Image created by Julie Goucher

I have always torn things out of magazine and newspapers to re-read later and have over the years collected quite a few that have never made it to the top of the pile.

It was a chance sighting of an obituary page torn out of the paper that my late Mum saw, and commented that I could find the time to create an index of them. I quickly responded that I was far to busy but she could have a go. Mum couldn’t type so my flippant remark was made without a nanosecond of thought. The response was OK, if you set the spreadsheet up.

After a crash course in typing and using a laptop Mum had a go with one page of obituaries and said she could see this being rather therapeutic to her arthritic hands. Over the course of the next 15 year the spreadsheet grew and grew despite the odd operator mishap! Every now and again Mum would inform me of a fascinating obituary or notice that she had come across.

The index which began in 1999 had grown by the time my Mum passed away in 2014 to around 100,000 entries. In September 2016 I offered the complete index to the Guild of One-Name Studies in memory of Mum and it is dedicated to her. The index went online today and is available to the public & members of the Guild and can be accessed HERE

I am immensely proud of the Mum’s accomplishment with the index and I hope that you find it of useful.

Mostly garnished from UK newspapers but some overseas some material is also included. There are entries relating to events that happened prior 1999 so it is well worth checking.

Types of material in the index:

• Obituaries
• In Memoriam
• Remembrances (Mothers & Fathers Day, Christmas, Birthdays
• Thanks & Acknowledgements
• Memorial Services & Memorials
• Roll of Honour
• Article Obituaries
• Burial & Cremation Information
• Legal Notices and Wills

with the following data available

• Surname
• Forenames and some include names by which the deceased was known
• Nee or Former Surnames
• Title
• Event
• Date of Newspaper
• Name of the Newspaper
• Where interned
• Age

The index is copyrighted to the Guild of One-Name Studies and Julie Goucher. Researchers will need to locate the actual obituary from various newspaper providers, local studies or heritage centres. I am happy to answer any questions and if I can help please use the contact form below