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Obituary Index

Welcome to The Butler Area Public Library Online Obituary Database. An Index to Over 100,000 Obituaries from Butler County Newspapers, 1818-2007.

About The Obituary Index Database

This index is a joint venture of The Genealogy Department at The Butler Area Public Library and The Computer Science Department at Slippery Rock University. Since The 1980's, Library volunteers have read microfilmed newspapers, abstracted The names and dates of obituary publication, and created a paper index that has grown to over 100,00 entries.

Due to the difficulty of managing such a large paper index, volunteers began transferring the information onto a database. Recognizing the potential of such a genealogical treasure, the Library approached Slippery Rock University about preparing a more powerful and accessible format that would be available on the Internet. Under the guidance of faculty, computer science students accepted the challenge and succeeded in producing an excellent database of this valuable information.

What The Database Contains

• The database indexes over 100,000 obituaries published in Butler County newspapers from 1818-2008. Prior to 1818, Allegheny, Armstrong or Mercer County Newspapers reported Butler County events.
• Over 700 rolls of microfilm for eleven newspaper titles in the Butler Area Public Library’s collection have been abstracted and are included in this Index.
• While this Index was designed and intended to exclusively record obituaries, a few other types of articles (marriages, accidents, etc.) have been included. These events are in no way complete and should be regarded as serendipitous finds.
•  Beginning in 2008, births, marriages, engagements, and events such as anniversaries, multi-generational photos, and milestone birthdays have been included in the Obituary Index.  Births are indexed based on the parents' last name.  If there are two different parents names, the infant is indexed under both surnames.  For example, if Mary Smith and Tom Jones are identified as the parents, you will need to search under either Smith or Jones.

What is NOT In The Database

There are some gaps in the Online Database including 1970 through1990 and the 2000s. Articles from these decades, as well as that from thirty more rolls of microfilm which fill in gaps from the nineteenth century, are in the process of being abstracted. When they are indexed, thirty-one newspaper titles will be added to this database. This is the largest collection of newspapers that covered or were published in Butler County. The transfer of those obituaries to this website is in progress. More entries will be added monthly until all the data is online.

Value of Obituaries

Obituaries may contain a wealth of genealogical information. For some of our ancestors, they may be the only extant records devoted to them. This is particularly true for those who died

Obituaries vary greatly in the amount of information included. Some have only the briefest of details such as names, locations, and dates of death. Others, particularly in the twentieth century, provide three generations of relationships, places and dates of birth, spouses’ names and dates of marriage, biographical sketches, religious affiliations, survivor’s names and addresses, and names of undertakers and places of burial. Regardless of their lengtg, obituaries provide information and clues for further research.

Acknowledgements and Thanks

Slippery Rock University

The following individuals from The Computer Science Department designed, coded, and tested the software programs to bring the Obituary Index to Butler Area Public Library’s Website.

Butler Community Volunteers

Over the period from 1999 to 2007, the following people have contributed in one or more ways by designing the database, photocopying the cards in the card file, entering the data into the computer, proof-reading the data that had been entered into the computer or testing the search software.