Listed are indexes and databases designed to help users research Washington death notices.
Washington obituaries are a good way to locate information and fill in gaps in your genealogy records or other types of family history research and documentation. You can search online for this type of data, or you can do it in person. Usually, people have the greatest amount of success with using a combination of the two.
Generally, when conducting this type of search, it is a good idea to have the county the death where may have occurred. Washington is one state that has a fairly extensive statewide database, though. The only negative is that the statewide databases that can be accessed online only seem to go back to about 1891. This one does require a fee. There are two others that are free, but only date back to 1907. There are, of course, indexes broken down by county, but in the Wenatchee area the earliest date is 1880 and this seems to be the earliest date for records in the state.
You can also use the online method to get information for in person searches. If you want, for example, to try searching through libraries, you should get the addresses and contact information. You could also obtain the names of people who may be able to help you and consider emailing any individuals ahead of time. Opening the lines of communication before showing up can establish rapport and possibly get you data you need before you even arrive.
Libraries are usually the best way to find obituaries and similar documentation. If you can gain access to newspapers and microfilm, you can locate old obituaries. The main thing you will need to do is try to locate the county you need to travel to in order to find the records you need. Then, contact the library ahead of time to find out how they keep their records. Some areas house all of that type of data in the main library, while others split it up between different branches. If the data is divided throughout the county, see if you can find out which one may have the info you need. This will help you save time and effort.
If you cannot travel to a certain county, or do not live in Washington, you can still try to gain access to Washington obituaries other ways. First, see if the library has any staff members or volunteers that can help locate and ship data to you. If not, check to see if Washington has genealogist group volunteers. These are people who generally volunteer to do just this type of thing. Either way, try to provide others with as much information as possible to make it easier for them to locate what you need. Washington obituaries can be very helpful to your genealogy records.
There are few places on the map as beautiful as Washington State. Not only is this one of the most ideal climates to live it, it is also one of the most technologically savvy spots on the map. If you are looking for Washington obituaries online, there are several main repositories you can look to. First, check out the Clallam County Genealogical Society for information on obits published in local newspapers that date all the way back to 1891.
This is considered one of the most complete archives in the state. Similarly, the Jefferson County Genealogical Society has a site that contains clippings from 1889 all the way up to 2005. Some of the local newspapers in this state maintain their own listings, including the Kitsap County Auditor. This newspaper serves the entire county and has listings from 1997 onwards.
The website for the Tacoma Public Library is a massive resource that you will have to check out. There are listings that go as far back as the 1930s that have been published in the Tacoma Tribune. Finding Washington obituary records online is easier than you think thanks to these amazing online resources.
Listed are indexes and databases designed to help users research Washington death notices.
By visiting the Tacoma Public Library site online, you'll be able to both learn about and enter a search into the obituaries index. Washington death notices are arranged there so that you can find out whether the clipping is available to be copied for you. If you locate the one you want, a request can then be made by mail for a photocopy.
Below is a list of Washington newspaper obituaries to aid in genealogical research.
When searching for obituaries, sometimes a name is simply not enough information. Maiden names or extremely common ones can sometimes make it hard to find the person you are looking for. Newspapers like the Columbia Basin Herald in Washington include not only the person's name and age, but also a few sentences from their death notice. In many cases, there is actually a small photo included.
Unlike most newspapers, the Daily World of Washington state makes the important distinction between death notices and paid obituaries, but for anyone doing genealogical research or otherwise needing a lot of information about the deceased, the difference is as stark as night and day. After all, obituaries are usually far more detailed than death notices, which simply lists facts such as memorial service information.
Too often smaller towns have poorly organized obituary sections which, while only listing a few individuals in a given day, make it almost impossible to search for exactly what you need. Such newspapers are rarely in alphabetical order. The Ellensberg Daily Record in Washington state, however, recognizes that even though it is small, many still count on it for reliable and easy to access death notices.
Stretching back a considerable span of time, the North Kitsap Herald in Washington state lists obituaries by the date of death, but also contains a convenient search function. Very often death notice pages are limited to the very recently deceased, but this newspaper allows visitors the choice to read the day's posts, or skip directly to the obituary they are interested in.
As convenient as search functions are, they make it very difficult to actually read through most obituary sections like one would any other part of the newspaper. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer combines the necessity of searchable pages with tabs organized by date, so it is easy to both scan the obituaries as well as go directly to the information you need.
The majority of online obituary pages are quite simple, usually based on a thumbnail or search function that allows visitors to navigate the page. Any death notice page, like the Seattle Times, which is geared towards the variety of reasons why people read obituaries is useful in that it works equally well as both a research tool and a community for mourners.
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