Legacy Obits Troy Ny (2025)

FAQs

How do I find an old obituary in New York? ›

New York Public Library subscribes to many databases that can help researchers locate obituaries and death notices. The most useful are our newspaper databases. Oftentimes obituaries can be located by entering a person's name and week of death into the newspapers databases.

Many funeral homes publish obituaries on their websites. These can usually be located with a Google search on the person's name. Local genealogical and historical societies, public libraries, and some newspaper publishers maintain clipping files of obituaries.

An obituary tends to have three distinct parts: the beginning (name, age, date of death, cause of death [if possible to include], work, education); the middle (anecdotes that celebrate the person's life); and the end (so-and-so is survived by, which Chang calls “a very efficient way of saying who's grieving.”)

Death records are not public records and New York State Public Health law protects their confidential nature. Death records cannot be mailed to a P.O. Box or third-party address unless the applicant's signature is notarized.

Obituaries are easiest to search for in the Obituaries section, which can be found at nytimes.com/section/obituaries. Below the Overlooked section, select Search. Enter the name associated with the obituary and select enter/return on your keyboard.

When writing an obituary, leave out details that could be used for identity theft, such as the deceased's date and place of birth, middle name, maiden name and mother's maiden name. And don't include the deceased's home address.

Publishing an obituary is a time-sensitive process–you should try to have it written and posted within a week of the deceased's passing. This goes for obituaries published both online and in print.

If the deceased was divorced, it can be worth it to include this information in the obituary, especially if they were close afterwards or had children. The obituary should list the names of the ex-spouses as well as any children from those marriages.

A death notice is a brief, factual statement that announces someone's death to the public. An obituary also includes facts surrounding a person's death, but also includes biographical information, stories, and anecdotes to help honor that person's memory.

How to obtain a death certificate in NY? ›

For the fastest service, order certified copies online through VitalChek. When a funeral home is involved, the quickest way to get a death certificate is to order it from the funeral director who made the funeral arrangements. The funeral director can order death certificates for you up to one year after the death.