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Indexing Obituaries
and Death Notices
Last updated on 27 January 2014.
(Click here for a list of the changes.)
© 2014 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved
1
Table of Contents
Five Things to Know Before You Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Examples of the Indexing Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Image Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Record Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Deceased’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Deceased’s Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Death Month, Day, and Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Death Town or City, County, and State or Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Birth Month, Day, and Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Birth Town or City, County, and State or Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Name of the Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Relative’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Nonrelative’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Full-Obituary Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Changes Made to This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2
Five Things to Know Before You Start
Return to Table of Contents
1.
Index all documents related to a death.
2.
Read the entire obituary or newspaper article.
3.
Index the names of all individuals.
4.
Add records and mark records blank as needed.
5.
Use your best judgment.
The instructions cannot cover everything. Refer to them often, but
when faced with an undocumented situation, read the information
found on the document, and use your best judgment to interpret it.
3
Image Type
Return to Table of Contents
Normal
Read each document entirely. Learn what information is found in each one, and
determine whether the document should be indexed.
Most images will be marked as Normal. Documents may include:
•
•
•
Obituaries.
Funeral notices.
Estate sales.
•
•
•
Police reports.
Index cards.
Anything related to a death.
Note: Obituaries can be deceptively challenging. Be sure to learn the
instructions well.
Image Type — 4
Normal—Catalog Cards
Many of these obituaries were collected by historical societies and
individuals who sometimes used old catalog cards to mount and
preserve them.
Index only the information that pertains to the obituary, and
disregard the other, nonrelated information.
Tip: Rotating Images
Many images may need to be rotated. Use these icons to rotate
images.
Note: When you rotate one image in a batch, all of the images
in the batch are rotated.
Image Type — 5
No Extractable Data Image
This image type will be used for various situations, including the following:
•
•
Image 1 =
Normal
When an image doesn’t contain any names or when it doesn’t have any
documents relating to a death, mark the image as a No Extractable Data
Image.
When an obituary is too long for one image and continues to two or more
images. In this case, you will mark the first image as Normal and each
subsequent continuation image of the same obituary as a No Extractable
Data Image. (See the next page for more information.)
Image 2 =
No Extractable Data
Image
No Extractable Data
Image
Image Type — 6
No Extractable Data Image—
When an Obituary Spans Multiple Images
If a single obituary or death notice continues to two or more images,
combine the information from the multiple images, and index all the
information in the data entry area for the first image.
This example obituary was split between two images; both images
show parts of the same obituary.
Mark the first image as Normal, and index all information with the
first image, including the name of the nonrelative (the reverend) and
the death date from the second image. Then mark the second image
as a No Extractable Data Image.
(To see how these two images would be indexed, click here, or go to
page 46.)
Image Type — 7
Obituaries That Continue
to the Next Batch
If the obituary on the last image of the
batch doesn’t end, check the next
image to see if it continues there.
1.
2.
3.
Click View.
Click Show Previous or Next
Image.
Click the Next Image button
above the image on the right, the
image in the secondary window.
If the obituary continues to the next
image, index any relevant information
with the other data from the obituary.
Note: Images in the secondary
window cannot be rotated.
Image Type — 8
Duplicate
Duplicate Images
Blank
Batches sometimes include duplicate
images. A duplicate image is not the
Unreadable
same thing as a different document for
the same person. It happens when two
or more pictures were taken of the
same document.
Duplicates
Mark an image as a Duplicate Image if
it is a duplicate of a previous image in
the same batch. Do not mark an image
as a duplicate unless it is a duplicate of
a previous image itself, not simply a
different document for the same
person.
Blank Images
Blank images are extremely rare. They
contain either no document at all or a
completely blank paper or form.
Unreadable Images
NOT duplicates
Unreadable images are extremely rare,
especially because most of these
documents are typed. Mark an image
as unreadable only when none of the
names on the image are readable.
Image Type — 9
Record Type
Return to Table of Contents
Index Every Name, Starting with the
Deceased
Start by indexing the name of the deceased. Then index the names of
all other people mentioned in the document, in the order they appear.
This image has nine names. The record types are as follows:
Record 1 = Deceased.
Record 2 = Relative of Deceased.
Record 3 = Nonrelative.
Records 4–9 = Relative of Deceased.
The default number of records in the data entry area is 11. For this
obituary, records 10 and 11 would not be used; you would need to
mark them as blank by pressing Ctrl+Shift+B.
Note: Mrs. J. W. Norman is mentioned twice, but her name would be
indexed only once.
