How We Verify Obituary Information | RecentObituaries.info

Verification Methodology

How our editors check obituary, service and official-resource information

We verify obituary articles through public-source checks, official-link routing and human editorial review. The goal is not to replace official records, but to help readers reach the correct source faster.

Funeral home source checksState vital records linksHuman editor reviewLast reviewed dates

Our Verification Workflow

Identify the primary source.We look for the funeral-home obituary page, official memorial page, newspaper notice, cemetery listing or family-authorized submission that first supports the details.
Check the core facts.Name spelling, city/state, age, date context, funeral home, visitation/service details, cemetery/cremation notes and source URLs are reviewed before publication.
Separate public notice from official proof.An obituary is a public notice. A certified death certificate comes only from the state or local vital records office for the place of death.
Add practical official links.When relevant, we link to CDC vital records, USA.gov death certificate instructions, SSA death reporting, FTC funeral consumer rights, VA burial benefits and USPS deceased-mail guidance.
Minimize sensitive information.We remove unsupported cause-of-death claims, private family conflict, unsupported crime details, personal addresses and unnecessary medical information.
Re-check after corrections.If a reader or family member reports an error, editors re-open the source review and update the article if the correction is supported.

Accepted Source Types

Source type	How we use it	Trust level
Funeral home obituary page	Primary source for service time, location, memorial donation links and family text.	High when current and from the handling funeral home
Local newspaper obituary	Useful for public notice, paid obituary text and archival context.	High when publisher is identifiable
State/county vital records office	Official route for certified death certificate requests.	Official
Cemetery or VA cemetery page	Useful for burial location or committal schedule when published.	High/official depending on source
Social media post	Used cautiously; not treated as proof unless family/organization identity is clear.	Limited
Aggregator or scraped page	Used only as a lead; not enough by itself for sensitive facts.	Low

Official Links Used in Verification

For death certificate routes we use USA.gov death certificate guidance and the CDC/NCHS Where to Write for Vital Records directory. For funeral consumer rights we use the FTC Funeral Rule. For Social Security death reporting we link to SSA guidance for when someone dies. For veterans, we use VA burial and memorial benefits.