Definitely, small towns vs. cities like Houston yield different problems and search techniques. To find funeral homes in a large city such as Houston, use the City Directories .... they will yield more than you think. Listings of funeral homes, cemeteries, newspapers, etc. for the time period you are interested in. For a list of funeral homes in Houston & Harris County, that date back into the 1880s and early 1900s, check out "At Rest: A Historical Directory of Harris County, Texas, Cemeteries (1822-2001) Including Burial Customs and Other Interesting Facts, With a Listing of Past and Present Communities, Funeral Home and Monument Companies." 1st Edition 1994; 2nd Edition 2001, 3rd edition, 2010, enlarged from 307 to 509 cross-indexed listings. Compiled by Trevia Wooster Beverly (Tejas Publications & Research, Houston, 2001). RE Obituaries, remember that early newspapers did not always have "columns" such as we do today. You need to watch for various headings such as Sexton Reports, Funerals, Deaths, etc. - and remember that sometimes they were placed individually in areas of the newspaper that was filled with other events ..... and are often found in the Classified section because they were paid for and considered such. ~ Trevia Trevia Wooster Beverly Houston, Texas 713-864-6862 Association of Professional Genealogists - http://www.apgen.org/ (Conference Coordinator) Angelina College Genealogy Conference - http://www.angelina.edu/genealogy/genealogy.html Harris County Historical Commission (1995-) - http://www.historicalcommission.hctx.net/ -----Original Message-----