(To see how this entire image would be indexed, click here, or go to
page 45.)
Record Type — 10
Order of the Records
Tip:
Adding
Index names
in the Records
order you would read a newspaper (first column from
top to bottom, then the second column, and so on).
For this image, the Record Type fields would be indexed as follows:
Record 1 = Deceased.
Records 2–21 = Relative of Deceased.
Note: If an image has more than one obituary, follow the same order—down and then
across—indexing the deceased and all other names for each obituary as you go.
(To see how this entire image would be indexed, click here, or go to page 39.)
Tip: Adding Records
Each image has 11 record entries to fill.
When an image or obituary has more than
11 names, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Count the total number of records on
the image.
Click Tools.
Click Records per Image.
Enter the total number of records in
the box.
Click OK.
Record Type — 11
Index All Named Individuals
Do not create additional records for individuals unless they were actually
named in the obituary.
For example, this obituary lists “Mrs. Ben (Mary) Wilson” as a surviving
daughter. “Mrs. Ben Wilson” and “Mary Wilson” are two names for the
same person. Do not index a record for Ben Wilson himself unless he
was actually mentioned, as in “Mr. and Mrs. Ben Wilson” or “Ben and
Mary Wilson.”
The names of seven individuals would be indexed for this document. The
deceased would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Albert
Deceased’s Surname: Abbgy
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: Mr
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: 79
Death Month: Jun
Death Day: 20
Death Year: 1974
Death Town, County, State: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month, Day, Year: (Leave blank.)
Birth Town, County, State: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper:
Grand Rapids Press
The other six individuals would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of
Deceased
Relative of
Deceased
Relative of
Deceased
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Given
Surname
Names
Wife
Susan
<Blank>
Son
Sam
<Blank>
Daughter
Mary
Wilson
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Record Type
Relative of
Deceased
Relative of
Deceased
Nonrelative
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Given
Surname
Names
Son
Richard <Blank>
Daughter
Eleanor Walters
Mrs
(Not Applicable)
John
Very Rev
Estephan
Titles or
Terms
Record Type — 12
Index All Named Individuals (continued)
These are examples of ways people’s names may be recorded and the number of records that would be needed.
This entry refers to two people, Mr. and Mrs. L. M.
Beer, so a record would be created for each person:
Relative’s Relationship to
Deceased
Father
Mother
Given
Names
LM
LM
Surname
Beer
Beer
Titles or
Terms
Mr
Mrs
This entry gives two names for the same person, who is
referred to as Mrs. Dan Archer, but whose actual name
is Terry Archer. This entry would be indexed as follows:
Relative’s Relationship to Given
Deceased
Names
Daughter
Terry
Surname
Archer
This entry gives names for eight people, all relatives
of the deceased. They would be indexed as follows:
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Sister
Son
Daughter-In-Law
Son
Daughter-In-Law
Daughter
Daughter
Son-in-Law
Given
Names
Nancy
Timothy
Linda
Michael
Wendy
Dolly
Bev
John
Surname
Titles or
Terms
Contoupe
Bennett
Bennett
Bennett
Bennett
Craig
Tanner
Tanner
Note: The difference between Mrs. Dan (Terry) Archer and Timothy (Linda) Bennett being
indexed as one or two records is the word “Mrs.” When a title was given that refers to only
one person, then only one person would be indexed.
Record Type — 13
Multiple Obituaries on One
Image
This image contains obituaries for two deceased
persons.
First, index the information in the obituary on the
left, the one for Mark Ketchum, including the
information for the deceased and all his relatives
and nonrelatives.
Then index the information in the obituary on the
right, the one for Miss Clarissa Ketchum,
including the information for the deceased and all
her relatives and nonrelatives.
Ten records would be indexed for this image.
Record Type — 14
Two Obituaries for the Same
Person on the Same Image
This single image contains two obituaries for
the same deceased person.
To index an image like this one, read both
obituaries, and combine the information on
them to create one record for the deceased.
Then, beginning with the obituary on the left
and continuing to the one on the right, index
the other names in the order they appear,
without duplicating any records.
Note: If these obituaries were on separate
images, they would be indexed as separate
documents.
Record Type — 15
Nonrelatives
Individuals without a documented relationship to the deceased should
be indexed as Nonrelative in the Record Type field.
All of the highlighted individuals on this page would be indexed as
nonrelatives. They include:
• Reverends who officiated at funerals.
• People whose names were cross-referenced, often labeled with “see”
or “see also.”
• People acting in an official capacity, such as a sheriff or a coroner.
