The Family Tree
By Terence L. Day
Terence L. Day, genealogist and journalist, is on the Washington State University faculty. He welcomes e-mail at genealogy@moscow.com, or regular mail in care of the Tri-City Herald City newsroom, P.O. Box 2608, Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608.
Writing right obituary aids in future
This column was published June 9, 1996
There was a time when only journalists needed to know how to write obituaries.
Now, many newspapers charge for obituaries, which are published as advertising. Families not only pay for obituaries, but also write them. This development has been good and bad. Mostly bad, in my opinion.
Many obituaries these days don't provide some of the basic information sought by genealogists. Often, vital information is missing, either because nonjournalists don't know the essentials of a good obituary or because the family couldn't afford to publish all the information that should be included.
Cost is no insignificant consideration. The Tri-City Herald charges a minimum of $32 to publish an obituary, plus $1.28 per line after the first 25 lines. At an average of five to six words per line, costs add up quickly.
I don't know who writes obituaries in most families these days, but I suspect the family genealogist is a likely candidate. How good an obituary could you write? When budget and cost collide, do you know what essentials to include? What to leave out?
Every obituary should include these essentials:
Full name of the deceased, or at least first name and middle initial.
Date of death, including day, month and year. Don't just say "... died Tuesday," or "... will be buried Friday." Often, relatives clip an obituary from the paper and save it without writing the date of publication, or even the name of the newspaper, on it. This can leave the death date a complete mystery to future family researchers.
Place of death.
Full date of birth.
Place of birth. Be as specific as possible. West Liberty, Kentucky, instead of just Kentucky.
Full name of father.
Mother's full maiden name. Some people don't like the sound of, "son of Oscar Findlay Gooden and Alice Fosdick because it doesn't confirm a marriage. This is best solved by listing the mother as Alice Fosdick Gooden.
Spouse's full name. If the spouse is female, again, include the maiden name.
Date of marriage. Year is minimal.
Place of marriage.
Always include all spouses. If there was a divorce, or more than one, it is still important to list all marriages, with accompanying dates and places, if known. Also include the year and place of any divorces. If one or more spouses died before the person whose obituary you are writing, include at least the year and place of death.
Survivors' names and city and state of residence. It's customary to name parents, siblings and children.
Time, date and place of funeral or memorial service.
Place where the deceased will be buried. If the remains will be cremated, say so.
All of this information is of primary importance to future genealogists. Leaving any of it out could leave future family historians groping in the dark.
If the family can afford to spend more on the obituary, add information that will be most valuable to future researchers. This includes such things as military service, occupation, places the person lived and significant memberships (church affiliations, fraternal organizations, unions, professional societies, etc.).
Other information, such as hobbies, provide important information about the person's life and help make the obituary more interesting. Some will think it morbid, but if you have elderly relatives or a member of your family has a terminal illness, it's a good idea to write the obituary in advance, leaving blanks for information about the death, services and burial.
Newspapers routinely do this for prominent citizens. President Clinton's obituary is already written. It is on file and updated every so often. So is Bob Dole's.
Writing a draft obituary before a loved one dies gives you an opportunity to find out what essential information you're missing and gives you time to find it. It also relieves you of the stress of writing the obituary during the numbing hours after a loved one's death.
You also might want to have obituaries published in communities where a loved one lived for many years, or achieved some prominence. If newspapers in those communities charge for obits, you might consider cutting it down to the bare essentials and mentioning the local connection. That might be a single sentence, such as, "Alcott taught school in Hog Hollow from 1918 to 1928."
It was just such an obituary, although much more detailed, that gave me vital information about the death of my great uncle, William Rufus Day. Will died in San Francisco in 1940. Family oral tradition said he died "in California." His obituary in an old Clarkston newspaper gave the details. Will had been a prominent businessman and postmaster in nearby Asotin 20 years earlier.
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