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Obituary Lookup Volunteers
California


Please follow these guidelines when making a lookup request:

  • If this is your first request, read Making a Request.
  • To find the county for your lookup request, use the USA County Lookup.
  • Before making a request, do a quick Web Search in case the obituary is available there.
  • If you don't know the exact date for a death from 1940 through 1997, use CADI - California Death Records 1940-1997 to find the date of death before you make a request.
  • If you find a volunteer for your area, use the listing's Email link to send your request directly to him or her.  If you don't find a volunteer, send your request to the mailing list (see OBIT-LOOKUPS-L Mailing List for subscription information).
  • After receiving a lookup, post or publish the obituary or an abstract to help other researchers.
  • Please do not send the same request to more than one volunteer.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS - Please consider volunteering
for your area, even on a limited basis, because every lookup
helps someone.  Becoming a Volunteer has more information.


Volunteer listings are by county, with statewide listings last, and related statewide links below.  The areas the volunteer covers and the resources available are listed along with the volunteer's name and e-mail address, and web page if any.  Entries in green are web sites for libraries, newspapers, death records, cemeteries, and genealogical/historical societies.  Many library web sites have information about local obituaries and newspapers. 

County City or Town/Newspapers/Libraries, Etc. Volunteer
Amador Jackson, Sutter Creek - The Dispatch, Ledger and Record (1860-1900 Incomplete, 1900-Present) Barbara M -
Alameda Obit Lookups for Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore Wendy R -
Alameda PLEASE READ: Exact Death Date(mo/da/yr) & City/Town Needed Lynn T - Sabbatical
Alameda Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list. Brenda W -
Butte Butte County Library WebPage
Contra Costa   Carolyn S -
El Dorado Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list. Brenda W -
Kern Bakersfield, Taft, Delano, Lake Isabella Peggy D -
Kern Bakersfield Californian - other newspapers if name of town provided Sharon D -
Kern Kern Valley Sun (1969-P) Traci M -
Lassen Susanville Area D.B. -
Los Angeles Whittier - Obit Lookups 1888-1930 ONLY
Vital Records Index for Whittier, CA Newspapers Available		 Heatherdawn -
Los Angeles Obit lookups for deaths that involve accidents (car, plane, etc.), natural disasters, explosions, violent crime Joe W -
Los Angeles   Arnold P - Sabbatical
Los Angeles Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list. Brenda W -
Los Angeles The Downey Eagle/Online Obits 09/06/1996-3/29/2002) WebPage
Los Angeles Los Angeles Times - Selected Obits (6-9 months) WebPage
Los Angeles Los Angeles Times Archives (1985-P).  Fee for full text. WebPage
Los Angeles Los Angeles Public Library - Obituary File for noted actors, authors, journalists, and librarians. WebPage
Madera Coarsegold, Oakhurst Launa D -
Mendocino Ukiah Daily Journal, Fort Bragg Advocate,
Mendocino Beacon		 Barbara W -
Merced Atwater, Ballico, Cressey, Delhi, Dos Palos, Livingston, Los Banos, Merced, Winton
Merced Sun Star		 Alma S -
Monterey Monterey Bay Area: Monterey, Pacific Grove, Del Rey Oaks, Seaside, Carmel ONLY - ** Once a Month ONLY ** Mary F -
Nevada   Van & Diana R -
Orange Orange County Public Library (Links to Obituary Resources) WebPage
Placer Roseville Press Tribune (Dec. 1907 to Present) Kathy M -
Sacramento Scramento Bee - Online Obits for past 365 Days WebPage
Sacramento Scramento Bee - Obits Beyond 365 Days For 3 Years WebPage
Sacramento California State Library Access Ralph C -
Sacramento   Peggy B -
Sacramento Birth, marriage and death date lookups in the Sacramento Bee Index (1857-1905) Colleen N -
Sacramento Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list. Brenda W -
Sacramento Sacramento - Sacramento Bee, Obituaries May 2004 to Present ONLY Natalie C -
San Bernadino Barstow - Desert Dispatch & Daily Press Obituaries (1/1/2001-P) WebPage
San Bernadino High Desert Insider Genealogy Page WebPage
San Bernardino Chino, Ontario, Pomona
Progress Bulletin/Daily Bulletin		 Sharon S -
San Bernardino San Bernardino city paper Christine R -
San Diego Escondido Public Library - Obituary and Local History Search Request Form WebPage
San Diego San Diego Union (10 Oct. 1868 to Present), One name per request, Please. Must have Exact Date of Death. Peter -
San Francisco Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list. Brenda W -
San Francisco San Francisco Call Database (1869-1895)
Births, Deaths, and Marriages.		 WebPage
San Francisco San Francisco Co Genealogy/Online Deaths & Obits WebPage
San Francisco San Francisco Public Library WebPage
San Francisco San Francisco Public Library - Mail Requests
  Limit 3 Requests per Month: CA Residents
  Limit 1 Request per Month: Non-CA Residents
    ** Must Supply Exact Date of Death **
Mail To: Obituary Requests, Newspapers and Magazines Center, San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-4733		 Mail Only
San Joaquin Stockton - Will do lookups in the Stockton Record only. Must have at least month and year of death. Sheri F -
San Joaquin Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list. Brenda W -
San Luis Obispo Obit Lookups in the Telegram-Tribune Daily, Gravestone Photos in San Luis Obispo Sandy C -
San Luis Obispo   Martha G - Sabbatical
Santa Barbara Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Barbara
Headstone photos - Limit: 2 per month.		 Carell J -
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Public Library
Obituary Lookups
WebPage
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara News Press WebPage
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Genealogical Society WebPage
Santa Clara San José Public Library.   Obituary or death notice lookups for deaths in Santa Clara County. Web Page
Santa Clara City of Palo Alto Obituaries (1890's-P) Web Page
Santa Clara Mountain View Obituary Index (1967-P) Web Page
Santa Clara Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society.  Fee for research. Web Page
Shasta   Robin B -
Siskiyou Obituary lookups in the Mount Shasta Herald newspaper from October 1996 to the present.  You must provide month and year. Mabel G -
Sonoma Sonoma County Library Lookups: Information on Sonoma County CAGenWeb - Browse or search for: Sonoma County Library WebPage
Sonoma Sonoma County Library Genealogy Resources
WebPage
Sonoma The Press Democrat - Online Obits (7 days) WebPage
Stanislaus The Modesto Bee, The Patterson Irrigator
Obituaries and cemetery records		 Della R -
Stanislaus Birth, marriage and death date lookups in the Modesto Bee Colleen N -
Stanislaus The Turlock Journal Pat A -
Stanislaus The Turlock Library (1912-P), Turlock Memorial Park Cemetery Index Book Minnie L -
Stanislaus Modesto Bee Online Obits (Last 90 days)
Modesto Bee Online Obits Archive (1989-P),Fee for full text. 		WebPage
WebPage
Tehama   Robin B -
Tulare Tulare County Obituaries - FEE WebPage
Tuolumne Union Democrat (1870 - Present) Covers Entire County
Will also Photograph Gravestones		 Shirley D -
Ventura   Arnold P - Sabbatical
Southern California Southern California Obituary Resource Project WebPage
*Statewide* Usually visit the library once a week. Waiting list.
* Some Newspaper Indexes Avaiable *		 Brenda W -

California Links

To volunteer to do lookups in your area,
for questions about the mailing list,
for help with obit requests,
to report a broken link,
or for other comments or questions,
contact us.

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Last update 25 July 2008

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