Tennessee Obituaries

Obituaries may provide such information as the age of the deceased; birth date and place, including foreign town and country of birth; parents’ names; maiden name; occupation; and names and residences of living children or other family members.

Previously deceased family members are frequently mentioned. Obituaries may indicate previous places of residence, immigration information, religion, and any social organizations or activities in which the deceased was involved.

Obituaries have been published in Tennessee since the late 1700s, some of which are online. Obituary files may also be kept in local public libraries and by newspaper publishers. Some obituaries have been published and indexed in genealogical periodicals.

Printed obituaries include:

Garrett, Jill L. Obituaries from Tennessee Newspapers. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1980. (FHL book 976.8 V4g.) The record contains obituaries from the early 1800's to the early 1900's. The entries contain the date, place, cause of death, and may include other vital information. The record is arranged alphabetically.

Lucas, Silas Emmett. Obituaries from Early Tennessee Newspapers, 1794–1851. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1978. (FHL book 976.8 V4L.) The entries contain date, place, cause of death, and may include other vital information. The record is alphabetical.

The “Obituaries” and “Newspapers” sections of the United States Research Outline list sources for finding obituaries and the newspapers that published them.

Obituaries and indexes from a few individual newspapers can be found in the Family History Library Catalog, using the Locality Search for:

TENNESSEE - NEWSPAPERS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY], NEWSPAPERS

TENNESSEE, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - NEWSPAPERS