes regrets the classified ad like organization of many obituary pages, the Smith Hill Enterprise, instead of using a search function, lists the person's name and a few sentences of their death notice. This way it is possible to go directly to the obituary you need, but also to read through the section.
One of the downsides to the organization offered by tabs and search functions on obituary pages is that if you know what you are looking for, it is so easy to do directly to it that you might miss the death notice of some important member of the community, The South Boston Gazette-Virginia features a few detailed obituaries for the day in addition to a complete list of names that you can search.
Many obituary pages that list a thumbnail tab version of a person's death notice can be difficult to scan for specific details, especially when you are looking for someone who passed away several days or even weeks previously. The Virginia Southside Sentential lists the date immediately underneath the obituary link, so you can be sure that you have found the right person before you read about them.
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