Boston Globe obituaries help families, friends and former neighbors remember people whose lives were connected to Massachusetts and New England.
Some notices announce funeral arrangements. Others tell fuller stories about the people behind the names, including their families, careers, community work and personal interests.
For readers trying to locate an obituary, there are several places to begin. The Boston Globe maintains an obituary section, while Legacy.com provides a searchable directory of notices associated with the newspaper.
Older records may require a different approach, particularly when the death occurred decades ago. Those details can become treasured family records.
Where to Find Recent Boston Globe Obituaries
The Boston Globe obituary section publishes stories about people from the region as well as notable figures elsewhere. Readers looking for a family announcement can also visit the Boston Globe obituary listings on Legacy.com.
The Legacy directory allows visitors to browse recent entries and narrow the results by location and publication date.
Individual pages may contain biographical details, service information and opportunities to leave a condolence message, depending on what has been provided.
Not every death produces a newspaper obituary. Families sometimes choose a shorter paid notice or publish information through a funeral home instead. If a name does not appear in the Globe listings, it is worth checking the funeral home’s website or another local newspaper.
Searching by Name, Town and Publication Date
A full name is the most useful starting point, but spelling and family names can complicate a search. Try a maiden name, a nickname or a different spelling when the first attempt brings no results.
Searching by town can help too. Someone who lived in Boston for years might have spent their final years in Newton, Quincy, Cambridge or another Massachusetts community. Their notice may be associated with one of those places rather than Boston itself.
Publication dates also matter. An obituary may appear several days after a death, particularly when relatives need time to confirm arrangements. If the exact date is unknown, search a wider period rather than limiting the results to one day.
Before sharing a notice, check identifying details such as age, relatives’ names and hometown. People with similar names can appear in the same directory, and guessing can lead to the wrong family.
Older Obituaries and How to Submit a Death Notice
For historical research, the Boston Public Library offers an obituary database covering selected publications from 1932 to 1941 and 1953 to 2010.
The index includes material from the Boston Globe, Boston Evening Transcript and Boston Herald. It does not include every death notice or provide a complete record of everyone who died.
The library also offers access to digitized Boston Globe newspaper collections through research databases. These can be especially useful for genealogy, family history and searches that fall outside the obituary index.
Families wishing to publish a paid death notice can use the Boston Globe’s submission portal or contact its death notice staff. The newspaper provides guidance on photographs