Obituary & people search
Search Indiana Obituaries
Look up obituaries, death records and people by name.
- Search by name
- All 50 states + D.C.
Obituaries in another state
State Obituaries (all states)AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Obituary guide
How to find an obituary in Indiana
For a recent death, start with the funeral home's website and the IndyStar or your local daily's obituary page. For an older death, search the Indiana State Library's obituary indexes to find the date, then read the obituary in Hoosier State Chronicles or on microfilm.
What to have ready
- The person's full name, including married and maiden names
- The approximate date of death and the city or county where they died
- Their age or birth year
- Names of close relatives
Knowing the county narrows your search the most. Many Indiana obituary indexes are kept county by county.
Where to look, by when the person died
| When the person died | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Last few years | The funeral home's website; the IndyStar, Fort Wayne papers, South Bend Tribune, The Times (Northwest Indiana) and Evansville Courier & Press obituary pages; Legacy.com |
| 1990s to recent decades | The Indiana State Library's Indiana Legacy indexes, including VINE obituary records; newspaper databases at your library |
| Older or historic | Hoosier State Chronicles, Indiana's digitized newspaper site; the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne; local indexes such as the Michigan City Public Library obituary index |
| Official death record | Indiana's state death records begin in 1900. See how to order an Indiana death certificate. |
Major newspapers' obituary pages
- IndyStar (Indianapolis)
- Fort Wayne Newspapers (on Legacy.com)
- South Bend Tribune (on Legacy.com)
- The Times (Munster, on Legacy.com)
- Evansville Courier & Press (on Legacy.com)
Recent listings are open to read. Older articles may need a subscription.
Libraries and archives
- Indiana State Library in Indianapolis will copy an obituary for $5.00. It can only search microfilmed papers with an exact date of death, but it can search its databases with an approximate date. Include married and maiden names for women.
- Michigan City Public Library has an online index of about 90,000 obituaries from Michigan City papers, 1887 to the present. The index isn't complete. Copies by mail or email cost $5.00 for up to two obituaries.
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne has one of the largest genealogy research collections available. Ask staff about its Fort Wayne-area obituary index.
Timeline expectations
- Recent obituaries usually appear online within days, often before the service.
- Hoosier State Chronicles coverage varies by town and year.
- Neither library posts a turnaround time for copy requests.
Tips
- Search the State Library's VINE obituary records first. VINE combines records from Indiana libraries, historical societies and genealogy societies.
- Have the exact date before asking for a microfilm search. The State Library can't search film without it.
- For LaPorte County deaths, Michigan City's index gives the paper, date, page and column.
Last verified:
Note: Coverage years, fees and web addresses are set by the libraries, archives and newspapers listed and can change. PublicLibraries.com is not affiliated with them.