Obituaries are very important genealogical resources for current and
future generations and will remain in the History of Hartford Obituary
section on the website at no cost to the family. Obituaries will be
posted ONLY for people who lived in Hartford or Keeler during any period
of their life. If the deceased lived out of the Hartford-Keeler area
at the time of death, please indicate when they resided in
Hartford-Keeler. If the family has a
better or different photo than appeared in the newspaper, click here to
email
unedited photo and/or questions to the webmaster. The photo
will be cropped to size and edited as needed for the website.
What Is An
Obituary?
More than merely a
‘good-bye’ to the deceased, this is a farewell which can, in chronological
order, detail the life of the deceased. An obituary also serves as
notification that an individual has passed away and details of the services
that are to take place. An obituary’s length may be somewhat dictated by the
space available in the newspaper it is to appear in. Therefore, it is best to
check how much room you have before beginning your composition. Remember
that the obituary needs to appear in print a few days prior to the memorial
service. There are some cases where this may not be possible, therefore give
some consideration to the guidelines below when composing the obituary.
What To Include?
In a concise manner,
write about the significant events in the life of the deceased.
- Full name – include
maiden name where applicable
- The location and date of passing
so that there is no confusion over whom has died.
- Place and date of
birth
- Consider placing a
photograph (which can appear as black & white or in color depending on the
newspaper’s layout) with the text. For the newspaper, there is usually an
extra charge applied for adding photos.
Photographs help the readers to
know for sure who the deceased person is and will be included on the
History of Hartford website obituary at no cost to family.
- Indicate where the
deceased resided – normally only include the city and state.
Obituaries will be posted on
the History of Hartford website ONLY for people who lived in Hartford or
Keeler during any period of their life. If the deceased lived out of the
Hartford-Keeler area at the time of death, please indicate when they
resided in Hartford-Keeler.
- Indicate connection
to Hartford or Keeler (ex: resident, former resident, grad, etc.)
- Indicate if deceased was a Hartford High
School graduate – include class
year
- Colleges graduated from with degree
classification
- Military service timeframe (ex:
WW11, Vietnam, etc.)
- Military branch of
service, classification and ending rank, if known (ex:
US Army – Medic Specialist 4th Class)
- Life occupation
- Special interests.
Survivors and
Preceded in Death:
It is common to
include a list of those who have survived or preceded the deceased. The list should
include (where applicable):
- Parents
- Spouse and children
- Adopted children
- Half & step
children
- Siblings
- Half & step
siblings
- Grandparents
- Spouse of children
The surviving
relatives listed above may be listed by name. Other relatives will not be
mentioned by name but may be included in terms of their relationship to the
deceased. In other words, the obituary may mention that the deceased had 5
grandchildren; 7 nieces etc. However, exceptions to the above rule can be
made if, for example, the deceased only had one grandchild or a nephew who
was the only person living in the newspaper’s distribution area. These
exceptions are obviously made based on each individual case.
Anyone listed as a
special friend or companion is not normally included among the list of
survivors unless the deceased’s blood relatives request that it be so. The
obituary’s traditional purpose is to list survivors either related through
the bloodline or marriage.
List the details of
the time and location of any services for the deceased: these may include
the funeral, burial, wake and memorial service where appropriate.
Include information as to location of cemetery where the body will be laid
to rest.
Some Do’s & Don’ts
If you don’t know
where to start, read other obituaries to gain an idea of how personal and
touching an obituary may be.
Do use such terms as
“visitation will be from” or “friends may call from”. Do not utilize the
phrase “lie in state” as that only applies to a head of state such as the
president.
Don’t use the phrase
“in lieu of flowers…” when memorial donations are to be requested. Instead
merely start the final paragraph of the obituary with the words “Memorial
donations may be made to…”
Do consider if you
wish to send the obituary to newspapers in other cities e.g. to a town where
the deceased may have resided previously. Obtain copies of the obituary to
send to distant relatives and friends.
Final
Considerations
Any and all
information to be included in the obituary should be verified with another
family member. A newspaper will have to verify with the funeral home being
utilized that the deceased is in fact being taken care of by that funeral
home.
Since most newspapers
charge by the word when placing an obituary, it may not always be feasible
to mention everything stated in these guidelines. Use your own discretion
and do not put yourself under any financial hardship. Your loved one would
understand.
Obituaries are very important genealogical resources for current and
future generations and will remain in the History of Hartford Obituary
section on the website at no cost to the family. Obituaries will be
posted ONLY for people who lived in Hartford or Keeler during any period
of their life. If the deceased lived out of the Hartford-Keeler area
at the time of death, please indicate when they resided in Hartford-Keeler. If the family has a
better or different photo than appeared in the newspaper, click here to
email
unedited photo and/or questions to the webmaster. The photo
will be cropped to size and edited as needed for the website.
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