The Southern Indiana & Illinois Obituary Database, searchable at www.browninggenealogy.org, was created in 2007. This database was created by the Browning Family Foundation to provide a service similar to their Browning Genealogy Database (EVPL) for counties surrounding Vanderburgh County. With permission from a multitude of newspaper owners in nearby counties, the Browning Family Foundation scans and indexes obituary information. Thus, obituaries in their original format can be viewed at the Southern Indiana & Illinois Obituary Database site.
Urbanization of America and use of the internet continues at a rapid pace. Smaller communities are at risk of losing knowledge about their occupants and newspapers. The Browning Family Foundation believes documenting the "walks of life" in these communities is crucial to historical preservation. They will continue to document the individual obituaries in these counties to assist in archiving informative glimpses of our heritage.
Southern Indiana & Illinois Obituary Database includes fourteen different counties covering various time periods. Gibson and Posey Counties in Indiana are listed from 1990 through present. White County, Illinois includes 1980 through the present. Knox County, Indiana includes 1973 through 1978 and subsequent thirty-one years in near future. Gallatin County in Illinois details 2003 through 2007, but the Foundation should complete 1950 through 2003 in the next two years. All families served by Browning Funeral Home in Vanderburgh County from 1954 until the present time includes photographs, short biographies, and obituaries where records are available.