I'm slowly switching over to using the Familysearch shared tree, and I'd like to add some obits. I have a subscription to my local newspaper archives, and can screenshot and transcribe obits quite easily, but I don't know how best to add them to the site.
What do you folks suggest? Uploading an image of the obit to the memories, and transcribing it into the Life Sketch? Something else?
Posted Jan 17, 2022, 1:21 PM UTC
Although they are publicly available, I always make any obituaries I post on Ancestry private as they typically disclose information about living people (maiden name of mother - which is a typical security question). I do not believe you should help them - if for genealogy purpose, the end-user will contact you.
That's certainly a valid concern and one to be careful of. In my case, I'm primarly referring to obits from 100 or so years ago, so most people identified in those are no longer living.
That said, I also think it's fair to assume people using a FamilySearch login to view the obit are doing so for genealogical purposes, but of course you never know...
Yes, the majority are doing genealogy but why make it easy for potential thieves. Just my own believe.
Add the image to memories and add a source citation detailing where it came from. Put the transcription in the citation, unless it's too big to fit there (in which case, create a "story" in memories for it).
I add the link to the source section and where it asks for "source" I put the link source and note it's in the Memories section (like others, I upload it there).
I typically take a screenshot and add it to the documents or photos section in family search, but i try to make sure and add the date the clipping was published and in which newspaper bc i hadnt been doing that for a bit and then i realized i really should be. and then i add the death date to the profile to make sure it's clear that the publishing date is not the death date. If it's a modern obituary I put the link in the sources and call it obituary. I do worry about posting the modern obituaries because it does connect back to living people, i know that they're public anyways, but it can make people uncomfortable. i dont have my own grandparents' obits attached to their pages because i don't want stuff connected back to me. But idk it's really vital to have obits because it can share so much about family connections. so i acknowledge that i might not be doing the right thing in posting stuff
Upload the image. I’ll do this on Ancestry as well.
Thanks! I agree, I think it's wonderful to upload the image, helps to verify transcriptions, and doesn't rely on web links that could go dead. I was just poking around and found you can actually upload a photo source. The transcription can then go in the details box. I think that may be the best way to ensure it gets captured on the site.
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I do this too.
For modern obituaries that were never printed (i.e. that only got published on the funeral home's website), I link to it in the sources section and make sure the page is captured in the Wayback Machine.
Unfortunately, the add new source page was to much to figure out and the wonder of how to make it read properly for others I never used it. I cop web address to put it in the “web links” section. I believe other can see this. 😬
I do this too. I get a lot of obituaries because I do research on FamilySearch for my Find-A-Grave memorials, and I upload both the obituary when I can find it (I work in 1880-1930 range as many of those headstones are badly deteriorating or just gone) and the image of the headstone.