Georgia obituaries can be invaluable sources of information for genealogy research. These are notices of death about recently deceased persons in the state of Georgia, located in the southeast United States (not to be confused with the country of Georgia). They are traditionally published in newspapers or local publications like trade journals, and they can be found through archives, libraries or digital databases.
.jpg)
The following MyHeritage collections can be useful to find Georgia obituaries:
- Georgia Deaths on MyHeritage
- 3.2 million records beginning in 1919 that can be used to find obituaries by determining the date of death
- Georgia Deaths, 1917-1928 on MyHeritage
- Another 911k records that can be used to locate obituaries once you determine the date of death
- Georgia Newspapers, 1881-2009 on MyHeritage
- An index of 2.1 million pages of historical newspapers in Georgia spanning 27 publications, including obituaries
- Georgia, Chatham, Savannah Obituaries on MyHeritage
- 143k obituaries specific to the city of Savannah, Georgia, beginning in 1916
- Georgia, Fayette County Obituaries on MyHeritage
- 109k obituaries specific to Fayette County, beginning in 1890
These excellent resources can be paired with others like the University of Georgia's historic newspapers collection to find obituaries for your family members.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
Information contained in an obituaryInformation contained in an obituary
_death.jpg)
The earliest obituaries, published as early as the 1700s, were limited in information, typically just containing the name of the deceased, when they died, and where they died. As time goes on, they tend to get more detailed. Obituaries published in Georgia in the 1900s regularly list survivors, such as spouse, children, and siblings, and funeral or memorial service details.
Modern-day obituaries tend to be rich with biographical info – hobbies, interests, military service if applicable, and other details. A photograph of the deceased person is also common for obituaries today, which was limited to prominent individuals in previous centuries.
The best way to see how much information is contained in an obituary for a relative or ancestor is to locate it. Keep in mind that in some communities, there was more than one news source and someone could have more than one obituary. The contents of an obituary are generally reliable, as they are provided by family members or those closed to the deceased. In some cases, omissions or errors can occur, so it is a good practice to fact check key information found in an obituary.
Where to find Georgia obituariesWhere to find Georgia obituaries
One way to find an obituary is to first identify the date of death for the relative or person of interest, then find the relevant newspaper and search for a listing. The Georgia Department of Public Health has death records available from 1919 to present and these can be requested by family members.[1]
The following resources can expedite the search for Georgia obituaries.
- Georgia Historic Newspapers from the University of Georgia: More than 1,000 newspapers dating back to 1763 and all the way to the present. This database is free to search and it has OCR (Optical Character Recognition) functionality to find specific names in historical newspapers. Advanced search allows for filtering by city, county, newspaper, or date range.
- Chronicling America, Georgia Newspapers from the Library of Congress: A total of 59 newspapers are indexed, including for population centers like Atlanta and Savannah.
- Newspaper Finding Guide, Georgia Newspapers from the University of Georgia: This is a good breakdown of historical newspapers, where to find them, and what years are available. If the above links don't lead to a finding, it's a good next place to search.
- Cremation Society of Georgia: As cremations become more common, many Georgia obituaries are appearing on this website, including photographs of the deceased and biographical information.
If you live in Georgia or are able to travel there, the following libraries have genealogy collections that include obituaries:
- Georgia Archives, University of Georgia
- Fulton County Library System (Atlanta), Genealogy
- Cobb County (Marietta, GA) Genealogy & History
- Georgia Public Library Service, Genealogy Resources
- Georgia Tech Library in Atlanta
For more recent Georgia obituaries, including those published since about 2000, check the Georgia page at Legacy.com. These are sorted by metro area, county, city, or can be searched at the state level by name.
You might also check for local newspapers for the place you're looking for. Sometimes they have archives available on their own websites that are free to search or possible to access via subscription.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about Georgia obituariesExplore more about Georgia obituaries
- Georgia Deaths, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries on MyHeritage
- Georgia Historic Newspapers by University of Georgia
- Chronicling America, Georgia Newspapers at Library of Congress Digital Library
- Georgia Obituaries at Legacy
- Cremation Society of Georgia
- How to Locate an Obituary for Your U.S. Ancestor by Jeniann Nielsen on MyHeritage
References
- ↑ Request Vital Records > Death Records. Georgia Department of Public Health. https://dph.georgia.gov/ways-request-vital-record/death