Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia
liveAn index of obituaries in Western Australian newspapers, newsletters and journals from the mid-1800s to the early 2010s, created by State Library of Western Australia staff between 1997 and 2014. Each row carries the library's record number, the obituary's title and summary, subject headings that name the person with their years of birth and death, the year it was printed, the publication, the volume, date and page reference, and links to the entry and its source on the library catalogue.
Also called: Obituaries indexed by State Library of WA, SLWA obituary index, Western Australian newspaper obituaries index.
- What is in each row?
- One obituary the State Library of Western Australia indexed, with its title, a short summary, the subject headings for the person, the year it was printed, the newspaper, newsletter or journal it appeared in, the volume, date and page, and links to the library catalogue record.
- Is the obituary text included?
- No. Each row is an index entry that points to where the obituary was printed. The full text is in the publication the row names, held by the library.
- Is the record number unique?
- No. A few record numbers appear on more than one row in the published file, so rows are kept as published and no key is declared.
- Will it grow?
- Library staff created the records between 1997 and 2014, and the file was last changed in January 2021. This site checks it for changes and adds a dated version if it changes.
Made for agents
Connect your AI agent
Any agent that connects to publicdata.au/mcp can find this dataset, read its 10 fields, count and filter across all 10,561 rows and diff its versions. Every answer names the version and carries State Library of WA's attribution. No key.
Then ask it: What does Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia hold, and what changed in the newest version?
claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcpOne command. No key, no account, no sign-up.
Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and paste https://publicdata.au/mcp.
On the web and in the desktop app.
https://publicdata.au/mcpStreamable HTTP. Cursor, VS Code or any client that connects to a remote MCP server.
Using https://publicdata.au/llms.txt, how many people died on Queensland roads in 2025, by month?For an assistant that reads the web and has no connector.
A dashboard over every row. Click to filter, add panels, share a link or embed a frame.
Query APIFilter and count from a URLaggregate?group=original_source_of_obituary&metric=count
Obituaries by publication: 1,572 West Australian., 714 The Western Methodist., 666 The Sunday times., 555 The West Australian craftsman..
Download it as Excel, CSV, JSON and 6 more formats
Pick a format and a version. Excel is picked first because it opens in the tools most offices have. The URL is yours to keep. A dated version never changes.
In your own tools
Use it in Excel, R, Python and more
Excel and Power BI read the CSV from its address and refresh from it. The R and Python packages take any dataset on this site by its slug, so a new dataset needs no new release. The DuckDB file attaches read-only over HTTPS, and a query reads only the blocks it touches.
The dated URL in the code never changes. https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/latest/ redirects to the newest version.
https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/latest/data.csvIn Excel choose Data, then From Web, and paste this address. Excel keeps it, so Refresh All reads the newest version. A sheet holds about a million rows; past that, load the query to the Data Model.
https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/latest/data.csvIn Power BI Desktop choose Get data, then Web, paste this address and choose Anonymous when asked how to sign in. A scheduled refresh reads the same address, so the report follows each new version.
library(publicdataau)
df <- pd_read("wa-slwa-obituaries-index")
pd_attribution(df)install.packages("publicdataau"). pd_read() fetches the version's Parquet file; pd_rows() and pd_aggregate() ask the query API instead, and pd_connect() attaches the DuckDB file.
import publicdata_au as pd_au
df = pd_au.read("wa-slwa-obituaries-index")
df.attrs["publicdata"]["attribution"]pip install "publicdata-au[pandas]". read() fetches the version's Parquet file; rows() and aggregate() ask the query API, and connect() attaches the DuckDB file.
INSTALL httpfs; LOAD httpfs;
ATTACH 'https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/v/2021-01-14/data.duckdb' AS wa_slwa_obituaries_index (READ_ONLY);
SELECT record_obit, count(*) FROM wa_slwa_obituaries_index.records GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY 2 DESC;The DuckDB file attaches read-only over HTTPS and only the blocks a query touches are read. Parquet works the same way: FROM read_parquet(url).
const res = await fetch("https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/aggregate?group=original_source_of_obituary&metric=count");
const { rows, publicdata } = await res.json();
console.log(rows, publicdata.attribution);The query API answers a page on any site as well as Node, with no key. It returns the rows and the attribution the licence asks for.
What is in it
Column names are made snake_case and the publisher's original header is kept beside each one. Blank cells are null. Nothing is added, removed, ranked or summarised.
| Field | Type | Publisher's header | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| record_obit | string | RECORD # Obit | The library catalogue record number of the index entry. |
| title | string | TITLE | |
| summary | string | SUMMARY | |
| subjects | string | SUBJECTS | Library subject headings, separated by a tilde as published. |
| date | string | Date | Mostly a four-digit year, as the publisher typed it. A few rows carry a full date or are blank. |
| original_source_of_obituary | string | Original source of Obituary | |
| reference_for_obituary | string | Reference for Obituary | Volume, issue, date, page and library call number as published. |
| record_source_of_obit | string | Record # source of obit | |
| link_to_obit_entry_on_slwa_catalogue | string | Link to Obit entry on SLWA catalogue | |
| link_to_source_of_obit_on_slwa_catalogue | string | Link to Source of Obit on SLWA catalogue |
Download this table as a data dictionary (Excel), or read it as a Frictionless Table Schema at schema.json.
