SMCGS Databases: Obituary Update

The latest update to the SMCGS Obituary Index has been uploaded to the website.  It includes the San Mateo county obituaries from the San Francisco Examiner from 1906 into the 1950s.  Those were the obituaries donated to SMCGS by the Colma Historical Association.  Those of you wondering about the obituaries for individuals who were not connected to San Mateo County,  will be happy to know that the San Francisco group of CGS collected the remains of the papers when we were done and have them stored while they contemplate their future.

Also new in the index are obituaries from the San Mateo Times from the 1920s.  Unlike most of the entries in our index, these obits are not in our digital collections, but they are available on Ancestry.

The index now includes over 76,000 names of individuals who either died in or were connected in some way to San Mateo County.

You can access it here.

Also be sure to check the Obituary Daily Times Index for San Mateo County.  The societies digital collections include obituaries from the San Mateo County newspapers indexed there.

The first page of the index gives information on the collections and names the many volunteers that have contributed to the index over the years.

2018 - Updated Obituary Index

To obtain copies of obituaries contact 
the SMCGS Research Team

SMCGS Databases: Obituary Index Update

Over 10,000 names have been added to the SMCGS obituary index.  Every obituary in this index is available from SMCGS, see the research page for details.  The collection has grown in the nearly twenty years since the Peninsula Times Tribune gave SMCGS their obituary morgue when they closed their doors from the last time.  That collection, originally in envelopes, was indexed by the SMCGS computer club under the direction of Bob Tousey.  It was later photocopied by Barry Goyette and even later those pages were scanned.  All of those original obituaries came from the Redwood City Tribune or it's successor the Peninsula Times Tribune.

Not long after that collection was received, we received our first batch of obituaries culled from the files of the San Mateo County Historical Association.  In most cases we do not know what paper they were from, but assume most were from the San Mateo Times or duplicates of what we had received from the Redwood City Tribune.  SMCHA has continued to cull files over the years and we have added them to our collection as they are received.  Other minor collections have also been added as thy are received.  

The most recent additions come from the Colma Historical Society.  They gave us over 50 years of rolled obituary pages from the San Francisco Examiner (1906-1959).  They in turn had received them from Woodlawn Cemetery.  It is unclear where they had originated. In some cases there were missing obituaries and crosses through others.

We have culled those pages for San Mateo County residents and are turning over the remains to the San Francisco Group of CGS. This project is only half complete, but it seemed a good time to update the online index to include those that are done.

Click here for index.
Click here to obtain an obituary listed in the index.

SMCGS Databases Online: The SMCGS Obituary Collection

This SMCGS Obituary Collection currently includes over 57,000 indexed and scanned obituaries as well as a large collection of obituaries that are indexed elsewhere.  This project started when the society received the obituary morgue of the Redwood City / Peninsula Times Tribune when they closed their doors.  That original collection was indexed by the SMCGS Computer club.  As it became more troublesome to store and use the obituaries in their original envelopes the society decided to photocopy the obituaries.  The copies were then placed in binders in the SMCGS Library. Eventually the pages started to wear so it was decided that we should scan the pages.  This was the start of the collection that exists today.  

You will find the following collections in the index

• PTT Redwood City Tribune / Peninsula Times Tribune - obituary morgue (1969-1992)  Indexed by SMCGS Computer Club - copied and scanned by Barry Goyette and Cath Trindle
• MISC Obituaries contributed by a variety of sources, newspaper generally unknown (mainly 1960s-1990s) - Copied, Scanned and Indexed by Barry Goyette and Cath Trindle
• SMCHA Obituaries culled from the Biographical files of the San Mateo County Historical Association and added to SMCGS  (mainly 1970-1995 some earlier) - Indexed and scanned by Jo Rebuck, Lauren Perritt , Donna Farmar, Celeste Guillory, Cath Trindle - a work in progress
• DJ Daily Journal - Scanned and Indexed by Jo Rebuck
• BORK Obituaries of San Mateo County Individuals listed in Southern California Newspapers Collected by Eleanor Borkenhagen - Scanned and indexed by Cath Trindle
• DP Daily Post - Scanned and Indexed by Jo Rebuck
• DN Daily News - Scanned and Indexed by Jo Rebuck 
• VET Veteran's Memorial - Scanned and indexed by Cath Trindle 
• DN Daily News - Scanned and Indexed by Jo Rebuck 
• SMCT San Mateo County Times - assorted pages - Scanned and indexed by Cath Trindle

This is an ongoing project.  As the SMCHA culls more obituaries we will add them to the collection.  Additionally if anyone has access to other papers in the county and would like to contribute it would be appreciated.

The following collections which are indexed on Obituary Daily Times are also available in our scanned files.

• Pacifica Times Tribune 1999 + collected and indexed by Chris Havanar scanned by Jean Ann Carroll
• San Mateo Times 1999 + collected and  indexed by Chris Havanar scanned by Jo Rebuck, Donna Farmar, Lauren Perritt and Cath Trindle

To obtain a copy of any obituary in our index or from the collections listed for the Obituary Daily Times see Research Services under Research on the SMCGS website.

Check out the other SMCGS Databases and good luck with your research.

Projects, Projects and more Projects

An occasional update on the status of SMCGS' Digitization and Indexing Efforts

Cath Madden Trindle

SMCGS Publications Chair 

1940 Census
Thanks to all of you who are helping with the 1940 census indexing project. I am happy to report that California is over 20% complete! Check the progress at  1940 Census.  If you haven't joined the indexing effort yet, it isn't too late.  Go to The1940Census and join the crew.  Be sure to indicate that you are a member of the SMCGS team and you will immediately be eligible for prizes.

San Mateo County Marriages
This long term project is nearing completion.  Barry Goyette, Russ Brabec, Jo Rebuck, George Zinckgraf  and Norma Sheehan  are down to just a few more volumes in the effort to index all San Mateo County marriages before 1 Jan 1949, the date the California State Marriage Index began.  Over the years others helped with this index, in particular Russ Brabec who moved on to other projects in the County Record Center. Check out the index at SMCGS Marriage Index.

San Mateo County Obits
This project needs help from members who have a scanner at home.  We have received a collection of obituaries from Chris Havenar.  They have been indexed on Obituary Daily Times.  In order to make them easier for our research team to access and fulfill requests for the obituaries we are digitizing them and uploading to our society account on Flickr.  If you have a scanner, a pair of scissors and a few hours email publications@smcgs.org.  

Aren't you excited when you find a record online?  Please consider giving back so someone else feels that excitement too.