Nebraska’s first newspaper was printed in 1854, the year the territory opened. The free Nebraska Newspapers site, from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and History Nebraska’s collections are the main places to look.
Nebraska obituaries in historic newspapers
The Nebraska Palladium was printed at Bellevue in 1854. Omaha, Nebraska City, Brownville and later Lincoln became newspaper towns, and their notices recorded deaths along the Overland Trail and in the early settlements on the Missouri River.
The Homestead Act and the railroads brought settlers from Europe and the eastern states. Nebraska had a strong Czech-language press, such as Omaha’s Pokrok Západu, along with German, Danish and Swedish papers. Obituaries in small-town weeklies often describe a family’s arrival by covered wagon or train.
Nebraska Newspapers, from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, hosts digitized papers contributed to Chronicling America. History Nebraska in Lincoln holds the state’s largest newspaper microfilm collection.
Where to find Nebraska obituaries
Digitized Nebraska newspapers
- Nebraska Newspapers, University of Nebraska–Lincoln — Free digitized historic Nebraska newspapers.
Archives and libraries
- History Nebraska — The state historical society, with Nebraska newspaper microfilm and research help.
- Nebraska Newspapers, FamilySearch Research Wiki — Volunteer-maintained guide to Nebraska newspaper archives, indexes and microfilm, with county-by-county links.
Nationwide newspaper archives
- Chronicling America, Library of Congress — Free digitized newspapers from every state. Narrow a search to Nebraska and the years you need.
- Google News Archive — Free scans of hundreds of older newspapers, browsable by title and date.
- Internet Archive newspapers — Free digitized newspapers and microfilm uploaded by libraries.
- FamilySearch — Free obituary indexes, death records and the Social Security Death Index (free account).
- Find a Grave — Volunteer-built cemetery memorials, many with transcribed obituaries.
- Newspapers.com — Large subscription archive of U.S. papers. Many public libraries offer free access.
- GenealogyBank — Subscription archive of historic newspapers and modern obituaries.
- Legacy.com — Obituaries published since about 2000 in most U.S. daily newspapers.
Tips for finding an obituary in Nebraska
- Pin down the date and place first. A death index or death certificate gives the exact date and county, and then you only need to search the local papers for the following week or two.
- Search more than one town. Obituaries often ran in the paper where the person was born or had lived before, not just where they died. Small-town weeklies sometimes published a notice weeks later.
- Look beyond the word “obituary.” Older papers reported deaths under headings like “Died,” “Deaths,” local news and personals columns, funeral notices and cards of thanks. See death notices vs. obituaries.
- Try every spelling. Search initials, nicknames and misspellings, and for married women in older papers, search the husband’s name (“Mrs. John Smith”). Digitized text often misreads old type.
- Ask a librarian. Many public libraries and state archives will look up an obituary for free or a small fee, and newspaper microfilm can often be borrowed through interlibrary loan.