Proposal for RootsTech 2016
Presentation: Research Current and Historical Newspaper Obituaries on ObitsArchive.com
Class title:
Researching Newspaper Obituaries: Learn expert tips on how to research current and historical
Newspaper Obituaries that provide firsthand accounts of your ancestors’ lives that simply
cannot be found in other genealogy resources.
Audience level: All Levels
Company overview:
ObitsArchive.com, a division of NewsBank inc. is one of the largest and most comprehensive
collection of newspaper obituaries and death collections online for genealogy research.
ObitsArchive.com is home to over 49+ Million fully-searchable indexed U.S. obituaries from (1977Today) with over 500 million names indexed in the collection. ObitsArchive is currently procuring
over 600+ million obituaries from Historical U.S. Newspapers (1690-Today). Our online newspaper
obituary archive will be one of the most comprehensive collections in the United States helping
people discover, preserve and share their family history. It provides information on billions of
American family names that provide first-hand accounts of your ancestors’ lives and family
relationships. Discover the stories, names, dates, places, relationships and events that have shaped
your family story at ObitsArchive.com.
Speaker bios:
Ross L. Allred is currently serving as Director of ObitsArchive.com, a division of NewsBank, inc.
Ross also serves as Director of GenealogyBank.com managing Content Enhancement and Business
Development. Ross has also served in additional roles in Marketing, Operations and Product
Development since joining NewsBank in 2010. Prior to joining NewsBank, Ross was the Interactive
Marketing Director at WorldVitalRecords.com, a FamilyLink.com company and held multiple
positions at Ancestry.com, including Self-Publishing Sr. Marketing Manager, Sr. Cross-Sell
Manager and E-Marketing Campaign Manager. Ross holds an Interactive Marketing
Communications Certificate from the University of Utah and B.S. in Accounting from Brigham
Young University.
Short Abstract with Learning Objectives (50 words or less):
Attendees will learn how to research the massive collection of obituaries (projected 500+ million
obituaries in the US) with over 414 million current obituary family history names that are currently
being indexed and published through the partnership of FamilySearch and NewsBank (the parent
company of ObitsArchive.com).
I will show expert tips in how to research Newspaper Obituaries and provide examples that tell the
stories of people’s lives with a “treasure trove” of precious family information “locked away” in
obituaries. Obituaries, unlike any other resource, have the ability to add incredible dimensions to an
individual’s family history research. The unique life stories written, dates documented, and
generations of family members mentioned are often only found within an obituary.
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Long Session Description (200 words or less):
Attendees will learn how to research the massive collection of obituaries (projected 500+ million
obituaries in the US) with over 414 million current obituary family history names that are currently
being indexed and published through the partnership of FamilySearch and NewsBank (the parent
company of ObitsArchive.com).
Obituaries tell the stories of people’s lives with a “treasure trove” of precious family information
“locked away” in newspapers. Obituaries, unlike any other resource, have the ability to add
incredible dimensions to an individual’s family history research. The unique life stories written,
dates documented, and generations of family members mentioned are often only found within an
obituary. The average obituary can contain the names of over ten family members of the deceased –
parents, spouse, siblings, children, grandchildren and other relatives and friends.
We will detail how to research obituaries and show examples of the number of relationships, the
multi-generational family tree and illustrate the stories behind the names. We will demonstrate
that through the power of Obituaries, genealogists can find clues that will overcome the brick walls
they have in their genealogical research. Examples will be taken from FamilySearch and
ObitsArchive.com Current and Historical Obituary collections.
Speaker:
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Ross L. Allred, Director, ObitsArchive.com
Previous Speaking Engagement at RootsTech 2015 with corresponding Scores and Ranking:
Title: RT1913 The Future of Genealogy – Indexed Obituaries: Learn How FamilySearch and
GenealogyBank Have Partnered in Creating an Indexed Obituary Collection
Session Time: 2015-02-12 16:30:00
Attendee Survey Score (1-5 scale, 5 being “Extremely Satisfied”): 4.40
Mobile App Score (1-5 scale, 5 being “Extremely Satisfied”): 4.38
Overall Class Ranking: 82 out of 191
Daily Class Ranking: 27 out of 70
Room Size: 400
Estimated Room Count: 261
Your Class Scored in the Top Ten Favorite Classes for Thursday: Yes
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Speaker contact:
ObitsArchive.com,
Division of NewsBank, inc.
Ross L. Allred
506 Birchbark Court
Seneca, SC 29672
Phone: 864.888.4690
Email: rallred@obitsarchive.com
Conference contact:
GenealogyBank.com,
Division of NewsBank, inc.
Scott Spencer
65 W. University Parkway Suite 65
Orem, UT 84057
Phone: 801.616.4601
Email: sspencer@genealogybank.com
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