Why aren't my loved ones represented on your site?

Because you haven't sent us their obituaries yet.

Okay, how can I send you the obituaries of my family and friends?

Use email or our submission form. That way, we can just cut and paste the information and add it to the site. All obits are edited for length and content. There is certain information we don’t use on this site, so it’s edited out.

What if I don't have a newspaper clipping or other obituary, but still want to get someone on your site?

It's fine if you don't have an actual obituary. Write one yourself. It doesn't even have to be a formal obituary; it can just be a collection of facts that we can draft an obit around. But please be as accurate as possible. Generally, we're looking for the death date, the name of the cemetery (or whether the person was cremated, body donated to science, and so forth), the name of the funeral home handling the services, date of birth...as much information as you can find. Please don't go overboard on the personal details, though (some obituaries can be terribly long.) Even if your homemade obituary is quite short, that's all right. Some of our obits are only a couple of sentences long. PS: We reserve the right to edit everything.

Do I have to be related to people I send you obits for, or can I send them for random people?

You can send us the obits of people you haven’t met. No problem.

Hey, I saw a mistake on your site!

Then please write us a nice, polite email and point out the error to us. We're only human. We do make mistakes.

A relative of mine is listed on your site, and I don’t want him there. What should I do?

Send a nice, polite email and ask for the entry to be removed. As of this writing, it has only happened once; the obit was removed immediately. Most people are glad to have their family members listed on ObitCity.com and other genealogical databases, since it increases the chance of finding other relatives and descendents.

Why do some states, like Arkansas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York and others, have so many more obits than other states?

In some cases, it’s because we lived in these states. That means that we had access to far more obituaries via newspapers, libraries, oral history and other sources. In other cases, people from those states got involved with the site and sent obits. However, rest assured that we handle United States obits from all 50 states.

Why do some groups of people seem to be more represented than others?

We’ve been sent (or found) many obits specific to certain organizations, professions, ethnic groups or religions. For instance, we have many obits for Catholic nuns, in addition to our growing collection of African-American, Lithuanian-American, Hispanic and Jewish obituaries. Some professions and religious groups are more strongly represented than others, sometimes due to donations from people with ties to those specific groups.

Some of these obits are...old. What’s up with that?

We’re shifting our focus to older obituaries. While we offer some current obits, we’re actually far more interested in getting ones that are hard to find. That’s why we spend a crazy amount of time sifting through dusty old newspapers and microfilm reels.

You said these obits are free! Why am I seeing paid services?

Most likely, because you clicked on an ad. Thank you very much. The Obit City content is free. Click on the “Obituary Database” tab, select a page from our U.S. state listings, and then scroll down the page (we apparently can’t emphasize this enough) to view tons of free obituaries.

Can you tell me what newspaper or other source a certain obit comes from?

Absolutely not. We use many, many different sources, and we don't keep records on every little piece of information we encounter. We do not keep newspapers lying around.

Are your obituaries ever edited?

Yes, in fact, they're always edited for brevity, grammar, additional information, etc. They are mere paraphrases, not the official obituaries themselves. These are obituary abstracts.

Can I advertise on Obit City?

Certainly! Wish you would. We’re always glad to carry advertising for funeral homes and other funeral industry professionals, but our inexpensive advertising is open to everyone. No business is too large or small. We can carry banner ads, clickable links and other advertising for anything from mortuaries to muffins. Get in touch to see how you can get loyal Obit City visitors checking out your products and services.