• A fiancée or a former spouse.
• A couple who owned the home where the deceased died.
Record Type — 16
Deceased’s Given Names,
Surname, and Titles or Terms
Return to Table of Contents
Index the Most Complete Version of the
Name
Index the most complete version of each name. When a name was
written in various ways on the same document, index all variations,
with Or between the variations.
For this document, the name would be indexed as:
Given Names: Augustus Francis
Surname: Child Or Childs
Tip: You would not use Or in the Given Names field because
“Augustus Francis” is a more complete version of “A F,” not a variation
from it.
Deceased’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms — 17
Nicknames and Variations
Notice the nickname in the image on the left. The deceased’s
name would be indexed as follows:
Given Names: Raymond F Or Slim
Surname: Chesser
The name in the image below would be indexed as follows:
Given Names: Marvin E or Tiny
Surname: Beers
Deceased’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms — 18
Unknown Name or Unidentified Person
This death notice is about a man whose name was not known. When
the name of the deceased was not known or not given, press Ctrl+B to
mark the Given Names and Surname fields for the deceased as blank.
For this document, the full record for the deceased would be indexed
as follows:
Record #1
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: <Blank>
Deceased’s Surname: <Blank>
Deceased’s Titles or Terms:
(Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: <Blank>
Death Month: Dec
Death Day: <Blank>
Death Year: 1918
Death Town or City: Whetstons
Death County, State: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month, Day, Year: (Leave blank.)
Birth Town, County, State: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper:
Galion Inquirer
The following names would also be indexed:
Record Type
Given Names
Surname
Titles or Terms
Nonrelative
Nonrelative
Nonrelative
Nonrelative
AA
<Blank>
WL
Robert
Strase
Stuckman
Monnett
Oldson
Mr
Sheriff
Deceased’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms — 19
Deceased’s Gender
Return to Table of Contents
Indexing Gender
Do not assume a gender based on given names alone.
Index gender only if it was specifically recorded or you can determine what it
was from relationship terms, such as “son” or “daughter,” or other indications
in the language, such as pronouns (he, she, and so on) or titles and terms
(Mr., Mrs., and so on).
For the image at the left, the deceased’s gender would be indexed as F.
In the image in the bottom left, “h/o” means
“husband of.” So the deceased’s gender would be
indexed as M.
No gender would be
indexed for this record.
Deceased’s Gender — 20
Age
Return to Table of Contents
Most Ages on Obituaries Are Not Labeled
Use your best judgment to identify the age for the deceased person. It might have
been recorded after the deceased’s name or it might come later in the obituary. Be
sure to read the document thoroughly.
The age of the deceased on the image to the left would be indexed as 50.
Numbers on Index Cards
Numbers on an index card sometimes refer to the age and sometimes to other
things, such as a page number or a location in a cemetery. Do not assume that
numbers on index cards refer to the deceased's age unless the number is
specifically indicated as the age.
Important: This instruction applies only to numbers on index cards, not to numbers
on obituaries.
No age would be indexed for the deceased on either of the index cards shown to the
left. For the deceased listed on the document shown below, the age would be
indexed as 55.
Age — 21
Death Month, Day, and Year
Return to Table of Contents
Two-Digit Years
When only a two-digit year was recorded, you can often
determine the other two digits from other information on the
document or from the year span of the project. If there is no
way to tell the other digits, index the two digits that were
recorded.
For the document on the left, the death day, month, and year
would be indexed as:
Death Month: Nov
Death Day: 9
Death Year: 1937
(To see how this entire image would be indexed, click here, or
go to page 47.)
Death Month, Day, and Year — 22
Index the Death Date or the
Most Recent Date
If a specific death date was not recorded, index the most recent
date in the document as the death date. For the document on
the left, the death date would be indexed as follows:
Death Month: Aug
Death Day: 25
Death Year: 1941
The document below reports a man missing in action during a
war. In this situation, use the missing in action date as the death
date, unless more information is available that shows that date is
incorrect. The death date for this document would be indexed as
follows:
Death Month: Oct
Death Day: 26
Death Year: 1943
Death Month, Day, and Year — 23
Death Town or City,
County, State or Country
Return to Table of Contents
Use the Information in the Document
Sometimes the place of death is not directly stated, but it
can be determined using information on the document.
According to the obituary on the left, Scott A. Bender died at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thurman Crace, whose residence
was in Tiro. We can use this information to index the place
of death as follows:
Death Town or City: Tiro
Death County: (Press Tab to leave this field blank.)
