Home > Services and Library Info > Obituary/Death Notice Searches

Obituary/Death Notice Searches

Free Service

The newspaper of record for funeral notices and obituaries for persons who died in Santa Clara County is the San Jose Mercury News and its predecessor newspapers, the San Jose Mercury Herald and the San Jose News.

Santa Clara County Library has access to the San Jose Mercury News for the following dates:

• San Jose Mercury News Historical Archive 1886 – 1922 (online)
• San Jose Mercury News 1985 to the present (online)
• San Jose Mercury News 1984 to the present (microfilm collection dating back to 1984 is housed at Cupertino Library)

In addition to the San Jose Mercury News the library has online access to San Francisco Chronicle (2004 to present) as well as the following community newspapers listed below.

Patrons may access the online version of the newspaper from inside the library or remotely with a library card number and PIN.

An obituary search can be requested by using our Ask A Librarian form. We cannot guarantee that we will find the information you request.To expedite your search, please provide the date of death when requesting this service. You can verify the name and the date of death using California Death Records (1940 – 1997) and/or the Social Security Death Index. All requests are fulfilled on a first come, first serve basis. Please allow 2-4 weeks for us to respond to your request.

Local Community Newspapers:

Campbell

• Campbell Press 1895 - May 1986 (missing 1897-1902) (Microfilm)
• Campbell Express: Cambrian News May 1988+
• Campbell Reporter April 1999+
• Campbell Times 1995+

Cupertino

• Cupertino Courier & Neighbor Current Issue; 6 Months only (in the library)
• Cupertino Courier 1995 - Current (on the Web)
• Cupertino-Monte Vista Courier 1972 - 1976 (Microfilm)
• Cupertino Courier 1978 - 1996 (Microfilm)

Gilroy

• The Gilroy Dispatch April 2002 - Current (on the Web)
• The Dispatch (Current & previous week at Circ Desk)
• The Dispatch 1944- (Microfilm)
• Gilroy Evening Dispatch (Sept. 1925 - Dec. 1943) (Microfilm)
• Gilroy Advocate (Oct. 1868 - Dec. 1943) (Microfilm)

Los Altos

• Los Altos Town Crier 1995 - Current (available on the Web)
• Los Altos Town Crier (Current Month + 11 months previous)

Milpitas

• Milpitas Post. Current Month + 5 months previous (in Print).
• Milpitas Post. 1955+ (Microfilm).
• Tri-City Voice. January 6, 2004 - Current (on the Web)

Morgan Hill

• Pinnacle: South Valley. July 2001 - August 2006. (Microfilm).
• Morgan Hill Times. August 4, 1899 - (Microfilm).
• Morgan Hill Times. Current Month + 11 months previous.

Saratoga

• Saratoga News 2007 - Current
• Saratoga News 1958 - 2006 (Microfilm)
• Saratoga Citizen 1955 - 1962 (Microfilm)
• Saratoga Observer News 1942 - 1953 (Microfilm)
• Saratoga Star 1917 - 1923 (Microfilm)
• Saratoga Item Jan 1898 - March 1899; Feb 1896 - Dec 1897 (Microfilm)
• Saratoga Record 5/28/15 - 12/9/16 (Microfilm)

Other Libraries

• California State Library
  Using your local library’s Interlibrary Loan service, order microfilm of the San Jose Mercury and other California newspapers (some back to 1850) for the date needed from the California State Library, P.O. Box 942837, Sacramento, CA 94237-0001.
• Mountain View Obituary Database
  An online index to the obituaries found in the Mountain View History Center collection. Most obituaries appeared in local newspapers from 1967 to 2004.
• Palo Alto Historical Association Index to Newspaper Obituaries 1890 to present
  This index allows you to search for citations to articles and obituaries from the Palo Alto Weekly, the Palo Alto Daily News, and other local newspapers.
• San Francisco Public Library
  Offers a free, three per month, obituary search requests for persons whose obituary appeared in San Francisco newspapers. 

Fee-Based Service

Pacific Library Partnership (PLP)/System Reference Center
You may also take advantage of a fee based service provided by Pacific Library Partnership (PLP). PLP has access to the San Jose Mercury News and predecessors (1861 to present) and San Francisco Chronicle (1865 to present). Information about this service is available on the Pacific Library Partnership page or call 650.356.2126.

Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society (SCCHGS)
SCCHGS is as a nonprofit educational organization that makes available research consultants that can assist in locating an obituary for a fee. Send in your request via email to research@scchgs.org, or write to the Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society, c/o Santa Clara City Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051, Attention: Research Consultant; include a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Society recommends that requestors fill out the application at http://scchgs.org/shop/research.html.

Commercial Sites for Obituaries and Death Notices

• ObitsArchive.com
  You may search for someone in several newspapers simultaneously. Searching is free, but there is a fee (single article: $2.95; or monthly subscription: 100 articles every 30 days: $19.95) for viewing the obituary.
  
• Legacy.com Obitfinder
  Searches about 200 U.S. newspapers and the Social Security Death index starting as early as February 2001. Searching is free, but there is a fee (single article: $2.95) for viewing the obituary.