The Vitals section of newspapers contain a great deal of information that is very useful for family research. It is important, however, to be aware of certain details in order to make this research more effective.
Browse the Vitals section
Generally, deaths, marriages and marriage licenses, births, and divorce actions are in the same section of the newspaper. Sometimes they are categorized as “Vitals” or “Vital Statistics” but many times are headlined by the individual categories. In many newspapers, they tend to be on the same numbered page from day to day, which can help you if you are browsing.
Examine every word in the obituary
The key to analyzing an obituary is to examine EVERY single word. It is easy to skip over parts of the notice if one is not careful, and there are gems of info if you are thorough. I have missed important pieces of info because of the sheer excitement in finding the obit in the first place. The three steps should be to find, cite, and analyze.
A marriage license does not guarantee a wedding
Remember that just because a couple is listed in the “Marriage Licenses” section does NOT mean that they got married. Go ahead if you want to and record the date of the license but do not record it as a marriage unless you have proof of said marriage.
Divorces filed are not divorce
Divorces filed and interlocutory decrees are often listed in the Vitals section. But they are NOT final divorces. Only Divorces Granted count as an actual divorce.
Divorce language in the newspaper provides a hint
The way that the divorce is phrased can tell you who filed for divorce. For example, Anna from Carl means that Anna filed; Carl from Anna the reverse.
Determining the date of birth can be tricky
Dates for births are not always stated correctly. For example, most of the time a birth announcement will tell you the date of birth, but then others will just list the event, the gender, and the name of the father. Do not assume that if the date is not stated it is the date of the publication of the newspaper.
Use a calendar when analyzing an obituary
Obituaries often do not have the date of death. Similar to the birth example, do not assume that the death date is the date of publication. Often it will say “last Monday.” Make sure that you use the proper calendar to ascertain the exact date.
The date of newspaper publication is not the date of issuance of a marriage license
Marriage licenses do not usually give the date of issuance. Generally “Married” or “Marriages” do. If the date is missing, do not assume it is the newspaper publication date.
Record the residence of the potential bride and groom
I have seen Marriage Licenses also titled “Intention to Wed.” Make sure that you record the address and/or city of each of the couple. Sometimes if one is from a different locale, that will give you a hint as to previous residency and maybe birth location.
Native of does not mean birth location
Regarding locations, make sure that you do not assume in an obituary that “native of” means the birth location of the deceased. That is not always the case. If someone was born somewhere but lived several decades elsewhere, they would not be born at the “native of” location.
Obtain all publications of an obituary
After you have found an obituary and cited the source, you can start the analysis process. But remember that often obituaries were republished sometimes for a few days after the first publication. More importantly, some obituaries were changed in later publications, when some family members were omitted in the first version. This can often happen if the deceased had multiple marriages and children of these marriages.
Funeral notices and In Memoriam articles are great clues
Funeral notices and “In Remembrance” were also included in the Vitals section. Check to make sure that the funeral location was not changed from the original location stated in the obituary. In Remembrance articles were often published on the anniversary of death – helpful if you don’t have the death date or the original obituary.
See also
Explore more about tips on analyzing the vitals section of historical newspapers
- Newspapers collection catalog at MyHeritage
- The Good News About Historical Newspapers webinar by Daniel Horowitz at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- A Fresh Light on Old Newspapers webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Mining the Newspaper Databases on MyHeritage for Your Family History webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars