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Obituaries

All of the obituaries listed below were referenced while compiling data for the genealogical database. Some of the obituaries listed are linked to transcribed copies of the actual obituaries. It should be noted that any obituaries that were transcribed by the author of this web site will still contain all of the original abbreviations, misspellings, and typographical errors which appeared in the original published versions of the obituaries. The purpose of posting transcribed obituaries to the web is to allow other researchers to see the obituaries in a form which is as close to their original form as possible. This allows the researchers to make their own interpretations of obituary content.

The following list of obitaries referenced during the research is not necessarily complete. This web site should always be regarded as a work in progress. As the research continues, the list grows. And, the web site does not necessarily reflect the current status of the research.

Newspaper obituaries fall under the general classification of "works for hire, or anonymous or pseudonymous works." According to The World Almanac and Book of Facts, such works are covered by copyright law for seventy-five years and become public domain if the works are older than that. The Obituary Project verifies this. Any obituaries published more recently than seventy-five years ago require permission of the respective newspaper before transcribed copies can be made available on the world wide web.

The Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, SD

In about June of 2001, the Argus Leader began the controversial practice of charging a fee for the publication of obituaries. The fee was reported to have been in the neighborhood of a couple hundred dollars, forcing any family with a tight budget to choose the option of not publishing an obituary. In response to this, the free Sioux Falls area's free circular, The Shopping News, started its own free obituary column. The Argus Leader continued to publish less detailed death notices for free; and, these death notices listed only the deceased's name, age, and date of death for the deceased as well as the funeral home contact information. However, the family of the deceased had to pay a fee to publish an obituary containing more detailed biographical information.

If a free death notice was published for an individual, his or her name is marked with an asterisk.

Names; Publication Dates; Pages

The Beresford News, Beresford, SD

Names; Publication Dates

The Beresford Republic, Beresford, SD

On January 24, 2001, the editor of the Beresford Republic was contacted by this web site's author in an effort to obtain permission to post transcribed copies of that paper's more recent obituaries on the web. The newspaper editor expressed concerns about "posting hundreds of obituaries to the web." He also questioned the usefulness of placing any of them on the web in the first place.

However, the editor did give this author permission to post obituaries limited to those for members of the web author's own family. Thus, any copyright protected Beresford Republic obituaries linked below are those of the author's direct ancestors and their siblings. At a future date, it is hoped that obituaries for other individuals listed in the database will be allowed to be posted on the web for reference purposes; but for now, this is not possible.

Names; Publication Dates

The Hawarden Independent, Hawarden, IA

Names; Publication Dates

The Rock Valley Bee, Rock Valley, IA

Names; Publication Dates

Sioux Center News, Sioux Center, IA

Names; Publication Dates

The Sioux Falls Shopping News, Sioux Falls, SD

Names; Publication Dates

Other Newspapers

Copies of obituaries clipped from unknown newspapers have also been used. In some cases, the clippings were found in old family scrap books; and, the newspaper and publication date were never listed. Still, these were used as references; because, they contained useful information.

Names