Losing someone is hard enough without having to wrestle with a clunky website or a confusing newspaper archive. Honestly, if you're looking for times news lehighton pa obituaries, you've probably noticed that the process isn't always as straightforward as a quick Google search. Whether you are trying to find a service time for a friend or digging into your family’s coal-country roots, the "Times News" (headquartered in Lehighton but serving all of Carbon County) is the record of truth for this pocket of Pennsylvania.
Most people assume everything is just "online" these days. It’s not. Finding a specific notice from 1985 is a whole different beast than finding one from last Tuesday.
Where the Records Actually Live
If you need a recent obituary—meaning something from the last few years—your best bet is the partnership between the Times News and Legacy.com. Basically, the paper feeds their daily death notices into the Legacy platform. It’s convenient because you can search by name, date range, or even keyword.
But here is the thing: Legacy is great for the "now," but it’s hit-or-miss for the "then."
If you are looking for older times news lehighton pa obituaries, you have to understand the paper's history. This isn't just one small-town rag. It started as the Mauch Chunk Daily Times back in 1883. Over decades, it absorbed the Lansford Record and the Tamaqua Evening Courier. If your relative lived in Jim Thorpe (formerly Mauch Chunk) or Summit Hill in the 1950s, their obituary might be under a different masthead entirely, even though it’s all part of the same lineage now owned by Pencor Services.
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Digital vs. Physical Search
- The Website (tnonline.com): The official site has an "Obituaries" section under the News tab. It's fine for the current week.
- Legacy.com: This is where the searchable database lives for recent years.
- The Lehighton Office: Located at 594 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive West. If you’re a local, sometimes just walking in or calling (610-377-2051) is faster than clicking through broken links.
- Microfilm: For the serious genealogists, the Lehighton Area Memorial Library or the Carbon County Historical Society are the real MVPs. They hold the microfilm that the internet hasn't swallowed yet.
How to Post an Obituary (The No-Nonsense Way)
Maybe you aren't searching; maybe you're the one who has to write the notice. It’s a heavy task. The times news lehighton pa obituaries desk has specific rules that catch people off guard.
First, the cost. It isn't free. Prices usually start around $70 for a basic notice, but they scale quickly based on word count. If you want to include a photo—and you should, because it helps people recognize their old neighbors—that adds to the bill.
You can submit directly through the "Submit Obituary" form on the Times News website. You’ll need the name of the deceased, the funeral home handling the arrangements (they usually verify the death to prevent hoaxes), and the text itself.
Pro tip: Don't forget to mention the "Coal Region" connections. People in Lehighton, Palmerton, and Tamaqua read these notices religiously. If the deceased was a member of the American Legion Post 314 or spent forty years at the New Jersey Zinc Company, put it in there. That's how the community connects.
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Common Mistakes When Searching
I see this all the time: people search for "John Smith Lehighton" and get zero results. Why? Because the times news lehighton pa obituaries cover a massive footprint. Your "Lehighton" relative might have actually passed away in a nursing home in Coaldale or been buried in a family plot in Weissport.
Try searching by the funeral home name if the person's name is too common. Local staples like the Schaeffer Funeral Home or Ovsak Funeral Home often keep their own digital archives which can be a back-door way to find the info you need.
Also, check the spelling of the town. Is it Lehighton or Mahoning Township? Is it Jim Thorpe or was the record filed under Mauch Chunk? Dates matter too. In the old days, the paper didn't print on Sundays, so a Saturday death might not show up until Monday or Tuesday.
Why This Paper Still Matters
In a world of Facebook and "digital memorials," the times news lehighton pa obituaries remain the official record for Carbon County. It’s the place where the local fire companies see who they’ve lost and where high school classmates from fifty years ago reconnect.
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It’s more than just a list of names. It’s a map of who we were.
If you’re stuck and can’t find a specific record from the mid-20th century, don't give up. The Carbon County Historical Society in Jim Thorpe is a goldmine. They have volunteers who actually know these family trees. Sometimes a physical trip to the archives beats a digital search every time.
Actionable Steps for Your Search:
- Check Legacy.com first for anything after 2005. It’s the fastest way to get a result.
- Use the "Advanced Search" to broaden your location to "Carbon County" rather than just "Lehighton."
- Call the Lehighton Area Memorial Library if you are looking for anything pre-1990; they can guide you toward the right microfilm reel.
- Verify with the funeral home. If the obituary isn't appearing in the paper yet, the funeral home's website almost always has the "condolences" page live within hours.
- Save a digital copy. If you find the obituary, take a screenshot or print it to a PDF immediately. Links on local news sites have a habit of breaking during "site upgrades."