Most of these links are for necrologies, meaning “lists of the dead.” Necrologies offer names and death dates but not burial places or next of kin. But once you have a date of death, you can go to Buffalo newspapers and search for a death notice or obituary that is more informative.
Having said that, please understand that there is no law requiring that deaths be reported in newspapers. It is entirely voluntary on the part of the family. Death notices, those 2” wide rectangles, are a fee-based service and can be cost-prohibitive for low-income families. Obituaries, on the other hand, are narrative articles written at no charge by reporters when someone’s passing is considered newsworthy.
In the 19th century, it was common for the deaths of women, children, and the poor to go unreported.
| Date Range | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1795-1952 | New York Deaths & Burials | Has about 7,500 names from Erie County. Gives last name, first name, place and date of death, and sometimes names of parents or children. |
| 19th century | Early Settlers of New York State | This genealogy journal was published in Buffalo and often featured local birth, marriage, and death records. |
| 1800-1929 | Erie County Estate Papers | Browsable wills & probate records, courtesy of FamilySearch.org |
| Up to 1855 | Revolutionary War Veterans in Western NY | About 150 names with birth & death dates and burial places, when known |
| 1811-1833 | The Why of this Book | Marriages and deaths which occurred in Buffalo & surrounding area as reported in local newspapers. Courtesy of The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| 1812-1986 | Obituary Index at The Buffalo History Museum | Card file with 99,000 names, mostly prominent citizens. Microfilmed in 1986, then the films were digitized by FamilySearch. Staff continued typing cards 1987-2001 but those names are not online. Partly published in book form. |
| 1832, 1849, 1854 | Cholera Deaths | Names are listed in rough order by date of death. Courtesy of The Buffalo History Museum. |
| 1833-1883 | Death Record of Old Buffalo Settlers | Over 900 names and death dates drawn from a handwritten manuscript kept by Thomas Farnham (1809-1883). Courtesy of The Buffalo History Museum. |
| 1852-1944 | Buffalo Death Index | Images of the entire Buffalo, NY death index, courtesy of Buffalo City Hall. Right margins, which show death dates, are sometimes cut off. |
| 1854 | Cholera Deaths | Dr. James Newman kept a ledger of deaths during the 1854 Buffalo cholera epidemic. There are about 1000 names. Courtesy of The Buffalo History Museum. |
| 1870s to 1950 | An Index to Births, Marriages and Deaths Found in Select Buffalo & Erie County Publications | An index of several publications that included births, marriages, or deaths. Courtesy of The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| 1872-present | Index of Selected Newspaper Obituaries | About 140,000 names. Gives last name, first name, and date of death. |
| 1878-1898 | Erie County Medical Examiner Records | On microfilm, not digitized. Gives last name, first name, date of death. Only at The Buffalo History Museum. Book your library appointment. |
| 1880-1956 | New York State Death Index at Archive.org | Statewide collection of names. Buffalo & Erie County coverage began in 1914. |
| 1880-1956 | New York State Death Index at FamilySearch | Statewide collection of names. Buffalo & Erie County coverage began in 1914. You will need to register for a free FamilySearch account. |
| 1882-1892 | A Necrology Excerpted and Organized From Buffalo City Directories | Last name, first name, age, and date of death for everyone over age 16 who died in the City of Buffalo in a ten-year period. Courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| 1883-1899 | Undertaker Records | The Buffalo History Museum has records from only two Buffalo funeral directors, Henry Farwell and Theophilus Speyser. This is an A-Z list of everyone in their ledgers, over 3,100 names. |
| 1886-1920 | Polak Y Ameryce Death Notices | Polish names. Use the drop-down menu to access this index. |
| Late 19th c. to 1982, most are 1930-1982 | Local History File | Not digitized or online. Mostly obituaries for prominent citizens; some death notices. Only in the Grosvenor Room at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| 20th century-? | PGSNYS Funeral Cards | Courtesy of the Polish Genealogical Society. Use the drop-down menu to access this index. |
| 1902-1936 | Buffalo Homicides | Compiled by Vance McLaughlin in 2013. |
| 1911-1957 | Dziennik Death Notice Index | Dziennik was the Polish-language newspaper in Buffalo. Ideal for those with Polish ancestors. Free to search; fee for full text. |
| 1914-1918 | History of Buffalo and Erie County, 1914-1919 | See pages 497-510 for a list of men from Buffalo & Erie County who lost their lives serving in WWI. |
| 1918-1922 | Marriages & Deaths as reported in the Pierce-Arrow Newsletter, 1918-1922 | An index from the Pierce-Arrow company newsletter. Courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| 1940-1945 | The Bellringer: A Selected Index | Births, marriages & deaths and other events at the Bell Aircraft factory. Courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| 1943-1944 | The Curtiss-Wright-er | Marriages, deaths and other events at the Curtiss-Wright factory. Courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. |
| Late 20th century to 2007 | Buffalo African-American Funeral & Obituary Collection | Has downloadable indexes of the names. Courtesy of Buffalo State College. |
| 1957-ca.1970 | New York State Death Index | Courtesy of the NY State Dept. of Health. Privacy restrictions end after 50 years. |
| 1957-1963 | New York State Death Index | Index to deaths in NY state, excluding New York City. You will need to register for a free FamilySearch account. |
| 1959-1973 | Vietnam War Casualties from Western NY | Names of 548 men & one woman who lost their lives serving in the Vietnam War. Courtesy of Patrick Kavanagh & The Buffalo History Museum. |
| Ca. 1962 to present | Social Security Death Index | Dates of death for over 90 million Americans from all 50 states. |
| 1970s to present? | African-American Obituaries from Western NY | Compiled by the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier |
| 1983-1996 | Western New York Index | A newspaper index originally printed in book form. Each volume covers one year and has a separate Personal Names section in the back. That is where you will find obituary citations. |
| Sept. 11, 1997 to present | Buffalo News | Death notices only. |
