Harriet Wetton
The world has become a global village. People travel, study abroad, and many works as expatriates. There are times when you get disconnected from a relative, a friend, or an acquaintance. Years pass by and you want to find out if they are alive or have passed away, so how to find out if someone died.
Fortunately, there are many ways to determine if someone has passed away. Family members, after their near and dear deaths, usually publish a death announcement, but there are also other ways to learn how to find out if someone died.
How to find out if someone died through Online obituaries search
Start a general search inquiry, gather some connecting information about the person you think to have passed. Type into a google search the person’s name followed by the word “obituary”. If nothing appears, include more information about the person. An example search looks like this: “ Jean Doe” death “car accident” in “New York”. Another beneficial bit of information to include in your general search is the decedent’s club’s name. Club websites often have a list of members who have died.
The easiest way to learn how to find out if someone died is by searching online obituary. An obituary is a news item that announces the recent death of a person, accompanied by a brief biographical sketch, accomplishments. and information about the timing and venue of the funeral. The obituary may also include the timing of death, cause of death, and place of death.
In big cities, obituaries are usually given to people who had an impact on society and were famous in their field of work.
Previously, one could only find obituaries in prominent newspapers or local publications. Nowadays, there are many online obituary websites. You can search by name, city, state, and date range.
Searching for famous people is easy because their obituaries are all over social media. There are also specific online obituary websites only as digital memorials where family and friends can create an online memorial to share memories and photos.
Nowadays, everyone is on social media, which has become a part of most people’s daily lives. Social media can be a great place to check whether a person has passed away. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram Whatsapp groups to reveal a death in the family or to place memorials about their dear and loved ones.
If you’re struggling to dig how to find out if someone died, search the profiles of the deceased person’s family members and close friends in social media. If the death was recent, the search result would pop up quickly. If instead, the death is an old one, you may have to do an advanced deep search into a person’s archives to look for the obituary.
Almost everyone has a social media account, to confirm someone’s death go and view the profile of the deceased person. After the death, most of the near and dear ones of the deceased pay their respect on the profile page by posting text and photos.
How to find out if someone died through Genealogy or Historical site
Genealogy websites could be beneficial if the person whose death you’re curious about happened many years, even decades or centuries ago. Luckily, you don’t need to be a historian. Almost all genealogy websites are free and want only some basic information. Libraries and historical societies also usually have detailed online records to help you retrieve the personal details of the dead person.
How to find out if someone died through Historical Societies
Historical societies have their databases. If your research concerns someone who had a major role in a community or history, this could be a great help. Many historical societies have free access to their records; you might need to pay a meager amount to get access
How to find out if someone died through government records
Checking government records is the most reliable way to learn how to find out if someone died. Most government records are free and readily available. Getting access to government records can require a lot of documentation. The government does give some form of digital access to records, but one should have information about the person who died. Be ready with as much info-material as possible, such as their name, where and how they died, and most important the date of death.
Online database of government records is easy to find if the date range falls within the last fifty years. Still, for older records, the database gets a bit messy, especially if the death occurred outside the country.
How to find out if someone died by Searching newspapers
Physically going through old newspapers becomes a big tiring hassle. It is better to do an online search. Abundant social media and online obituary websites have made the publication of obituaries in newspapers less common, but many families still publish memorials through the newspaper. This might be the only record of death publicly available in such families.
If you have knowledge of where the person died, then only search these specific newspaper websites. If the paper does not have a website, contact the newspaper via phone/email and ask if they have a record of the name you’re searching for. Modern newspapers, even smaller publications, have some online databases.
How to find out if someone died through the Local courthouse
Sometimes the online search can lead to a dead end. In these situations, it’s time for in-depth, hands-on research. The perfect area to start is the district local courthouse where the person died. The courthouses usually keep records of the death of the individual.
The validation court keeps records of wills and testaments. They’ll know if the individual had a will or any property left behind to surviving family.
Very few courts maintain an online database, and the probability gets even less if the record you are searching for is decades old, so it’s best to visit the courthouse in person.
When you find the records you’re looking for, there is a court fee for searching. If you need copies, this is also for a fee. Fortunately, the fee is very minimal.
The court system is often very frustrating, but it’s the most effective way to get the open records you want.
How to find out if someone died by Approaching family members
Talking to the deceased’s family members can also lead to first-hand information. The family members of the deceased have personal insights into death. They know better how the person died, when they died, and so on.
Talking about death is a painful topic. When approaching the family members about the deceased person’s death, always be gentle when asking questions.
How to find out if someone died through an Archive facility
An Archives facility maintains public records, historical information, and other first-hand documents. These facilities usually are not digitalized, so going in person is more yielding. They provide free of cost service. Archives centers are usually made to provide information relating to old issues. If you are searching for a recent death case, its better no to go to the archive facility center
