• Home
• About
• Books & Media
• Calendar
• Locations
• Research Help
• Services
• Support Us

• Business & Nonprofit
• Databases
• Digital Collections
• Research Tools

Genealogical Research in the Periodicals Department

• What resources does the Periodicals Department own?
• How do I find a death notice or obituary in a newspaper? 
• What other genealogical sources are available?
• Ask Us

What resources does the Periodicals Department own?

• Current and historical national newspapers in paper, on microfilm and in our databases; 
• Historical Baltimore city newspapers on microfilm, searchable by title or by year;
• Historical local newspapers from around Maryland on microfilm, searchable by title, by county, or by city;
• Genealogy and history periodicals from across the United States.

How do I find a death notice or obituary in a newspaper? 

While death notices and obituaries can be very useful in doing genealogical research, many people do not have a death notice published upon their demise, and even fewer have an obituary written. In recent decades, death notices in most newspapers are paid for by the decedent’s survivors, whereas obituaries are news stories.

When searching for a death notice or obituary, there are three pieces of information about the decedent needed before beginning the search:

1. The name;
2. The last known residence or place of death or burial; and
3. The exact month, day, and year of death or burial

Remember that variations in the spelling of names are common. Another person with the same first and last name may have also died around the same time. In this case, a maiden name, middle name, or some background information on the decedent might be useful.

The decedent’s last known residence or place of death or burial will determine which newspaper is most likely to contain a death notice or obituary. 

The Periodicals Department staff cannot search newspapers without an exact date of death or burial.

When the exact date of death or burial is not known, there are several helpful indexes and databases that can be searched for this information. The Ancestry Library Edition database is particularly helpful; it contains the Social Security Death Index, which provides the month and year of death.

You can also consult the Indexes to Deaths and Marriages in Maryland Newspapers, or, for deaths in the Baltimore area, Indexes to the Baltimore Sun and Evening Sun may be useful.

For deaths elsewhere, we have the following indexes available:

Obituary/Name Indexes 

General Indexes 

Newspaper Databases 

The Pratt Library also subscribes to several newspaper databases that may aid you in your research. All of these are freely accessible inside the library and its branches, or from outside the library with an Enoch Pratt Free Library card. The following databases provide access to older newspaper articles, many in full text:

[Return to Top] 

What other genealogical sources are available? 

The Periodicals Department also has many genealogical and historical journals that may be useful:

Genealogy 

History 

[Return to Top] 

Maryland and Baltimore historical journals are kept in the Maryland Department.

Ask Us 

If you have any questions about how to get started or need help using these resources, please e-mail us, call (410) 396-5451, or contact us by mail:

Periodicals Department
Enoch Pratt Free Library
State Library Resource Center
400 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201