Alabama Obituaries

Obituaries provide such information as the age and occupation of the deceased; his or her birth date and place, including foreign town and country of birth; marriage date and place; parents’ names; and the residences of living children, relatives, or other family members. A woman’s maiden name may be given. Deceased family members are frequently mentioned. Obituaries may also indicate previous places of residence, immigration information, religious affiliation, and any social organizations or activities in which the deceased was involved. Obituaries have been published in Alabama since the early 1800s. Some examples of books with obituaries are:

Foley, Helen S. Marriage and Death Notices from Alabama Newspapers and Family Records, 1819–1890. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1981. (FHL book 976.1 V2m.) This book is indexed.

Tipton, Ennis Mayfield. Marriages and Obituaries from the New Orleans Christian Advocate, 1851–1860. Bossier City, Louisiana: Tipton Printing and Publishing, 1980. (FHL 973 V2no.) This book is indexed.

Torrey, Charles J. III. Death Notices: Local and Foreign. Six Volumes. Mobile, Alabama: Mobile Genealogical Society, 1962–. (FHL book 976.122 V4t.) These volumes contain obituaries from 1813 to 1879.

A card file of obituaries from Alabama newspapers between 1950 and 1980 is at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Obituaries are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

ALABAMA- OBITUARIES

ALABAMA, [COUNTY]- OBITUARIES

ALABAMA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- OBITUARIES

ALABAMA- NEWSPAPERS

ALABAMA, [COUNTY]- NEWSPAPERS

ALABAMA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- NEWSPAPERS

ALABAMA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS