Finding Obituaries

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Farrit: Finding All Resource Relating to Idaho Topics

Finding an Obituary on Your Own -

If you know the date of death and the town or city where the person died, you may be able to look for the obituary in one of these newspaper collections:

The Idaho Statesman on Microfilm

The Idaho Statesman is the state's largest newspaper. The following libraries each own a complete collection (July 26, 1864 - present) of the paper on microfilm:

The following libraries maintain partial collections of The Idaho Statesman on microfilm:

Other Idaho Newspapers

If you don't know the exact date of death but know the person died between 1865 and 1919 or between 1977 and the present, you can check for the person's name in one of the available obituary indexes below:

The Idaho State Historical Society Library owns several obituary indexes covering a wide range of dates and newspapers, including an index to obituaries that appeared in The Idaho Statesman and other selected Idaho newspapers from 1865 to 1919. None of these indexes are available online; patrons must call or go to the library.

Boise Public Library maintains an index to obituaries and death notices that appeared in The Idaho Statesman from 1970-1973 and 1977 to the present. This index is a work in progress with current as well as past obituaries being added weekly. It is arranged alphabetically by last name and includes the date the obituary or death notice appeared in The Idaho Statesman. Search the BPL Obituary Index.

The Idaho State University's Oboler Library keeps an index to marriage, birth, and death notices that appeared in the Pocatello Tribune from 1893 to 1912. Contact the ISU library for more information.

McCall Public Library keeps clippings of obituaries from Valley, Adams, Washington, and Latah counties. The library currently owns about 1300 clippings. Contact McCall Public Library for more information.

If you need to find the date of death, these resources can help:

If the person died between 1907 and June 1911, the County Recorder's office in the county where s/he died will have the death record. The Idaho Association of Counties provides contact information for Idaho county offices and officials.

If the person died after 1911 The Center for Vital Statistics and Health Policy in Boise can provide a death certificate.

  • The Idaho State Death Index produced by the Center for Vital Statistics is available for searching on the Web courtesy BYU-Idaho's Family History Center Resources. The Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives also has a searchable copy of the Death Index. The index covers the years 1911-1951.  In addition, Eastern Idaho Death Records can also be searched at the same BYU-Idaho link.

    The Idaho State Historical Society Library owns the following resources which can help in finding a date of death:

    • County death records from 1907 to June 1911 on microfilm.
    • Idaho death certificates from 1911 to 1937 on microfilm.
    • A variety of cemetery records, which can often provide dates that will help determine death dates.

    The Social Security Death Index, hosted by Ancestry.com, supplies birth dates, death dates, and last known addresses for over 63 million deceased individuals who had Social Security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration.

    The Boise Public Library has a searchable index to the Idaho Statesman Obituaries for Obituaries from approximately 1977 to date.

  • Obituary Search Services

Some libraries will search their local newspapers to find obituaries for patrons. Each library's policy varies -- some charge fees -- so you'll have to contact the library directly for specific information regarding policy. Libraries need to know the full name of the deceased before they can search for an obituary.

Boise Public Library Obituary Search

Boise Public Library provides an obituary search service to the general public. Go to their Obituary Request Form for more information.

Idaho State Historical Society Library & Archives

The Idaho State Historical Society Library & Archives will provide obituary search services for people living outside the Boise area.

  • Staff will look up, photocopy, and mail obituaries from any newspaper in its collection.
  • The name of the deceased and the exact date of death (year, month, day) must be supplied. (if the exact date is not known, staff may be able to locate the information using a variety of other sources. The History Center does charge a $15.00 research fee for one hour of staff time beyond the initial 30 minutes, which are free.)
  • The History Center has a $5.00 minimum photocopy charge (includes up to ten copies). The charge must be paid before copies will be mailed.

Obituaries and Death Notices from other states can be searched at http://www.deathindexes.com/obituaries.html

Last updated: March 2, 2008 - 2:15pm by farrit