Death State or Country: (Press Tab.)
Death Town or City, County, State or Country — 24
“Near” and Other Place Approximations
Do not index words of approximation, such as “near,” “about,”
or “around.” The place of death for the image on the left would
be indexed as follows:
Death Town or City: Cleveland
Death County: (Press Tab to leave this field blank.)
Death State or Country: (Press Tab.)
Multiple Locations
If more than one place was indicated, as in the
image to the left, index both places, with a space
between the two places. The place of death in this
example would be indexed as follows:
Death Town or City: Hope Gulch Clark’s Tollgate
Death County: (Press Tab to leave this field blank.)
Death State or Country: Montana
Death Town or City, County, State or Country — 25
Names of Hospitals and Other Locations as
the Place of Death
Normally, the names of hospitals or other similar institutions, as in
the images to the left, are not indexed in the place of death fields.
However, in the documents below, “Billings” and “Kalispell” are
locations, not the names of the hospital or nursing home.
The place of death for these documents would be indexed
respectively as follows:
Death Town or City: Billings
Death County: (Press Tab to leave this field blank.)
Death State or Country: (Press Tab.)
Death Town or City: Kalispell
Death County: (Press Tab to leave this field blank.)
Death State or Country: (Press Tab.)
Death Town or City, County, State or Country — 26
Lead Word in an Obituary
Sometimes the lead word in an
obituary refers to a surname, as
in the document at the left, and
sometimes it refers to a place.
In the document at the right,
Allegan would be indexed in the
Death Town or City field because
the document indicates that the
deceased died there.
Death Town or City, County, State or Country — 27
Birth Month, Day, and Year
Return to Table of Contents
Type What You See
If a birth date was recorded, index it. If not,
press Tab or Enter and leave these fields
blank. If a birth date was not recorded, do
not try to estimate it based on the age of
the deceased and the date of death.
The date of birth for the top image would be
indexed as follows:
Birth Month: Jan
Birth Day: 19
Birth Year: 1892
Note: For indexing projects in the United States, when you find a date
written in the format of 4/8/1957, the month is usually the first number
with the day and year following. This example date would be indexed as
follows:
Birth Month: Apr
Birth Day: 8
Birth Year: 1957
The date of birth for the bottom image
would be indexed as follows:
Birth Month: Nov
Birth Day: 15
Birth Year: 1877
Birth Month, Day, and Year — 28
Birth Town or City,
County, State or Country
Return to Table of Contents
Use the Information in the Document
Do not assume the place of birth or death. Index a place only if one was listed
in the obituary or death notice.
This document indicates that Frederick D. Ketchum was a native of Michigan.
The place of birth would be indexed as:
Birth Town or City: (Press Tab to leave this field blank.)
Birth County: (Press Tab.)
Birth State or Country: Michigan
The words “lifetime resident,” in the record below, are not necessarily an
indication that the deceased was born in Crawford County. For this obituary,
nothing would be indexed in the place of birth fields, unless other information
in the obituary gave additional details about the place of birth.
Birth Town or City, County, State or Country — 29
Name of the Newspaper
Return to Table of Contents
Spell Out Newspaper Name
Expand abbreviations and correct misspellings when you can.
Refer to the look up list for help. However, if you are not sure
what the abbreviation stands for or if the lookup list does not
include the name of the newspaper, index what was written.
More Than One Newspaper
If the name of more than one newspaper was recorded on the
same document, you should index the names of both
newspapers in the order they appear, with a space between the
two names.
For the example image below, the Name of the Newspaper
field would be indexed as Bucyrus Journal News-Forum.
Name of Newspaper — 30
Relative’s Relationship to
Deceased
Return to Table of Contents
Select the Closest Relationship from the List, but
Don’t Assume the Gender
If the exact term is not on the drop-down list, use the term that is most similar. For
example, if a relative was listed as a stepson or adopted son, you would index him as a
“son.”
For gender-specific relationships, such as grandfather or niece, don’t base your choices
on the name only. If you cannot determine the gender from other clues on the document,
don’t guess. Choose gender-neutral options from the relationship list, such as Child or
Child-In-Law.
