Obituaries can be a treasure trove of facts and I always try to find them for each of my ancestors. Using obituaries, I have discovered those elusive maiden names, hidden siblings, and other facts that tend to not be found in other places.
Finding older obituaries can be difficult, but if you have ancestors in the Elkhart Indiana area you are very lucky. Under the Local History tab on their main page, The Elkhart Public Library has an index to obituaries that were published in the local newspaper, The Elkhart Truth. Currently, the database indexes obituaries that appeared in the newspaper in the years 1921 through 1952, and 1962 to the present. New information is added to the index weekly so it is worthwhile checking periodically.
When you find an obituary of interest, it is easy to get a copy of it from the library. You can send a letter with your request along with a self addressed stamped envelope and a check for $.0.15 for each obituary to the address given on the web page. Although the site warns that they will service requests on a first-come, first-served basis, I only had to wait about a week before receiving five obituaries in my mailbox.
This is a great service from this library, and I wish other libraries would join suit in offering indexes to these often hard to find obituaries. Click one of the links in this posting to go to the site.
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