Obituaries in the state of California are public documents. Obituaries can provide important information such as the different associations of the deceased person including social organizations they were involved in. Additionally, information such as the cause of death and/or place of death are important In obtaining an obituary. For this reason, it's important that one finds out where the person died. This can be obtained by researching the local or city register's office. It's also important to understand where that person died to find further information such as old newspapers.[1] The average California obituary is almost nineteen thousand characters long; making them among the top ten percent longest obituaries in the United States.
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How to find an obituaryHow to find an obituary
Generally, the date of death is the first key piece of information that could enable one to more easily find a deceased person in a newspaper. Using both State and local resources are essential; the State index and the cemetery in the local area where the person is believed to have died are good examples. The next step in finding an obituary is the date of death. While vital records are open to the public in California, death certificates are not open for inspection. Anyone can make the request for death records but only those with a direction connection can obtain the record. The California department of Public Health ( CDPH) has a public record of every death in the state since 1905.[2] Once that is determined, a search in the local library is a good next step. Here, it can be seen whether or not newspapers were in existence during that specific time period, and if it would be common for someone to look for an obituary in that newspaper. If the newspapers are not kept at the library, one can contact the local newspaper office to see if it would be possible to obtain older copies of the particular newspaper in question.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about California obituariesExplore more about California obituaries
- California - Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituary records in MyHeritage record collection.
- United States Obituary Index in OldNews record collection.
- California Vital records in MyHeritage record collection.
- California Death records 1940-1997 in MyHeritage record collection.
- California Family History records in MyHeritage record collection.
- California newspapers 1847-2009 in MyHeritage record collection
- Genealogy Tip: Virtual Cemetery in MyHeritage Blog.
- Death Records: Vital to Your Research in MyHeritage Blog.
- Amazing Ways to Use Death Records for Family History Research at MyHeritage.
- Brother Saint Junipero Serra at Geni record collection.
- Vital Records: How to Find Birth, Marriage & Death Records in MyHeritage Knowledge Base.
- How to Locate an Obituary for Your U.S. Ancestor in MyHeritage Knowledge Base.
- Messages from the Grave – Listening to Your Ancestor's Tombstone in Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
- Peter Hardeman Burnett profile in Geni.