OBITUARY INDEXES. Centre County researchers are richly blessed with obituary indexes covering the period from 1821 to the present. For locations of these newspapers, see Centre County papers. All of the following indexes are to be found at the library in Bellefonte. The only Centre County death indexes within the small section of genealogy reference materials in Penn State's Pattee Library Microforms department cover a period from the 1880s through 1920s.
1821-1869 Centre County, Pennsylvania Newspaper Death Notices 1821-1869 is a compilation of Nancy Lee Stover's of death notices appearing in the Bellefonte Patriot, Bellefonte Republican, Centre Berichter (Aaronsburg), Centre Democrat, Central Press, Centre Reporter (Centre Hall), Democratic Watchman, Democratic Whig, Der Centre Berichter (Millheim), Millheim Journal, Philipsburg Journal. This book is available for use in the Centre County Library in Bellefonte, but it is also available for purchase ($18.00, $21.20, if shipped) by the Friends of the Library, Centre County Library & Historical Museum, 203 N. Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823.
1868-1879 Many death notices particularly for persons from Centre Hall and Penns Valley region of the county can be found in Gerri Aitkin's Centre Reporter of Centre Hall, 1869 thru 1879, Obits, Marriages, Births, Moving, etc. (1999) is available in the Centre County Library in Bellefonte. Copies may also be purchased ($12.00, plus $1.50 for postage) from the compiler Gerri Aitkin, 3044 Old Stage Road, Lewistown, PA 17044-9501 or by emailing her at jha@acsworld.net
1856-1925 Index to Centre County, Pennsylvania Newspaper Obituaries, 1856-1925 represents R. Fred Houts' compilation of works by Harry Garbrick, John Wion, Harry and Vera Lingle, and J. Marvin Lee of obituaries appearing in the Democratic Watchman and Lee's compilation of 1924 obituaries appearing in the Keystone Democrat.
1926-1942 Obituaries from a broad range of Centre County newspapers were clipped and pasted into scrapbooks by Adella Fink Spangler for the years 1926 to 1942. The names can be found in the 250,000 card file to the Spangler Collection with an SB (for Scrap Book) designation on the card. The scrapbooks were photocopied and bound in green.
1943-1949 Index to Obituaries in the "Centre Democrat," 1943-1949 produced as a Centre County Library project (under the direction of Gladys Murray with the assistance of Sue Winters and Peggy Gordon).
1950-1959 Index to Obituaries in the "Centre Democrat," 1950-1959 produced as a Centre County Library project (under the direction of Gladys Murray with the assistance of Sue M. Winters and Helen M. Alters).
1960-1969 Index to Obituaries in the "Centre Democrat," 1960-1969 produced as a Centre County Library project (under the direction of Gladys Murray with the assistance of Sue M. Winters and Helen M. Alters).
1970-1979 Index to Obituaries in the "Centre Democrat," for 1970-1977, and from notebooks of clipped obituaries in the "Centre Daily Times" for 1978-1979 produced as a Centre County Library project (under the direction of Gladys Murray with assistance by Sue M. Winters, Stacey M. Alters and Helen M. Alters).
1980-1989 Index to Centre County Obituary Notebooks, 1980-1989 created with clipped items from the "Centre Daily Times" and produced as a Centre County Library project (under the direction of Gladys Murray with assistance by Judy R. Spangler).
1990-1999 Obituaries from the 1990s can be found in Notebooks that have been produced as a Centre County Library project (until July 31, 1998, under the direction of Gladys Murray, and since August 1, 1998, under the direction of Joyce Adgate, with the assistance of many volunteers). Compiled index in looseleaf notebook on top of file cabinet in Pennsylvania Room.
2000-present Obituaries since January 1, 2000, can be found in Notebooks that have been produced as a Centre County Library project (under the direction of Joyce Adgate, with the assistance of many volunteers) with cards identifying each deceased person for whom an obituary exists with the cards found in an index card file located to the right of the Spangler Collection's card file index in the Pennsylvania Room.
Philipsburg Area Persons Selected obituaries of individuals with a connection to the Philipsburg area were collected and maintained in a scrapbook that was eventually donated to the Clearfield County Historical Society. It, in turn, photocopied the scrapbook for the Centre County Library in Bellefonte where it sits on the file cabinet in the Pennsylvania Room.
Philipsburg Journal Also, the full run of the Philipsburg Journal has been indexed and a copy of this index is available at the Philipsburg Historical Foundation in Philipsburg as well as the Centre County Library. Note also that while the Historical Foundation has a complete run of the microfilmed issues of the Philipsburg Journal, the Centre County Library does not. Penn State's Pattee Library has more of the issues of the paper microfilmed, but no index.
TODAY'S OBITUARIES For obituaries appearing in today's Centre Daily Times, click on CDT.
POSTING OBITUARIES ONLINE This website is also looking for transcribed obituaries about persons with a Centre County connection. To submit an obituary online, you may use our Centre County Obituary Board. Please enter your information carefully, and if you make a mistake, contact the web site coordinator immediately so that your entry can be edited.
Prior to June 2001, a separate Obituary Message Board for Centre County was maintained at RootsWeb.com, but in the middle of June 2001, a change (wrought by its merger with Ancestry.com) resulted in a merger of all RootsWeb message boards so most browsers can only find these mixed in with other queries on one merged board. If you wish to look at the specific set of Obituaries actually posted, go to that only Centre County Board, then look in the middle of the page for an instruction that says, "View Message Type," and use the pull-down menu until you reach one for "Obituary."
It will reveal mentions of these persons amongst the Obituary postings: Etta Baralough, Mrs. Benjamin Barr, James Bathurst, Harry Bierly, Barbara Canly, Alverta Cartwright, Sue Cherry, Eva Clemson, Douglass Condo, William Cross, Mary Culligan, Thomas Davis, Warren Davis, David Dennis, Sarah Dennis, John Eckman, Geraldine Estterline, Harold Esterline, Arbor Everett, James Fisher, Ephriam Frantz, Minnie Fravel, James Gray, James Hardy, Pearl Harshberger, Samuel Hoover, Frederick Houser, Littie Houser, Luella Houer, Luther Houser, Anna Hoy, James Hull, Mary Hull, Samuel Hull, Horeace Kauffman, Michael Kelley, Gardner Kuhn, Margaret Long, Maude Martz, Jeanine Matter, Ella Mattern, W S. Mayo, Alta McClincy, Mabel McIlvaine, William Merriman, Emily Miller, Mayme Miller, Sidney Miller, Clarence Muffly, Martha Mulhern, John Neff, Pheobe Page, Clara Price, Helen Reynolds, Nellie Robinson, Lucy Shope, Florence Smith, Nerr Smith, Robert Smith, Lila Staubs, Alice Tressler, Mrs. Josiah Tressler, John Turman, Emanuel Twitmire, Harold Twitmyre, Jacob Walker, William Wasson, Charles Watson, Mary Waugh, Philip Welty, James Williams, Ellen Wise, Madaline Wolford, Lee Young,
We encourage the continued posting of Obituary material, but browsers are advised (1)to do this in the future by using the message boards for Obituaries at Pa-roots.com, and (2)to read the Advisory about the changes at RootsWeb.