About the Database
The obituary index may have been started in the late 19th or early 20th century by staff and volunteers of the Historical Society of New Mexico at the Palace of the Governors. Not until the 1930s, however, have serious efforts been put into adding obituary notices. Since then, updates to this obituary index have been made by volunteers of the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library.
USERS should keep in mind that
- Database entries officially end on 31 December 2005.
- Entries up to the 1940s cover areas beyond Albuquerque and Santa Fe and include several New Mexico newspapers.
- Entries since the 1950s/1960s cover primarily the Santa Fe area and are based on the Santa Fe New Mexican with occasional entries for famous New Mexicans elsewhere.
- The index was prepared and maintained manually by volunteers. It is not a complete index. If you cannot find an entry for a person of interest to you, do not assume an obituary notice does not exist. You will need to take additional steps to verify the existence of an obituary.