Obituaries

Origins

If one includes memorial walls and stones left to honor kings and heroes, the obituary dates back to ancient Egypt. In North America, the first obituaries that would be recognized as such by modern readers appeared in Boston newspapers as early as 1704. These early obituaries tended to be short, more like current death notices. Invention of the rotary press in the mid-nineteenth century allowed newspapers space for more news and short death notices evolved into flowery obituaries.

In some of the newspapers for Richmond and Lynchburg, Virginia, for example, longer obituaries began appearing in the 1830s and 1840s, depending on the prominence of the person. These would often list some of the details of the individual's life, but they usually gave little family information other than naming a wife and mentioning—but not naming—children, plus brief details about funeral services. True obituaries listing such details as next of kin, cause of death, place of burial, funeral service information, and the deceased's occupation and activities in civic and cultural groups seem to have first appeared in newspapers between 1875 and 1890, depending on the paper and its coverage area. As obituaries became more commonplace, so did the realization that many individuals had amazing life stories, and the practice of publishing obituaries for every member of at least smaller communities became expected of newspapers. Rather than being a “depressing public service,” obituaries are often among the most frequently and closely read sections of a newspaper.

Most nineteenth-century obituaries focused on a person's character. By the twentieth century, writers focused more on describing the accomplishments and associations of the deceased and dwelled less on their character. According to historian Nigel Starck (2005),

He also points out that in early America, some people were excluded from the obituary notices, [Page 1026]notably “those who were not white, not well off or not powerful. Also typically excluded were women and children.” This began to change in the twentieth century as women and minorities took on a greater role in society.

Types and Process

Newspaper obituaries can be divided into two categories: news and feature. The news approach is a traditional news story that includes full name of the deceased, age or birth date, address or hometown, occupation, affiliations, significant accomplishments, survivors, and details of the memorial service. It may also note cause of death, education, military service, honors, and awards. Put another way, the news obituary sums up the life, usually centering on a person's most noteworthy accomplishments or activities.

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