Selma, Alabama Obituary Archive Search | GenealogyBank (2024)

Explore Selma, AL Obituary Search Archive

Sorting through masses of historical archives to find your ancestors can be challenging. Discovering your family history previously involved traveling to various records offices and spending hours sifting through files.

At GenealogyBank, we have made family research easy by digitizing more than 330 years’ worth of Selma obituaries in our national newspaper database. Now you can look up Selma obits and track down your bloodline in Alabama in a matter of seconds.

More than 95% of our online database cannot be accessed via any other platform. We take the hassle out of looking through the Selma obituary archives.

Some of the benefits of looking up Selma local newspaper obituaries include:

  • Find those elusive ancestors and add them to your family tree.
  • Discover when your ancestors lived and died.
  • Learn more about the stories of your immediate and extended family.

With newspapers being the primary source of communication within communities for centuries, Selma obits are a treasure trove of vital genealogical information.

But how do you perform a Selma, Alabama obituary search and get accurate results?

Search Newspaper Obituaries

  • Selma The Magazine
  • Selma Times-Journal

Related Data Collections

Alabama Obituaries

Selma Obituaries

Newspaper Archive

Newspaper Obituaries

1940 U.S. Federal Census Records

Selma Birth Records

Selma Marriage Records

How to Search Selma, Alabama Obituary Archives

How do you begin searching through our vast Selma obituary archives?

The easiest way to perform a basic Selma obituary search is to enter the last name of your relative and press the “Search” button. You’ll gain access to thousands of Alabama newspaper obituaries in seconds.

However, if you have a common last name or want to discover someone specific, you need to go deeper than this by using advanced search techniques. Follow these steps to begin narrowing down your results:

  • Step One - Enter known first, middle, and last names of your relative to increase accuracy. This will ensure close match Selma, Alabama obituaries are more likely to pertain to the right person.
  • Step Two - Add in keywords using the information you already know about your relative. For example, if you know which town or neighborhood they resided in, include these keywords. Alternatively, try looking into US Census Records.
  • Step Three - Likewise, you can exclude certain keywords to filter out irrelevant results. Maybe you know they didn’t live in a specific town or go to a specific school? Include these keywords as exclusions.
  • Step Four - Even if you don’t know the year they died, you can include a year range. Our search feature will include all results relevant to a specific period, check out marriage records and birth records to hone in your research.
  • Step Five - Change the sorting options to find different obituaries. You can order results by newest, oldest, and best match.

Tips for a Successful Selma Obituary Search

Accurate record keeping has always been a major problem for modern family historians. When tracking down your ancestors, you need to be aware that mistakes were common. Many records were taken orally and so may have been noted down incorrectly.

Older Selma, Alabama local newspaper obituaries typically contained valuable pieces of family history. These snippets of information can confirm whether an ancestor belonged to your family and may also serve as foundations for additional research into your extended family.

When searching Selma obits, here are our top tips for uncovering your family history:

  • Work backward. Use more recent known ancestors to uncover older ones.
  • Search for ancestors by their initials. Older obituaries may not have listed your ancestor’s full name.
  • When looking for a female relative, search by their husband’s name.
  • Search by common misspellings. Information may not have been noted down correctly.
  • When looking through the Selma obituary archives, double-check information by using any official government records you have.

These research strategies can help you dig deeper and overcome those frustrating dead ends. Using these search techniques can also help you fact-check your findings to ensure you have the right person.

How to Find Death Notices in Selma

Death notices in Selma are another source of valuable information for discovering those elusive ancestors. There is a difference between death notices and obituaries, however. Even though some people use the term interchangeably, they are two different things.

Obituaries are newspaper ads taken out by the family. They describe the person, their life, and who they are. Death notices are formalized reports that someone has died.

Death notices were often used to tell family, friends, and extended family members about a person’s death and where the funeral service will be held. They are especially useful if you want to find out where one of your ancestors was buried.

Selma obituaries, on the other hand, are dictated entirely by the family. Inaccuracies and exaggerations were always common, so take the information detailed in them with a pinch of salt.

If you want to look up death notices alongside Selma local newspaper obituaries, here are some tips on how to do it:

  • Utilize advanced search techniques, such as proximity search and Boolean operators.
  • Factcheck found records by searching through multiple collections on GenealogyBank.
  • Use any relatives mentioned in death notices to fact-check and uncover other sections of your family tree.

Selma obituary archives and death notices are invaluable sources of genealogical information. If you’re ready to trace your story with GenealogyBank, perform your first search now.

Other Useful Collections To Try

  • US Newspapers Archives
    • Birth Records
    • Marriage Records
    • Passenger Lists
  • Government Publications
  • Social Security Death Index
  • US Cultural Archives
    • African-American
    • Hispanic Ancestry
    • Irish Genealogy Records
    • Native American Ancestry
    • German-American
    • Italian Genealogy
    • Jewish-American

For more information on discovering who you are and where you came from, download our free guide, “Tips for Searching Newspapers.”

Selma, Alabama Obituary Archive Search | GenealogyBank (2024)

FAQs

How do I find an obituary from years ago in Alabama? ›

If you are looking for an old obituary, you might need to visit local libraries and historical societies and look through microfilm, microfiche, or old bound periodicals. You might also be able to find assistance from the Alabama Department of Archives and History, although it may require a trip to Montgomery.

How do I find a local obituary? ›

Many funeral homes publish obituaries on their websites. These can usually be located with a Google search on the person's name. Local genealogical and historical societies, public libraries, and some newspaper publishers maintain clipping files of obituaries.

Are obituaries required in Alabama? ›

An obituary is not a legal document, and it's not required. However, taking the time to write an obituary for your loved one is a lovely way to honor the deceased.

How do I find an obituary in Michigan? ›

ObitMichigan.com is dedicated to delivering immediate, up-to-date information on obituaries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to families and friends in Mid-Michigan.

Are Alabama death records public? ›

By Alabama law, death certificates are confidential records with restricted access for 25 years from the date of death. Death certificates more than 25 years old may be obtained by anyone upon payment of the proper fee.

When did Alabama start keeping death records? ›

Statewide registration of deaths began 1 January 1908, with full compliance by 1925. Pre-1908 county records may be accessible through county clerks. Deaths after 1908 now filed with Alabama Department of Public Health.

How do you find a person who passed away? ›

Read The Paper or Watch The Local News

If you receive a physical newspaper, review the obituaries section to see who recently passed. Searching for someone who died more than 30 days ago? Turn to sites like Google News Archives, US News Archives, or International News Archives.

What is the largest obituary website? ›

Legacy.com hosts obituaries for more than three-quarters of the 100 largest newspapers in the U.S., by circulation. The site attracts more than 30 million unique visitors per month and is among the top 40 trafficked websites in the world. Legacy Inc. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

How do I find the date of death for someone? ›

The death certificate will show the date the person died along with other information about their death. If you're able to go to the office in person to submit your request form, you may be able to receive a copy of the death certificate immediately.

Can you bury a loved one in your yard in Alabama? ›

Most bodies are buried in established cemeteries, but there are no laws in Alabama that prohibit home burial. Before establishing a family cemetery at home, you should check local zoning rules.

Is it disrespectful not to have an obituary? ›

Posting an obituary is not a legal requirement and is a sentimental action. Families don't have to publish one if they don't want it or do not have the funds to do so. While you do not have to share a death note or obituary, you must file a death certificate with your state's office.

Will the state of Alabama pay for cremation? ›

ALABAMA (AL)

State law decrees that individual counties are responsible for necessary burial or cremation expenses if the decedent's immediate family members cannot afford to pay the funeral costs (cremation is offered unless the deceased's religion prohibits it).

Is there an app for local obituaries? ›

MyObits: Obituary Listings on the App Store.

How do I find free death records in Michigan? ›

To obtain additional Michigan vital records:

Contact the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Vital Records Requests, P.O. Box 30721, Lansing MI 48909, or call 517-335-8666.

How do I find the maiden name in an obituary? ›

When writing an obituary for a woman who had a maiden name, simply write her first name and then in parentheses write her maiden name and then her married last name. For instance, Laura (Ingalls) Wilder, Marie (Sklodowska) Curie or Julia (McWilliams) Childs.

How to get a death certificate from Alabama? ›

You may obtain a certified copy of a death certificate at any county health department in Alabama once it has been filed with the State of Alabama.

How do I find an obituary from years ago in Georgia? ›

At the State Office, death records are available from January 1919 to the present for deaths that occurred in the State of Georgia. Some counties may have older death records in their files. Those county vital records offices may be contacted directly.

How do I find an old obituary in Florida? ›

How to Find an Old Florida Obituary. Since obituaries were often printed in the newspaper, accessing historic newspapers published in Florida is one way to approach this task. You may also be able to quickly find an older obituary by searching genealogy websites like Ancestry.

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