Hawaii Obituaries Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

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
 * 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

How Do I Search This Collection?
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 :
 * 1) Select the Surname Letter
 * 2) Select the Year of Publication to view the images.

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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

I Found the Person 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 vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage
 * Search for land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records

I Can’t Find the Person 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
 * 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

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used. “Hawaii, Obituaries Index, ca. 1980-present.” Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing The Honolulu Advertiser, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, The Kauai Garden Island News, The Maui News and The Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Joseph F. Smith Library at Brigham Young University - Hawaii, Laie.
 * Collection Citation:

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