Research Guides @ Fordham: Biographical Research: Time Period & Obituaries

Time Period

Renaissance and Reformation, 1500-1620 by Jo Eldridge Carney
Call Number: (RH) CT759 .R46
Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001.

Brief biographical articles with historic analysis. Includes a chronology, as well indices for discipline and country.
A to Z of Greek and Roman Women by Marjorie Lightman; Benjamin Lightman
Call Number: (LC RH) Ref HQ1136 .L54
New York: Facts On File, 2008.

Brief biographical profiles with bibliographies. Period maps included for reference.
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E.- 618 C.E. by Sue Wiles (Editor); Lily Xiao Hong Lee (Editor)
Call Number: (RH) Ref HQ1767.5.A3 B56.
Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 2007.

Brief authored biographies with bibliographies.

Obituaries & Necrologies

Obituaries , or public death notices, are an excellent source for biographical information on an individual. Obituaries of very famous people may include anecdotes and quotations, and provide a cultural perspective on an individuals’ life. Obituaries of less well known people will only contain a minimal amount of information.

Search local newspapers and magazines for obituaries of less well known individuals.

Search the library catalog with the keywords (necrology or obituaries) to find specialized indexes of people who have died.

Newspapers Online
A list of newspaper databases owned by Fordham. Search using the personal name of the individual and the keyword obituary, or limit by the document type: obituary. Make sure you select a database that covers newspapers for the appropriate time period. There are online databases for both current and historic newspapers.
New York Times Obituaries Index. 1858-1968 & 1969-1978.
Call Number: (LC RH) Ref CT213.N47.
New York: New York Times, 1970 & 1980.

This Index can be used for accessing New York Times microfilm and the Historical New York Times database. Also available online via Historical New York Times (ProQuest) .
Silent Film Necrology by Eugene Michael
Call Number: (RH) Ref N1998.2 .V38.
Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001.

Contains very brief profiles of actors, directors, executives, cinematographers, stunt performers, publicists, composers, inventors, and other figures from the U.S. silent film era.
Life and Death in a Venetian Convent: the Chronicle and Necrology of Corpus Domini, 1395-1436 by Sister Bartolomea Riccoboni; Daniel Ethan Bornstein (Editor, Translator)
Call Number: (RH) BX4337.5.V46 R53
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

A history of the convent and reflections on the lives and deaths of the nuns who served there.

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