The first 10 rows
From the latest version, in the publisher's order, with every field. A blank cell is shown as null.
| record_obit | title | summary | subjects | date | original_source_of_obituary | reference_for_obituary | record_source_of_obit | link_to_obit_entry_on_slwa_catalogue | link_to_source_of_obit_on_slwa_catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b17255326 | Obituary of John Coker. | Mt. Walker pioneer. 7/10/1904-31/5/1995. Born Wycombe, UK. | Mount Walker Region (W.A.) -- Biography. -- Biography.~"Coker, John, 1904-1995." | 1995 | The fence post. | Vol. 8, no. 50 (12/7/1995), p. 14-16, 994.12 | b11427747 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725532 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1142774 |
| b17255739 | Farewell Jack Clarke. | Obituary of former East Fremantle footballer and farmer. | Clarke, Jack, 1931-1997.~"Australian football players -- Western Australia -- East Fremantle."~"Farmers -- Western Aust… | 1997 | Farm weekly. | Vol. 88, no.3805 (10 April 1997) p. 18, Q630.9941 FAR | b16163461 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725573 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1616346 |
| b17255776 | Elsie Amelia Ralston, 1912-1997. | Obituary. | Ralston, Elsie Amelia, 1912-1997. | 1997 | The Tammin tabloid. | 24 Apr. 1997, p.7-8, 994.12/TAM | b15916479 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725577 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1591647 |
| b17256124 | Harry Verdun Beeck. | Obituary of Harry Verbun Beeck, manager Royal Aero Club, 1947-1972. | Beeck, Harry Verdun.~"Royal Aero Club of Western Australia." | 1997 | Tarmac topics : the monthly journal of the Aero Club of Western Australia (Inc.). | May 1997, p.11, 620 TAR | b11438551 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725612 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1143855 |
| b17256616 | Thomas Arney Hick | Obituary. | Hick, Thomas Arney, 1915-1997. | 1997 | The Denmark bulletin. | No. 432 (April 25 1997), p. 9, 994.12 | b1142655x | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725661 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1142655 |
| b17256641 | William Heinrich George Ruhen. | Obituary. | Ruhen, Bill, 1908-1997. | 1997 | The Denmark bulletin. | 25 April 1997, p.9, 994.12 | b1142655x | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725664 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1142655 |
| b17257414 | Lorne Richter - a trotting gentleman. | Obituary of well known Perth trotting trainer/driver. Died 9 January 1997. | Harness racing -- Western Australia -- Perth -- Biography.~"Richter, Lorne, d. 1997." | 1997 | Wes-trot : official organ of the Western Australian Trotting Association. | Feb. 1997, p.24, 798.46 WES | b15243047 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725741 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1524304 |
| b17257426 | Vale Geoff Scrivener. | Obituary. Born May 1913, grew up Bassendean. Died January 1997. Long time WA Trotting Association member. | Scrivener, Geoff, 1913-1997. | 1997 | Wes-trot : official organ of the Western Australian Trotting Association. | February 1997, p.24, 798.46 WES | b15243047 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725742 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1524304 |
| b17257438 | Veronica Hayes - she did so much in such a short time. | Obituary of Perth trotting owner, trainer and driver. Died aged 26. | Harness racing -- Western Australia -- Perth -- Biography.~"Hayes, Veronica, 1951-1997." | 1997 | Wes-trot : official organ of the Western Australian Trotting Association. | February 1997, p.16, 798.46 WES | b15243047 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725743 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1524304 |
| b1725744x | Bill (Boodie) Morton. | Obituary of Collie trotting identity. | Harness racing -- Western Australia -- Collie -- Biography.~"Morton, Bill."~"Morton, Boodie." | 1997 | Wes-trot : official organ of the Western Australian Trotting Association. | Feb. 1997, p.23, 798.46 WES | b15243047 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725744 | https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1524304 |
The first row as JSON
As it appears in data.json.
GET https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/latest/data.json
{
"record_obit": "b17255326",
"title": "Obituary of John Coker.",
"summary": "Mt. Walker pioneer. 7/10/1904-31/5/1995. Born Wycombe, UK.",
"subjects": "Mount Walker Region (W.A.) -- Biography. -- Biography.~\"Coker, John, 1904-1995.\"",
"date": "1995",
"original_source_of_obituary": "The fence post.",
"reference_for_obituary": "Vol. 8, no. 50 (12/7/1995), p. 14-16, 994.12",
"record_source_of_obit": "b11427747",
"link_to_obit_entry_on_slwa_catalogue": "https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1725532",
"link_to_source_of_obit_on_slwa_catalogue": "https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1142774"
}
Query it without downloading
The query API returns only the rows you ask for, as JSON, NDJSON or CSV, from the same typed rows as the files. It needs no key. Build a query here and run it, then copy the URL or the code into your own work.