The relationships and names for the relatives on the document to the left would be
indexed as follows:
Relative’s
Given
Relationship to
Names
Deceased
Wife
Kay
Parent-In-Law
Child
Child
Mother
Father
Gertrude
Christina
Jonathan
Betty
Ralph M
James
Walter
Father
Surname
Tuttle
Chesnut
Tuttle
<Blank>
<Blank>
Roberts
Roberts
Chesnut
Titles or
Terms
Relative’s
Relationship to
Deceased
Sister
Sister
Niece
Niece
Nephew
Sister
Sister
Brother
Sister
Given
Names
Surname
Deborah
Chyron
Amy
Elizabeth
Matthew
Gail
Bess
Ralph M
Sandy
Adkins
Young
Bentley
Young
Young
Bollin
Estes
Roberts
Browning
Titles or
Terms
Jr
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased — 31
Select the Closest Relationship from the
List, but Don’t Assume the Gender
(continued)
In the document in the top left corner, Thomas, Alice, and Richard would
all be indexed as Child.
In the second document, Ruth Balveat, Esther Lease, Howard Lease,
and Jesse would all be indexed as Sibling.
In the third document, all of the relatives would be indexed as
Grandchild, except for Ryan and Tabitha. Ryan Cook would be indexed
as Grandson and Tabitha as Granddaughter because Tabitha is
recorded as Ryan’s, wife which allows us to determine the gender of
both individuals.
Tip: The following relationships would be indexed as Grandchild
(or Grandson or Granddaughter if the gender was given):
• Grandchildren and their spouses.
• Great-grandchildren and their spouses.
• Step-grandchildren and their spouses.
The following should be indexed as Grandparent (or
Grandfather or Grandmother if the gender was given):
• Great-grandparents.
• Step-grandparents.
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased — 32
Select the Closest Relationship from the List, but
Don’t Assume the Gender (continued)
Important: This
relationship does
not give a gender,
and no other
indication of the
gender besides the
given names are
provided for these
children.
The obituary also
does not state
which of each pair
is the child and
which is the in-law.
Therefore, the 16
people listed as her
children would all be
indexed as Child.
The relatives of Mrs. Eva (Stalec) Razmus in this
document would be indexed as follows:
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
Sister
Sister-In-Law
Given
Names
John
Jayne
Anthony
Estelle
Joseph
Betty
Bert
Katharine
Stanley
Bernice
Harry
Esther
Henry
Josephine
Jack
Helen
Kathryn
Catherine
Surname
Stalec
Stalec
Nikodemski
Nikodemski
Stalec
Stalec
Ignasiak
Ignasiak
Razmus
Razmus
Bracewell
Bracewell
Dehen
Dehen
Wolbers
Wolbers
Czerwien
Razmus
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Mrs
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased — 33
Individuals with Maiden Names Can Be
Indexed as Female
In these documents, the mother’s name was often indicated by the maiden
name in parentheses. This maiden name indicates the genders of the parents.
In the first document, the name of Aaron Beard would be indexed with Father
in the Relative’s Relationship to Deceased field, and the name of Angeline
Bowers Beard would be indexed with Mother in that field.
Without that indication, however, or something similar, both names would be
indexed as Parent in the Relative’s Relationship to Deceased field.
The relationship to the deceased
for each of these couples would
be indexed as Father and Mother
because the mothers can be
identified by their maiden names.
The relationship to
the deceased for
these parents
would be indexed
as Parent because
no specific
indication of their
genders was given.
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased — 34
Relationships Not on the
Dropdown List
Some relationships may not be found or may not have a
similar match on the list provided with the Relative’s
Relationship to Deceased field. If a person is indicated
as a relative, but no other particular designation is given,
index the Relative’s Relation to Deceased field as Other
Relative. In most projects, this designation would rarely
be used.
If a person was not technically or legally related, return to
the Record Type field and index him or her as a
Nonrelative. These individuals include:
• Former spouses (“divorced”).
• Fiancés or fiancées.
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased — 35
Relative’s Given Names,
Surname, and Titles or Terms
Return to Table of Contents
Do Not Assume the Surname
Do not assume a surname for an individual from the surname of another
person in the document.
In the obituary to the left, no surnames would be indexed for sons William and
Lawrence.
The names of Fred, Louis, and William would all be indexed with the surname
of Daniels.
Maiden Names in Parentheses
Generally, when a female has a surname recorded in parentheses, the
name in parentheses was the maiden name.
On this document, the maiden name of James’s wife is given. Her name
would be indexed as follows:
Given Names: Kay
Surname: Tuttle Chesnut
For more information on how to index names on obituaries, go to Deceased’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms.
