FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click here for >>INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE

Thank you for visiting this website.  Often, questions have been asked on a regular basis and here are some answers to those questions seen frequently.

Q.    Why did you start this website/index and what are you hoping to accomplish in the coming years?

A.    I have come across many brick walls in my research - mostly current as I am working backwards.  I found obituaries to be a great starting point in discovering more information on the relation being researched.  I actually didn't start doing my family tree until about Aug/2003 - just after I started helping some friends try to find a long-lost relation.  Since I started indexing with the Obituary Daily Times, I wondered why no one had started an Ontario specific index to help those in need... and decided to take care of that myself.  What am I hoping to accomplish in the coming years?  I am hoping that we can use this website as a death index reference since we're restricted on our death registrations after a specific time frame.  In addition to being able to find out when Uncle John died, imagine seeing his wife's name and children... and being able to find their obituaries very easily, if they've passed... It would make research a little easier, especially for those outside of Ontario and Canada.  It is also nice to be able to visit one site to see if someone can help you find an obituary that you have not been able to do so yourself. 

Q.    Why don't you make the obituaries accessible online?  Why only provide the indexes?

A.    To respect privacy and copyrights, as well as the information other researchers have contributed, providing the index online is really all you need to see.  Most visitors use this site as a reference guide and find the obituaries themselves. Some obituaries are provided online through the publications' websites.  Some contributors only offer their indexes as a way to protect all their hard work, but are more than willing to provide the obituary upon request.  In addition to this, typing out the obits and the other work involved is very time consuming.  There are other sites who would jump at the chance to copy all the obituaries and charge a fee.  I am fully against this as if you were able to gain access, it would cost you next to nothing to make a photocopy.

Q.    What do the ( ) and the [ ] really mean in the indexes?

A.     If you see a [ ] with a female name, it indicates other married names and/or surname of sibling if a maiden name isn't available in the obituary. ( ) indicates a maiden name (if this reads "( )" it indicates that the obituary says she was the wife of... but no maiden name was given.  When you see a [ ] with a male name, it indicates his spouse's maiden name or mother's maiden name, if his wife's maiden name isn't available.  In some cases it also could indicate that he was adopted and this was one of the family names.  In most cases of adoption, I have tried to use ( ) to indicate the birth surname. So... to sum it all up:
WIEBE, Margaret (FRIESEN) = Margaret Wiebe (Nee Friesen)
WILSON, William Stirling "Bill" [ALLEN] = Bill Wilson who was married to Miss Allen
 

Q.     I don't quite understand the requesting process.  If I find an index in the website (or another website), how do I get a copy of the obituary?

A.    Please just copy and paste that index line right into an email to me at janet.jones@ontarioobits.com.  The indexes I provide online tell me which file to look in, the date of the publication, if a contributor has offered it, if a connection may be possible, as well as making sure you're getting the obituary you are looking for and not someone else... again, a respect for privacy for the families.  If you found the index in another website, please let me know the link in case I need to refer back to it.  Also see INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE

Q.    I visited the publication's website, but don't see the obituary I am looking for, even though it's indexed.  Why is that?

A.    This is frustrating... I know.  Many of the publications only offer a portion of their obituaries online.  If this is what you run into, just copy & paste the index line into an email and I will send you the obituary.   [If you are doing research in a specific town that has a newspaper, I strong suggest purchasing a subscription  -- maybe you, too, can help contribute obituaries to the project!]

Q.    I am positive Mr. John Doe's obituary was in the Toronto Sun on June 7, 2004 but you don't have it indexed. Why?

A.   The publications that I access don't always provide all the obituaries that were published, through the resources that I use.  If you think the obituary was published in a specific paper, and want a copy of it, but don't have access, please send me an email with all the details (name, date, location and the publication) and I'll add it to the request page in hopes that a volunteer can assist.

Q.    Why doesn't my local newspaper have a website?

A.    You may get a better answer from the newspaper themselves.  A website isn't very cheap, especially for newspapers that would be changing their data on a daily basis.  Perhaps another reason is so more people will purchase subscriptions.  If you are concerned or have questions, contact the publication directly and they'll be able to explain.

Q.    I have no idea where my family member died, but have a date.  What is the best way of finding an obituary?

A.    If you have a relation that has passed on somewhat recently, you could search the database to see if there's an index line there.  If unsuccessful, I recommend visiting the Obituary Daily Times to see if the obituary has been indexed there.  If neither option is successful or not what you are looking for, visit the Obituary Links page and search the sites there.  You may want to check papers in the area where survivors resided.

Q.     I am interested in volunteering to help the project.  What kinds of things can I do to help?

A.    Please visit the Volunteer/Contact page for further information.  A great accomplishment would be having subscribers to newspapers offer the obituaries from their publications.

Q.    I have next to no information on a family member - how would I go about finding an obituary without a date or location?

A.    Please visit INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE  and read the information provided there.  Through the help of many volunteers, finding the information is getting a little easier.

Q. I sent my obituary request and have not heard a reply.  It's been five days.  Is there a reason?

A. Generally, most obituary requests are taken care of within a 72 hour period.  This does not include weekends as I try to enjoy time with my family.  Please note that if I receive a message similar to the message below, I will not confirm.  Time is of the essence and you can only imagine how many of these I receive. Please find another way to submit your request, or unblock my email addresses before sending your request.  Otherwise, if your request has not be replied to on the fourth day, please send a GENTLE reminder... emails sometimes get misplaced.
Your email to  <janesmith@ciaccess.com> with the subject "Re: Ontario Obituaries" has been blocked by the Friends and Family system.  janesmith@ciaccess.com only accepts email from people on their list of friends.  Not all friends or genealogy contacts have been added to this new list as yet. If you would like to be added to the list simply hit 'reply' and 'send' this message again without changing the subject line.
 

Q. I see that there could be a possibility that someone has submitted my cousin's obituary.  Is there a way of confirming that a contributor sent this obituary, and possibly getting in touch with that person?

A. Of course.  When in doubt, please ask.  The worst answer I can give you is 'no', but I can add a note to contact you if anyone does request the obituary.

Do you have a question that hasn't been answered here?  Please send an email to me and I will reply as soon as I can.

Ontario Obituaries Services

This page was last Updated: Friday October 13, 2006