How filters work
Each filter is field=operator.value in the query string, and every filter must match. A number or date field compares as a number or date, and a text field compares as text. Values are case-sensitive except with ilike. Prefix not. to negate a filter, as not.eq.value.
| Operator | What it matches |
|---|---|
| eq.value | Equal to the value. |
| neq.value | Not equal to the value. A blank cell does not match. |
| gt.value | Greater than the value. |
| gte.value | Greater than or equal to the value. |
| lt.value | Less than the value. |
| lte.value | Less than or equal to the value. |
| like.*text* | Matches a pattern where * stands for any run of characters. Case-sensitive. |
| ilike.*text* | The same as like, ignoring case. |
| in.(a,b,c) | Equal to any value in the list. A value cannot contain a comma. |
| is.null | Blank in the source, or suppressed by the publisher. |
| Parameter | What it does |
|---|---|
| select | Fields to return, comma-separated. Every field when absent. |
| order | field.asc or field.desc, comma-separated. The publisher's row order when absent. |
| limit | Rows per page, 1 to 10,000. 100 when absent. |
| offset | Rows to skip. The next URL in each answer sets it for you. |
| group | On aggregate, fields to group by, comma-separated. |
| metric | On aggregate, count, sum.field, avg.field, min.field or max.field, comma-separated. count when absent. |
| format | json, ndjson or csv. JSON carries the provenance header, and the others carry it in response headers. |
Without a version the API answers from the newest loaded version, and that answer changes when the publisher releases again. Put versions/<date>/ before rows or aggregate for an answer that never changes. /api/v1/datasets/<slug>/versions lists the loaded versions. The 1 newest version is loaded; versions lists them.
The API allows 60 requests in 10 seconds from one address. Above that it answers 429 for 10 seconds with a Retry-After header, a RateLimit-Policy header and a JSON body that gives the limit. Every API answer carries the same RateLimit-Policy. A client should wait the Retry-After seconds, or read the files, which have no limit. openapi.json describes this dataset's query paths for client generators and agents.
https://publicdata.au/mcp is a remote MCP server over Streamable HTTP with the same tools, defined in the same place, so a tool added to the pages is added here too. It needs no key and no account. The row tools are held to the query API's limit of 60 queries in 10 seconds from one address, and each call is two queries because it also counts the matching rows. Add it to Claude Code with claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcp, add the URL in Claude as a custom connector, or give it to any client that connects to remote MCP servers. Each queryable dataset is also a resource at https://publicdata.au/d/<slug>/fields.json, which lists its fields with their types, the publisher's descriptions, their ranges and the values they hold, so an agent can read a dataset's shape before it writes a query.
What changed
One version for every release the publisher has made since this site started following the dataset. The date is the day the file changed on the portal.
- 2021-01-14 10,561 rows10 fieldscp1252feca267cea2a
versions.json · changes.json · history.tar.zst (791 KB, every version's Parquet and manifest)
Questions
How do I download Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia as a CSV file?
Open https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/latest/data.csv. It redirects to the newest dated version, which is https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/v/2021-01-14/data.csv today. The same path serves Excel, JSON, Parquet, SQLite, DuckDB, NDJSON, Arrow. A dated URL never changes, so use it when the file must stay the same.
Can I open Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia in Excel?
Yes. https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/v/2021-01-14/data.xlsx is a workbook with the 10,561 rows on a records sheet, the field list on a second sheet and the provenance on a third. The CSV also opens in Excel. https://publicdata.au/d/wa-slwa-obituaries-index/v/2021-01-14/data.csv.gz is the CSV at about a tenth of the size.
What years does Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia cover?
The current version covers the years since 1838. Each release from State Library of WA becomes a new dated version here, and earlier versions stay online.
How often is Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia updated?
State Library of WA no longer updates it. This site checks the portal every week and adds a dated version when the file changes.
Can I use Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia commercially?
Yes. CC BY 4.0 allows commercial use, redistribution and derived works as long as the attribution is kept. The attribution string is in this page's side column and inside every file.
Is this the official source for Obituaries index, State Library of Western Australia?
No. The publisher is State Library of Western Australia, and its page is https://catalogue.data.wa.gov.au/dataset/obituaries-indexed-by-state-library-of-wa. This site republishes the publisher's file without changing its content. The original sits beside every version as source.csv with its SHA-256, so the two can be compared.
What this site did to the data. Cells were typed, headers were renamed and the encoding was made UTF-8. Rows were left alone. The publisher's file sits beside every version as source.csv so the change can be checked.