Finding a specific notice in the Albany Times Union obituaries used to mean getting ink on your fingers. You’d sit at the kitchen table, flip past the Metro section, and scan those tiny, dense columns of text. Today, it’s mostly digital, but the way people search for them—and try to post them—is actually kind of a mess if you don't know the shortcuts.
Honesty time: most of us only look at the obits when we absolutely have to. Maybe it's for a genealogy project or, more likely, because someone we cared about is gone. It’s heavy stuff.
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The Albany Times Union has been the "paper of record" for the Capital Region since the 1850s. That is a massive amount of history. If you’re looking for someone who passed away in Troy, Schenectady, or Saratoga in the last 30 years, you’ve got a good shot at finding them online. If you're going back further, things get... complicated.
Why Searching for Albany Times Union Obituaries Can Be a Headache
People assume everything is on Google. It’s not. While the Albany Times Union obituaries are archived, the digital trail is split into different "buckets."
If the person passed away recently—say, within the last decade—you’ll likely find them on Legacy.com. The Times Union, like many Hearst-owned papers, partners with Legacy to host their modern notices. You can search by name, date range, or even high school. It’s pretty slick. You can even leave a digital candle or a note in the guestbook.
But what if you're looking for a Great-Aunt who died in 1974?
Legacy won't help you there. For the old stuff, you have to dig into the actual newspaper archives. The Times Union's own digital archive typically goes back to 1986 for full-text articles, but for the actual scanned images of the old pages, you’re looking at services like GenealogyBank or NewsBank.
- 1993 to Present: Usually available through the TU's website or standard search engines.
- 1986 to 1992: Often text-only, meaning you might miss the photo that was in the paper.
- Pre-1986: You need specialized historical databases or a trip to the Albany Public Library to look at microfilm. (Yes, microfilm still exists and it’s still annoying to use).
The "Hidden" Costs of Saying Goodbye
Let’s talk about the part nobody likes: the price.
Kinda sucks to think about, but publishing a notice in the Albany Times Union obituaries isn't cheap. I've seen families get sticker shock. The Times Union uses a "per-line" rate.
Basically, the longer the life story, the bigger the bill.
If you want to include a photo, expect to tack on at least an extra $50. If you want it to run for multiple days, the costs climb fast. However, there’s a little-known "deal" they usually run: if you buy two days of publication, you often get the third day for free. It’s a weird thing to call a "buy-two-get-one," but it helps the community see the notice longer without doubling the price.
Most people let the funeral home handle the submission. It’s easier. The funeral director has a portal and knows the deadlines. But you can do it yourself through the Hearst "EzAds" portal. If you do it yourself, you get to see a real-time preview of how much it's going to cost before you hit "submit."
Common Mistakes People Make
I’ve seen plenty of families realize there’s a typo after the paper has gone to press. It’s heartbreaking.
Because the Times Union has strict print deadlines—usually a day or two in advance—you have a very narrow window to fix mistakes. If you notice an error at 9:00 PM the night before it prints, you might be out of luck for the physical paper.
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- Missing the Service Info: People get so caught up in the biography that they forget to put the time of the wake.
- Spelling Names Wrong: It sounds impossible, but in the fog of grief, it’s easy to swap a letter in a grandson’s name.
- The "In Lieu of Flowers" Link: If you’re asking for donations to a local charity like the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, double-check that the URL works.
How to Actually Find What You Need
If you’re doing research right now, here is the most effective way to navigate the Albany Times Union obituaries without wasting three hours:
First, try a simple search for "Name + Albany Times Union + Obituary." If that fails, go directly to the TU’s Legacy page.
If you’re a subscriber to the paper, you actually get free access to their archives back to 1985. Use that. Don't pay for a third-party site if you already pay for the paper.
If you are looking for someone from the "Knickerbocker News" (the TU’s old afternoon sister paper that folded in 1988), those records are often bundled in the same archives now. It's all under one roof since the merger.
Actionable Steps for Your Search
- Check the Albany Public Library: They have the "Heritage Hub" and "New York State Historic Newspapers" databases for free if you have a library card.
- Verify the Date: If you aren't sure of the exact death date, search a range of three days before and after. Papers sometimes take a day or two to process a notice.
- Search by Initials: In the early 20th century, many women were listed under their husband's names (e.g., "Mrs. John Smith"). It’s frustrating, but that's how the records were kept.
- Save the URL: If you find a modern obituary on Legacy, bookmark it. These pages are permanent, and they become a digital memorial that family members can visit years later.
The Albany Times Union obituaries are more than just a list of the deceased; they are the literal diary of the Capital Region. Whether you're looking for a veteran's service record or just trying to find out where a wake is being held on Central Ave, knowing where to look saves a lot of unnecessary stress during a time when you probably have enough on your plate.