If you know the exact date and place of death, you can then identify the newspapers that are most likely to have published their obituary.
Use one of the newspaper directories to identify which newspapers were published in the area at the time the person died. You will find a list of resources to help you locate newspapers below under Newspaper Resources.
Some may be available locally, either in print or on microfilm, in which case you can consult them yourself. If they are not available locally, you may be able to order them through Interlibrary Loan. Ask at the Family History Information desk for more information.
If the newspaper is not available locally or through interlibrary loan, then it may be necessary to hire a professional researcher or use a local contact.
You will find a list of some local newspapers and where they can be found on page 7 of this Guide. While this information is valid at the time of writing, you should call the institution to ensure they have the publication for the dates you are interested in before planning a trip there. There are often gaps in dates of records held by each institution.
When you have found the newspaper, look at the death notices and obituaries for at least two weeks after the date of death. Most notices and obituaries are published within two weeks, but a few may be published later.
If you don’t know the date and place of death
You cannot look for an obituary without this information so you should start by trying to figure it out. Some of the ways to do this include:
If they died in British Columbia more than 20 years ago, you can search the B.C. Vital Events Index online
Join mailing lists and message boards, such as those found at Ancestry Message Boards, to see if anyone else is researching your ancestor.
Check obituary transcriptions and indexes which can be found both in print and on the internet. They are usually organized by place and date, so you will need a general idea of where and when your ancestor died in order to use them. You will find a list of some of these resources below under Obituaries in Print and Obituaries Online
