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Finding a specific obituary isn't just about dates. Honestly, when you start looking into Cummings and Davis Funeral Home obituaries, you aren't just searching for a digital record or a piece of paper. You're looking for a person’s footprint in the East Cleveland community. It's about legacy.
For over 80 years, this institution has stood on Euclid Avenue. It's a landmark. Because of that longevity, their archives are basically a localized encyclopedia of Cleveland’s African American history. If you've lived in the Heights or anywhere near the East Side, you know the name. You’ve likely walked through those doors for a viewing or a homegoing service at some point.
Where to Actually Find Cummings and Davis Funeral Home Obituaries Today
Let's get practical. If you need a recent record, your first stop is almost always their official website. They use a standard digital tribute wall. It’s pretty straightforward. You’ll see the photo, the service details, and a place to leave "condolences" or light a virtual candle.
But here is the thing people miss.
The digital archives on funeral home websites usually only go back about 15 to 20 years. If you are doing genealogy or looking for a great-uncle who passed in the 1970s, that search bar on the homepage is going to fail you. It’s frustrating. You type the name, hit enter, and get "No results found." That doesn’t mean the record doesn’t exist; it just means it hasn't been digitized into their current web platform.
For those older Cummings and Davis Funeral Home obituaries, you have to pivot. The Cleveland Public Library is your best friend here. They maintain the Cleveland Necrology File. It’s an incredible resource that indexes death notices from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Press, and the Cleveland Call and Post. Since Cummings and Davis has historically served the Black community, the Call and Post archives are a goldmine.
The Difference Between a Death Notice and an Obituary
People use these terms interchangeably. They shouldn't.
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A death notice is that tiny, paid snippet in the newspaper. It’s functional. It tells you the time, the place, and the funeral home handling arrangements—in this case, Cummings and Davis. An obituary is the story. It’s the narrative of the person's life, their education, their church membership at somewhere like Olivet Institutional Baptist or Shiloh Baptist, and their Masonic ties.
When you find a full obituary from this funeral home, you often find a detailed list of survivors. This is how you break through "brick walls" in family research.
Why This Specific Funeral Home has Such a Deep Archive
Succession matters in the funeral business. Cummings and Davis isn't just a random business; it's a multi-generational pillar. Founded in 1933 by William Cummings and later joined by the Davis family, it has stayed at 13201 Euclid Ave for decades.
Why does this matter for your search?
Because they kept records. Unlike smaller "mom and pop" parlors that might have closed down and lost their files when the owners retired, Cummings and Davis has a continuous line of operation. This means their internal "arrangement folders" are potentially still accessible for family members who can prove kinship. These folders often contain more than what was printed in the paper—sometimes there are copies of the actual printed programs from the service.
If you’ve ever been to a Black funeral in Cleveland, you know the "program" is a keepsake. It’s a multi-page booklet. It has photos, poems, and a detailed biography. Sometimes, the only way to find these is to contact the funeral home directly, though you should be prepared to be patient. They are a working business, not a library.
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Common Mistakes When Searching for Cleveland Obituaries
Spelling kills a search. Seriously.
I’ve seen people spend hours looking for "Cummings" without the "g" or "Davis" with an "e." Also, consider the nicknames. In the obituaries handled by Cummings and Davis, it’s very common for a person to be listed by a formal name like "Willie Mae" but everyone knew her as "Sister." If you can't find the record under the formal name, try searching by the last name and the year of death only.
Another tip: search by the address of the funeral home. If you search for "13201 Euclid Ave" in newspaper archives like GenealogyBank or Newspapers.com, you might find the death notice even if the name was misspelled in the digital scan.
The Cultural Impact of the Homegoing Service
You can't talk about Cummings and Davis Funeral Home obituaries without acknowledging the "Homegoing" tradition. This is a specific cultural celebration of life. The obituaries reflect this. They aren't just dry lists of facts. They are often written with a high level of dignity and spiritual focus.
Often, these records mention specific civic organizations. Did the deceased belong to the Elks? Were they part of the NAACP Cleveland Branch? Were they a powerhouse in the local democratic precinct? Cummings and Davis has handled the services for many of Cleveland's local leaders and everyday heroes alike. Finding these records helps piece together the social fabric of neighborhoods like Glenville, Hough, and East Cleveland.
Digital Tools to Streamline Your Search
- Legacy.com: Most modern notices from Cummings and Davis feed into this aggregator. It's good for the last 15 years.
- African American Genealogical Society of Cleveland (AAGSC): These folks are experts. They know the Cummings and Davis records better than anyone. They often hold workshops at the Collinwood or Langston Hughes library branches.
- Find A Grave: Often, a volunteer will upload a photo of the Cummings and Davis funeral program directly to a person's memorial page. It’s a shortcut worth checking.
How to Request Information from the Funeral Home
If you are a direct descendant and you can’t find what you need online, you can call them. But don’t just ask for "information."
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Be specific.
Ask if they have a record of the service date and the cemetery. Most of their clients are interred at Lake View Cemetery, Highland Park, or Riverside. Knowing the cemetery can lead you to the stone, and the stone often has the dates you need to find the obituary in the newspaper.
It’s also worth noting that many families choose to keep their loved one's tribute private or limited to a small printed program. In those cases, a public obituary might not even exist. You'd be surprised how often a family skips the newspaper notice because of the high cost of print advertising these days.
Moving Forward with Your Research
Start with the name and a five-year date range. If the person passed recently, check the Cummings and Davis website first. If it's been more than twenty years, head to the Cleveland Public Library’s digital portal or the Western Reserve Historical Society.
If you are looking for a physical copy of a funeral program, check with the East Cleveland Public Library. They have a local history room that occasionally receives donations of funeral programs from local residents. It’s a hit-or-miss strategy, but when it hits, it’s like finding gold.
Gather all the names of the "survivors" listed in the record once you find it. This allows you to cross-reference and find other family members who might have more photos or documents. Document the church mentioned in the obituary as well; church anniversary booklets often feature "In Memoriam" sections that provide even more context than the funeral home record itself.
Once you find the date of death, check the Cleveland Call and Post archives specifically. This publication often carried more detailed accounts of the lives of Black Clevelanders than the mainstream dailies. You might find a photo there that isn't available anywhere else. This is the real work of history—one name at a time.