Historical Society releases book of obituary abstracts

The Woodford County Historical Society has compiled and published a new book which contains abstracts of obituaries and death notices from Woodford County newspapers through 1910.

"We ended at 1910 because the Kentucky Death Index begins in 1911," said Historical Society Curator Danna Estridge. "Death dates are easier to find after 1911. It's those earlier dates that can sometimes be difficult to locate."

Titled Locating Lost Loved Ones: Abstracts of Death Notices and Obituaries from Woodford County, KY, Newspapers Through 1910, the book is the result of 18 months of work by Woodford County Historical Society volunteer Susan Buffin, who looked through more than 4,000 microfilmed issues of four Woodford County newspapers looking for death notices, obituaries, and other evidence of death dates.

The outcome of Buffin's diligence is a total of 5,498 deaths from The Woodford Weekly, The Woodford Sun (1870-1910); The Blue Grass Clipper (1870-1910); and The Woodford Pennant (July 1860-April 1861). All of these newspapers, with the exception of The Blue Grass Clipper for 1910, are available on microfilm at the Woodford County Historical Society.

"I became interested in doing this project after I went to another county to research and found an obituary index that was very helpful," Buffin said. "But that was just an index and it only had the person's name and the date of the newspaper. I wanted our book to have more information."

While the information in the abstracts is limited to what is contained in the newspapers, information in Locating Lost Loved Ones might include the name of the deceased, their age, the date of the newspaper, the page and column number of the newspaper, and additional information listed in the death notice or obituary.

The additional information might include such details as the names of family members, whether there was a tribute, resolution, or other article in the newspaper concerning the person's death, and the cause of death.

"This project was personally gratifying for me because I was able to locate the maiden name of my husband's great-great-grandmother," Buffin said. "I also found her three sons who migrated to Nebraska, which opened up other avenues of research on his family that I might never have discovered otherwise."

Estridge said that the abstracts have already helped her find death dates and obituaries for researchers who have contacted her or come to research at the Historical Society.

"It would have been difficult if not impossible to find them otherwise," Estridge said. "This book contains a wealth of information. I think any researcher who is looking for someone who died in Woodford County during these years will find this book very helpful. It may well help them find their lost family members."

Locating Lost Loved Ones: Abstracts of Death Notices and Obituaries from Woodford County, KY, Newspapers Through 1910 is available for purchase at the Woodford County Historical Society for $24.95 plus tax.