Relative’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms — 36
Nonrelative’s Given Names,
Surname, and Titles or Terms
Return to Table of Contents
Examples of Nonrelatives and Their Indexed Names
The names on the left would be indexed as follows:
Given Names
Surname
Titles or
Terms
Lexie L Woodruff Marsh
<Blank>
Stuckman
Sheriff
WL
Monnett
John
Estephan
Very Rev
Peggy
Ahern
Miss
Tom
Lease
Thurman
Crace
Mr
Thurman
Crace
Mrs
For more information on how to index names on obituaries, go to Deceased’s
Given Name, Surname, and Titles or Terms and Relative’s Given Name,
Surname, and Titles or Terms.
Nonrelative’s Given Names, Surname, and Titles or Terms — 37
Full-Obituary Examples
Return to Table of Contents
The following pages show how to index all the names on various kinds of obituaries.
Example for Mrs. Alice H. Abbgy
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Alice H
Deceased’s Surname: Abbgy
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: Mrs
Deceased’s Gender: F
Age: 80
Death Month: (Leave blank.)
Death Day: (Leave blank.)
Death Year: (Leave blank.)
Death Town, County, State: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month, Day, Year: (Leave blank.)
Birth Town, County, State: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: (Leave blank.)
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Husband
Son
Son
Son
Son
Son
Daughter
Brother
Brother
Sister
Sister
Given Names
Surname
Daher
Ernest
Michael
Nicholas
Daniel
Russell
Juliet
Joseph
Michael
Bessie
Mary
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Abbgy
Yared
Yared
Cook
Salhaney
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Mrs
Full Obituary Examples — 38
Example for Arden W. Chester
Note: “w/o”
means
“wife of”
and helps
determine
the gender
of these
individuals.
The first record on this image would be
indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Arden W
Deceased’s Surname: Chester
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: M (Note: His “wf” is on the document.)
Age: <Blank>
Death Month: Oct
Death Day: 5
Death Year: 1986
Death Town or City: Temple
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: Texas
Birth Month: Dec
Birth Day: 13
Birth Year: 1923
Birth Town or City: Benton
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative’s Relationship to
Given Names
Deceased
Sandra
Daughter
Ronald
Son-in-Law
Barbara
Daughter
Wayne
Son-in-Law
Ardena
Daughter
Steve
Son-in-Law
Connie
Child
Bonnie
Child
Rebecca
Daughter
Charles
Son-in-Law
Timothy
Child
Walter
Sibling
Donald
Sibling
Gene
Sibling
Modest
Sibling
Maudie
Sibling
Helen
Sibling
Milo
Father
Lindia
Mother
Betty Jane
Wife
Surname
Titles or
Terms
<Blank>
Daniels
<Blank>
Walter
<Blank>
McKee
Holmes
Ealy
<Blank>
Montgomery
Chester
Chester
Chester
Chester
Clingman
Hummel
Wilson
Chester
Stover
Clark
Full Obituary Examples — 39
Example for Frances Clegg
The first record on this image would be
indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Frances
Deceased’s Surname: Clegg
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: (Leave blank.)
Age: <Blank>
Death Month: Oct
Death Day: 18
Death Year: 1958
Death Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: (Leave blank.)
Birth Day: (Leave blank.)
Birth Year: (Leave blank.)
Birth Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: Telegraph Forum
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Nonrelative
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Relative’s Relationship
Given Names
to Deceased
William Edgar
(Not applicable)
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Surname
Clegg
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Titles or
Terms
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
The data entry area includes a minimum of 11
records for each image. If there are not 11
names on the obituary, then the remaining
records must be marked as blank.
Full Obituary Examples — 40
Example for Nieta Margaret Buxton
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Nieta Margaret
Deceased’s Surname: Buxton
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: F
Age: 76
Death Month: Sep
Death Day: 5
Death Year: 2000
Death Town or City: Twin Falls
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: Sep
Birth Day: 20
Birth Year: 1923
Birth Town or City: Royal
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: Nebraska
Name of the Newspaper: (Leave blank.)
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
<Blank>
<Blank>
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Parent
Parent
Husband
Daughter
Daughter
Sister
Sister
Sister
<Blank>
<Blank>
Titles or
Terms
Given Names
Surname
John
Lulu
Ralph
Ruby
Linda
Almeda
Betty
Jessie
<Blank>
<Blank>
Meyer
Meyer
Buxton
Buxton or Rogers
Parker
Rose
Emory
Taylor
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Full Obituary Examples — 41
Example for Lyle B. Cameron
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Lyle B
Deceased’s Surname: Cameron
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: 69
Death Month: Apr
Death Day: 14
Death Year: 2000
Death Town or City: Heyburn
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: Apr
Birth Day: 19
Birth Year: 1930
Birth Town or City: Rupert
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: Idaho
Name of the Newspaper: (Leave blank.)
