Arizona Obituary Index to Arizona Newspapers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
This collection includes an index and images of cards and newspaper clippings from the following newspapers:


 * Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
 * Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff)
 * Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
 * Daily News Sun (Sun City)
 * Independent (White Mountain, Show Low)
 * Mesa Tribune (Mesa)

These records are housed at the Mesa Family History Center. The collection covers the years 1993 to 1994.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Obituaries usually include the following:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Occupation and residence
 * Names of surviving family members
 * Cause of death
 * Date, place and time of funeral services or burial

Sample Images
Click on image for a larger view.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know at least some of the following:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date of death.
 * The person’s last known residence.
 * The names of other relatives or associates.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 


 * 1) Select Surname Letter
 * 2) Select Name Range 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.

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or year to search for birth records.
 * Use the birth date along with relative’s names to find the family in census records.
 * Calculate an approximate birth year by using the age at death.
 * Use the locality and relative’s names to locate church and land records.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family member’s records to find more generations of the family.
 * Pallbearers were often relatives.
 * Use the occupation or employer name to search for other records, such as military, trade or business unions.
 * Funeral location may lead to church records.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Arizona, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Arizona Archives and Libraries.

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.

Collection Citation:

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