Hawaii Obituaries Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Hawaii

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of an index of obituaries transcribed by volunteers from the Joseph F. Smith Library at Brigham Young University - Hawaii for the time period ca. 1980 to the present. The obituaries were transcribed from The Honolulu Advertiser, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, The Kauai Garden Island News, The Maui News and The Hawaii Tribune-Herald. This is an ongoing project. Records will be added to the index as they are completed. Some of the original obituaries are in the Hawaiian language. Microfilm copies of some of the newspapers are available at the family history centers and at the Joseph F. Smith Library in Laie.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information is found in these records:
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of parents and other survivors
 * Life's accomplishments
 * Place(s) of employment
 * Funeral details
 * Burial details
 * Name and address of mortuary

Sample Images
Click on the image for a larger view.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your deceased ancestor.
 * The approximate place or date of death.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page. br>
 * 1) Select Surname Letter
 * 2) Select Year of Publication

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?

 * Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.
 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section. It's always a good idea to keep your citation on a Research Log. This is an important tool to help keep track of what you have and have not found.  Family search wiki has a  Example Research Log that you can download and use.
 * Print or download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the information found in the record to locate the death record.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. You could get a copy of the original record from the Joseph F. Smith Library at Brigham Young University - Hawaii, Laie.
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by a nickname nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation.
 * If applicable, look for a Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing this Collection
Citing sources correctly makes it easier to refer to information which has already been found, so proper citations can help to keep track of research. Correct citations also allow others to check completed research by allowing them find and examine records for themselves. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation:

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