Digging up the Dead : Facts about Obituaries

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"An obituary is, in many cases, a first draft of history. It is a miniature biography, a culture's recognition of a well-lived life. It can inform everything written from there on out; yet it is in the hands of a stranger. An opportunity to shape that process few people can pass up."
Janny Scott, It was a Dark and Stormy Life...
[New York Times, July 8, 2001]

An obituary is a notice of the death of a person. It may (or may NOT) contain:

Name
Date and place of death
Birth date and age
Parents' names
Information about spouse and children if married
Relatives who are surviving or who preceded him or her in death
Church and community affiliations

Obituaries for prominent or famous people usually include an account of their accomplishments in life. Though obituaries contain some biographical information (e.g., birth date, family members), a biography is usually much more detailed and will focus on a person's personal life, character, career, influence on his or her contemporaries or on history. Many newspapers and periodicals publish "human interest/profiles" of people both before and after their death. These are more like a biography than an obituary, but may appear both before and after a person's death. A researcher may need an obituary as well as additional biographical sources to locate specific information about a subject.

Who, what, when-and where!

Who gets an obituary? It is said that the only time the average person appears in the newspaper is upon his/her death and this may, indeed, be true. However, some persons will have more than one obituary in many sources; others will be lucky to get their one time chance at history in their local newspaper.

In early America, some people were excluded from the obituary notices, notably "those who were not white, not well off or not powerful. Also typically excluded were women and children." For example, the Gerritsen Collection of Women's History Online, 1543-1945 contains only 8 obituaries for women from 1776-1850. This began to change in the 19th century as women took on a greater role in society. (See Michael Buchholz and Patrick Washburn's book review of Obituaries in American Culture [2000].

What do you want to know about the deceased? Obituaries leave a record of one's death, but also of one's life. The content of obituaries has changed over time, as did their importance.

"The obituary art in its first incarnation was practiced by the newsbook compilers of 17th century England ... It flowered in the 18th century ... it grew luxuriant, and sometimes ornate, in the 19th century; it became unfashionable and fell into widespread neglect in the 20th. Then, with the appointment of reformist editors, the obituary experienced its own restoration."
Nigel Starck, Posthumous Parallel and Parallax : the obituary revival on three continents [Journalism Studies v.6, no.3, 2005, p.267-283]

See the Ada Smith example of a 19th century obituary in Academy (1898).

Prior to the 19th century, obituaries focused on a person's character. In the 20th century, writers moved more toward a list of accomplishments and associations and less on the character of the deceased.

When will an obituary appear? It is frequently necessary to pinpoint as close as possible the date of death. Obituaries typically appear within days, weeks, but, rarely, months after the person has died.

Where to look? Obituaries are most commonly found in newspapers. Newspapers have a special section dedicated to obituaries. However, be forewarned, if a famous/notable person dies, a newspaper will feature their obituary/biography on the front page or somewhere prominent within the issue. (See Sources for Finding Obituaries)

Thus the obituary is a "News" story rather than an "obituary". See Charles Dickens' obituary in Times (London), June 10, 1870, written as a news story and not as an obituary.

Some trade publications will print obituaries for well-known industry leaders. For example, Broadcasting & Cable frequently runs obituaries that can be located in Communication and Mass Media Complete.

General interest magazines, like The Nation, Time, Newsweek, and People may have feature articles (rather than obituaries) on a particular aspect of a person's career or accomplishments after their death, for example, Peter Jennings' influence on the media or how the death of William Rehnquist will affect the Supreme Court.

Even sources such as Periodicals Archive Online (scholarly journals, published from the latter part of the eighteenth century to the latter part of the twentieth century) will produce obituaries such as Ada Smith's, a little-known poet who was honored in 1898 in The Academy where she published poetry.

The art of the obituary

Who writes this stuff?! Newspapers have generally had staff devoted to writing obituaries. Since the 1980s, obituary writing has increasingly become an art form, for those newspapers that have not given up obit writing entirely. However, some specialists in the art of the obituary have gained recognition for their craft. For example, see Alana Baranick obituaries for which she received the 2005 Distinguished Writing Award for Obituary Writing.

Typically, obit writers focus on the "importance of the basics-rigorous reporting and inspired interviewing-in writing the best obits, the ones that touch readers. And the [ability] to understand its significance not only to a family history, but [to the] community." - Carolyn Gilbert, quoted in Death Becomes Them [American Journalism Review, May 2002]

Today, smaller newspapers are offering "paid obituaries" to family members who would like to submit their own obituary to the newspaper offering personal details about a loved one's life. Paid obituaries are becoming more popular both with newspapers and with their clients. See, for example, Obituary Policy Changes, Centre Daily Times, June 2, 2002.

Self-penned tributes are also becoming popular. "...obit watchers have noticed a recent increase in self-written death notices. Scores of Internet sites and even some funeral homes now offer tips on writing your own obituary." - Rebecca Sinderbrand, Obits, May I Rest in Peace [Newsweek, March 8, 2004]

Differences in style. Obituaries differ among writers. Steve Miller, obituary editor for the New York Sun, says, "...the difference between me and, say, The New York Times is that they feel like their duty is to the dead, or to record certain kinds of facts and present them soberly as a tribute, and I&aois;m trying to keep the reader in mind - what's interesting to the reader, what's amusing to them, why do they want to read this?" - quoted in Dead on : Steve Miller breathes life into the obituary [Columbia Journalism Review, Sept/Oct 2005]

Today, there are new forms of the 'self-penned' obituary being created. Art Buchwald's "I Just Died" is his own video tribute recorded before his death. His obituary was also published by The New York Times on January 18, 2007.

Obituaries also differ in style from country to country. Obituary writers in America tend to favor an emphasis on the person's life and achievements - a memorial tribute to a life well lived. British obituary writers emphasize "creative composition and a recitation of anecdotes". British writers place less emphasis on reverence for the dead. "A little bit of gossip goes a long way; a light sprinkling of skepticism over what otherwise appears to be a blameless life makes for an interesting read." - Tim Bullamore, It's never been a better time to die [British Medical Journal, July 26, 2003]

FUN FACTS:

Premature obituaries
Premature obituaries of some very prominent people have been published mistakenly by newspapers. One of which was Mark Twain published in the New York Journal, to which he commented, "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated".

The following clarification in policy was made by a New York Times editor after an obituary was published for a person who is still alive. "I think this is a fitting moment for me to remind everyone that it is our strict policy here at The New York Times to only print obituaries about people who have died. Let me emphasize that this is not a change in procedure; we have always observed the 'die first' rule and I personally think it a valuable one." - quoted in Lewis Grossberger, Bring out your dead [MediaWeek, December 15, 2003]

You can find a list of people with premature obituaries on Answers.com or Wikipedia.

Pet obituaries
For people who treat their friendly feline or playful pup like one of the family, some newspapers print pet obituaries. Pet obits are becoming more and more popular, so keep an eye out for these tail-wagging tributes in your favorite local daily. (see: Lewis Grossberger, Spot dead! City mourns) [MediaWeek, May 6, 2003]

For further "fun" reading: