Newspapers and Obituaries | Wilmette Public Library

Local Newspapers at Wilmette Public Library

Wilmette Life

1923-1939 - Online: Browse full issues or Search indexed articles (Note: many issues of 1923 and 1925 are missing)

1923-2013 - Microfilm (in-library use only)

1949-present - Online index: Search for citations of obituaries and select news articles; full text available on microfilm or by asking a librarian.

1995-present - Online: Browse or search text-only articles through the Chicago Community Collection (in-library or at home with Wilmette Library Card)

2008-present - Online: Browse or search full issues in color (in-library only).

Current issues - Paper: current issue and latest three weeks in the periodicals room; current year in storage (in-library use only).

Wilmette Beacon

2011-2020 - Online index: Search for citations of obituaries and select news articles; full text available in-library or by asking a librarian.

2011-2020 - Online: Browse or search full issues in color (in-library only).

Lake Shore News

1912-1923 - Online: Browse full issues or Search indexed articles. (Note: many issues are missing.)

1912-1923 - Microfilm (in-library use only; many issues are missing)

Local News

1898-1916 - Online: Browse full issues or search indexed articles. (Note: many issues are missing.)

1898-1916 - Microfilm (in-library use only; many issues are missing.)

Evanston Press

1890 and 1894 - Online index: Search indexed obituaries and articles. (Note: full transcriptions are often available; many issues are missing.)

Note: Microfilm is not available at the Wilmette Library. The Wilmette Historical Museum has copies of this newspaper on microfilm and in paper for the years 1890, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1905.

Searching for Obituaries in Local Wilmette Newspapers

Search for obituaries in our online index. Select “Newspapers” as media type. Some full-text obituaries available online. Contact the library for the complete text if not included.

Note: For best results, try your search in several ways. For example, searching for "John Martin" obituary will bring up different results from John Martin obituary without the quotation marks.

Online Obituary index currently covers:

Wilmette Life: 1923-1939 and 1949-present (some missing issues from 1923 and 1925)
Wilmette Beacon: 2011-2020

Lake Shore News: 1912-1923 (some missing issues)
Local News: 1898-1916 (many missing issues)
Evanston Press: 1890 and 1894 (many missing issues)

For obituaries published between 1940 and 1949, consult the microfilm in the library's Reference Room or contact the library for assistance. We are currently working on indexing this time period.

For obituaries published between 1995 and the present, you can also try searching in the Chicago Community Collection, which includes local newspapers such as Wilmette Life, Winnetka Talk, Evanston Review, Skokie Review, Chicago Sun-Times, and more. (Available in-library or at home with a Wilmette library card.)

Newspaper & Obituary resources

Ancestry.com

Ancestry is a genealogy database that allows patrons to research their family history.

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Chicago Community Collection

Explore news coverage from more than 270 daily and weekly Chicagoland-area sources, including major titles such as the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald, plus a wealth of community and regional news sources.

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