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Nonrelative
Relative’s Relationship
Given Names
to Deceased
Surname
Parent
Parent
Wife
Child
Daughter
Wife
Child
Child
Child
Sibling
Sibling-in-Law
Sibling
Sibling
Sibling-in-Law
Sibling
Sister
(Not applicable)
Cameron
Cameron
Stoller
Cameron
Long
Brown Cameron
Rogers
Rogers
Rogers
Ransom
Ransom
Petersen
Marcusen
Marcusen
Gular
Plumer
Pastor
Wise
Bert
Hazel Buchanan
Esther
Stephen Bert
Leslie C
Judy
Shama
Kim
Rocky
Wayne
Peggy
Beryl
Maxine
Pete
Elsie
Blanch
Keith
Titles or
Terms
Full Obituary Examples — 42
Example for Blanche Carr
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Blanche
Deceased’s Surname: Carr
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: F
Age: 84
Death Month: Aug
Death Day: 22
Death Year: 2000
Death Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: Apr
Birth Day: 11
Birth Year: 1916
Birth Town or City: Twin Falls
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: (Leave blank.)
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Nonrelative
Relative’s Relationship
Given Names
to Deceased
Surname
Parent
Parent
Husband
Daughter
Grandson
Grandson
Grandson
Grandson
Sister
Granddaughter
(Not applicable)
Kelso
Kelso
Carr
Cole
Cole
Cole
Cole
Cole
Rife
Knopp
Trachsel
Harvey Lee
Lucy Ellen Stuller
Melvin E
Connie Lu
Steve
Doug
Rob
Randy
Mattie
Michele
Al
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Rev
Full Obituary Examples — 43
Example for Shirlene Carter
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Shirlene
Deceased’s Surname: Carter
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: F
Age: 63
Death Month: Aug
Death Day: 22
Death Year: 2000
Death Town or City: Rupert
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: Jul
Birth Day: 20
Birth Year: 1937
Birth Town or City: Okfuskee
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: Oklahoma
Name of the Newspaper: (Leave blank.)
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Titles or
Terms
Record Type
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Given Names
Surname
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Nonrelative
Parent
Parent
Husband
Daughter
Daughter
Brother
Sister-In-Law
Brother
Sister-In-Law
Brother
Sister-In-Law
Brother
Sister
Brother-In-Law
Sister
Sister
Grandchild
Grandchild
Grandchild
Grandchild
Grandchild
Aunt
(Not applicable)
Joseph Richard
Ida May Wright
Joel Devon
Connie
Kay
Delbert or Bill
Donna
Troy
Carol
Joel Dale
Lonnita
Roger
Dixie
Farris
Sandra
Nancy
Shantell
Cody
Jolene
Cheyanna
Jessy
Faye
Herb C
Lawrence
Lawrence
Carter
Carter
Baumgartner
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Lawrence
Carter
Carter
Bland
Coble
Holmes
Holmes
Carter
Carter
Carter
Daughenbaugh
Rev
Whitaker
Full Obituary Examples — 44
Example for Mrs. Ida Soladey Bennett
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Ida
Deceased’s Surname: Soladey Bennett
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: Mrs
Deceased’s Gender: F
Age: 71
Death Month: Sep
Death Day: 22
Death Year: 1961
Death Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: Apr
Birth Day: 11
Birth Year: 1890
Birth Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Birth County: Morrow
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: Galion Inquirer
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Nonrelative
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
<Blank>
<Blank>
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Sister
(Not applicable)
Parent
Parent
Son
Sister
Brother
Daughter
<Blank>
<Blank>
Given Names
Surname
JW
James
Eliss
Syvilla Treisch
Lloyd
Frank
John
Mabel
<Blank>
<Blank>
Norman
Fresh
Soladey
Soladey
Thoman
McManigell
Soladey
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Rev
Mrs
<Blank>
<Blank>
Full Obituary Examples — 45
Example for Charles Ketchpaw
Image #1: (Image Type = Normal)
Image 1
The first record on the first image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Charles E
Deceased’s Surname: Ketchpaw
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: Mr
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: 80
Death Month: Jul
Death Day: 31
Death Year: 1954
Death Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: (Leave blank.)
Birth Day: (Leave blank.)
Birth Year: (Leave blank.)
