When you die, what do you want to be said about you? In an obituary, there is an option for loved ones to write great memories about you. Most times, it’s the same “so and so was a loving person and he/she is survived by so and so.” If you’re like me and enjoy reading strangers’ obituaries, keep reading so we can learn about the history of these newspaper memorials.

Obituary comes from the Latin word “obit” which means death. These have been used since the 16th century, but it wasn’t until the 18th century that people started using more detailed writing. Historically, they have only been written about celebrities, royalty, soldiers, etc. but now you can write them about your sweet, old grandma who worked at the library all her life.

These notices were to honor people and let the local population know when someone of higher importance passed away. They are still used for the purpose but families can put their loved ones in just to leave a message or share the generosity and life of the deceased. Some people even leave poems.

I find myself looking at all of the obituaries on MassLive or on GazetteNet. I’m not sure why, but I have always found them interesting. I am sure I would have found the obits in the 1880’s a little more interesting since they were into “death journalism”. That was when they would post the morbid details on the death of the person. I know it sounds weird that I would enjoy reading about it, but we all have something different about us.

According to the Funeral Information Society, The New York Times started Theodore Roosevelt’s obituary with a “description of a blood clot that detached itself from a vein and entered the lungs.” Think about reading that on a Saturday morning while eating your eggs and bacon.

Many times as I read what are called the “common man” obituaries, I just read them because I like to learn about people. I love learning people’s life stories and even if they don’t have a lot of information or background, just knowing the year they were born says a lot to me.

Sometimes I catch myself making up scenarios just to make it interesting but if I find someone who was born in October 1929, I like to think about how their parents kept them fed through the beginning of the Great Depression. Or if someone was built in the early 1940’s right before the end of World War 2, I often think about if their family came from somewhere else to be safe or were they Americans. Was that person a son or a daughter of a soldier who fought?

I don’t know why, but that is the biggest thing I find interesting about obituaries. I guess I have always been curious to learn about people and how obituaries got started. I decided to research and share some quick information with you!