Q. How do I find an obituary?

You can search for obituaries by name in the Local History & Obituary Index. If you find a citation and would like to view the full-text of the obituary, you may request that we scan it and send you a copy. An obituary request form is online. Please limit your requests to 3 per week. 

Tips on searching the index:

• Enter the Last name first to check for similar matches in the suggested text.
• Try entering Last name and Year of death only.
• Women may have been listed by their husband's name (ex.: Mrs. John Smith).
• Obituaries for African Americans are more difficult to find prior to 1965. The Palmetto Leader was a Black-owned newspaper and most obituaries in that publication are for African Americans.
• Our index provides a list of names, dates, and publications for articles but it is not full text.

If you have a Richland Library card you may be able to find the full text of the obituary in NewsBank, which includes The State newspaper as well as other SC Historical newspapers. If you live in South Carolina you can also access NewsBank through the State Library's website with a SC State Library card, available for free for all state residents. Subscribers to Newspapers.com can also find The State included in that resource. The Palmetto Leader newspaper is digitized and freely available through the Historical Newspapers of South Carolina website provided by the University of South Carolina.

We hope this index and these search tips will help you research your family history. If you have questions please call the Local History Department at (803) 929-3402.