Birth Town or City: Ontario
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: Grand Rapids Press
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Image 2
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Nonrelative
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Daughter
Son
Sister
Brother
Brother
(Not applicable)
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Given Names
Surname
F Leslie
Raymond R
John
Irving
Russell
J Robert
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Jarnc
<Blank>
Hazel
<Blank>
<Blank>
Zimm
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
Mrs
Rev
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Image #2: (Image Type = No Extractable Data Image)
Full Obituary Examples — 46
Example for R. T. Abbey
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: R T
Deceased’s Surname: Abbey
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: (Leave blank.)
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: 75
Death Month: Nov
Death Day: 9
Death Year: 1937
Death Town or City: Greenville
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: (Leave blank.)
Birth Day: (Leave blank.)
Birth Year: (Leave blank.)
Birth Town or City: (Leave blank.)
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper:
Grand Rapids Press
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Daughter
Son
Son
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Given Names Surname
Lottie May
Jason
Benjamin
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Moore
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Titles or
Terms
Mrs
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Full Obituary Examples — 47
Example for Charles F. Berry
The first record on this image would be indexed as follows:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: Charles F
Deceased’s Surname: Berry
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: Mr
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: 100
Death Month: Feb
Death Day: 12
Death Year: 1981
Death Town or City: Palm Beach Gardens
Death County: (Leave blank.)
Death State or Country: Florida
Birth Month: Aug
Birth Day: 28
Birth Year: 1880
Birth Town or City: Holmes
Birth County: Crawford
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper:
Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
The rest of the records would be indexed as follows:
Record Type
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Nonrelative
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Relative’s Relationship
to Deceased
Father
Mother
Wife
Son
Son
(Not applicable)
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Given Names Surname
Benjamin
Mary Ann
Amanda S
Floyd
Harold
Millard W
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Berry
Shupp Berry
Kibler Berry
Berry
<Blank>
Mead
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Titles or
Terms
Rev
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Full Obituary Examples — 48
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
See next page for indexed records.
Full Obituary Examples — 49
Example for William C. Beer (images on previous page)
Image #2: (Image Type = No Extractable Data Image)
Image #3: (Image Type = No Extractable Data Image)
Image #4: (Image Type = No Extractable Data Image)
Image #1: (Image Type = Normal)
The first record on the first image would be indexed as:
Record Type: Deceased
Deceased’s Given Names: William C
Deceased’s Surname: Beer
Deceased’s Titles or Terms: Mr
Deceased’s Gender: M
Age: 53
Death Month: Oct
Death Day: 8
Death Year: 1916
Death Town or City: Siasconset
Death County: Nantucket
Death State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Birth Month: Jan
Birth Day: 23
Birth Year: 1863
Birth Town or City: Bucyrus
Birth County: (Leave blank.)
Birth State or Country: (Leave blank.)
Name of the Newspaper: Evening Telegraph
The rest of the records would be indexed as:
Record Type
Relative’s Relationship to Deceased Given Names
Surname
Titles or Terms
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Relative of Deceased
Mother
Sister
Father
Uncle
Wife
Child
Child
Child
Sister
Sister
Brother
Brother
Dinsmore Beer
Beer
Beer
Reed
Baldwin
<Blank>
<Blank>
<Blank>
Beer
Lothian
Beer
Beer
Mrs
Miss
Judge
Judge
Miss
Tabitha
Dorcas
Thomas
Joseph R
Alice
Thomas
Alice
Richard
Katherine
Isaac
Thomas
James D
Miss
Mrs
Dr
Full Obituary Examples — 50
Changes Made to This Document
Return to Table of Contents
Updates for January 27, 2014:
Page 3: In item 1, records was changed to documents.
Page 11: The first step of the Adding Records tip was deleted because it was unnecessary.
Page 13: A note was added to the bottom of page 13.
Page 19: “John Doe” was removed as the name of the deceased in the example record.
Page 23: The page title was changed to “Index the Death Date or the Most Recent Date.”
Page 37: In the first record in the list of example records, the period following the middle initial was removed.
Page 39: The Age field for the deceased was changed to <Blank> because it is a required field.
Page 40: The Age field for the deceased was changed to <Blank> because it is a required field.
Page 45: The sixth record on the list of relatives and nonrelatives was deleted. Mrs. J. W. Norman was recorded in the first
paragraph and then she was mentioned again in the third paragraph. She should only be indexed once, not twice. A new
<Blank> row was added to the bottom of the table.
• Page 46: The Name of the Newspaper field was changed to Grand Rapids Press.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Note: None of these changes represent changes to the project instructions; they are simply clarifications of the instructions or
corrections to examples that were given.
51