Obituary & people search
Search Maine Obituaries
Look up obituaries, death records and people by name.
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Obituary guide
How to find an obituary in Maine
For a recent death, start with the funeral home's website and the obituary pages of Maine's daily newspapers. For an older obituary, the Maine State Library runs an obituary lookup service for several major papers, and Digital Maine links to digitized historic newspapers.
What to have ready
- Full name, including a maiden name
- Approximate date and place of death (town and county)
- Age at death or birth year
- Names of close relatives (spouse, children, parents)
Tip: Knowing the county, and in Maine the town, narrows the search the most. Older records are often kept by the town.
Where to look, by when the person died
| When the person died | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Last few years | Funeral home websites; obituary pages of the Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News, Sun Journal and Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel; Legacy.com's Maine page |
| 1990s to recent decades | The Maine State Library obituary search service; newspaper databases at your public library with a library card |
| Older or historic | Digital Maine's list of historic newspapers; Chronicling America; microfilm at public libraries; local historical and genealogy societies |
| Official death record | Statewide registration began in 1892, and earlier records are with the towns or the Maine State Archives. See how to order a Maine death record. |
Major newspapers' obituary pages
- Portland Press Herald
- Bangor Daily News
- Sun Journal (Lewiston)
- Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel (CentralMaine.com)
All four obituary pages loaded on our check. Other news content on these sites may need a subscription.
Libraries and archives
- Maine State Library obituary search: covers Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Waterville and Bangor papers. You'll need the date of death and last residence. It costs $5 per obituary found, with no charge if nothing is found, and you can make up to 5 searches a month.
- Digital Maine newspapers
- Maine State Archives genealogy research
- Maine CDC Vital Records
Timeline expectations
- Recent obituaries: these appear online once the family or funeral home publishes them, so timing varies.
- State Library lookups: these take 5–10 days. The library notes that obituaries from before the early 1900s are rare.
- Digitized newspapers: coverage varies by town and title.
Tips
- Have the exact date of death before you request a State Library lookup. The service depends on it.
- For deaths before 1892, contact the town clerk where the death happened, or the State Archives.
- Smaller weeklies often carried obituaries the dailies missed. Ask the local library what it has on microfilm.
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.