Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists (as well as the largest of them all – FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific death information and sometimes scanned images of the actual death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include death information that is not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers and obituaries have death info, but most times obituary indexes include the date of the obituary but not the date of death. To find out which types of other records may include death information, please see:
The lists below are specific death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of Washington.
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
(Updated March 2023)
Washington Death Records
- Adams County, Register of Deaths, 1891-1907, 1929
- Asotin County, Births and Deaths, 1907-1921
- Benton County Death Index
- Chelan County Register of Deaths 1891-1907
- Chelan County, Birth and Death Returns, 1899-1905
- Chelan County, Coroner Records, 1905-1930
- Chelan County, Death Records, 1907-1920
- Clallam County Courthouse Records Vital Statistics, 1891-1913; Index, 1891-1906, 1891-1913
- Clallam County, Birth and Death Returns, 1891-1907
- Clallam County, Death Records, 1891-1906
- Clark County, Death Register, 1891-1907
- Clark County, Death Returns, 1891-1907
- Coeur d’Alene Agency, Birth and Death Records, 1918-1935
- Columbia County, Death Records, 1891-1906
- Colville Agency, Vital Statistics, Births, Marriages, Divorces and Deaths, 1909-1943
- Colville, Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1939
- Cowlitz County Death Index
- Cowlitz County, Death Records, 1907-1923
- Cowlitz County, Death Registers, 1891-1907
- Cowlitz County, Kalama, Burial Records, 1941-1943
- Cushman, Indian Census Rolls, 1910-1920
- Douglas County, Death Records, 1891-1929
- Ferry County, Death Records, 1899-1911
- Franklin County Death Index
- Franklin County Death Returns 1891-1910
- Garfield County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- Grays Harbor County Birth and Death Info
- Grays Harbor County Deaths 1891-1908
- Grays Harbor County, Aberdeen, Death Registers, 1890-1907
- Grays Harbor County, Coroner Records, 1905-1974
- Grays Harbor County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- Grays Harbor County, Hoquiam, Death Records, 1898-1905
- Island County Death Returns 1891-1907
- Island County, Birth and Death Records, 1870-1934
- Island County, Death Indexes
- Island County, Death Records, 1890-1907
- Jefferson County Death Index
- Jefferson County, Burial Permits, 1968-2010
- Jefferson County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- King County, Birth, Marriage and Death Returns, 1901-1944
- King County, Death Indexes
- Kitsap County Death Records
- Kitsap County Deaths
- Kitsap County, Death Records, 1907-1922
- Kittitas County Death Records
- Kittitas County, Birth and Death Records, 1870-1943
- Kittitas County, Death Indexes
- Klickitat County, Register of Deaths, 1891-1907
- Lewis County Death Index
- Lewis County, Burial Records, 1916-1997
- Lewis County, Coroner’s Records, 1889-1944
- Lewis County, Death Records, 1891-1906
- Lewis County, Death Records, 1891-1920
- Lewis County, Death Returns, 1891-1906
- Lincoln County Births and Deaths
- Mason County, Death Records, 1873-1920
- Mason County, Death Returns, 1891-1894
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Okanogan County, Death Records, 1891-1908
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Pacific County, Coroner Reports, 1912-1926
- Pacific County, Death Records, 1918-1953
- Pierce County Death Certificates of Finns 1907-1947
- Pierce County, Death Certificates, 1891-1907
- Pierce County, Index to Death Returns, 1891-1907
- Pierce County, Puyallup, Birth and Death Register, 1891-1898
- Pierce County, Register of Deaths, 1891-1907
- Pierce County, Tacoma Death Returns, 1891-1907
- Portland Area Office, Vital Statistics, 1912-1952
- San Juan County, Death Records, 1892
- Seattle Times Death Index
- Skagit County Death Indexes
- Skagit County, Anacortes, Burial Permits, 1958-1979
- Skagit County, Anacortes, Death Records, 1892-1949
- Skagit County, Anacortes, Index to Birth and Death Records, 1892-1946
- Skagit County, Birth, Marriage, Death, Deed Records, 1891-1898
- Skagit County, Death Records, 1891-1908
- Skagit Valley Deaths
- Skamania County, Death Records, 1907-1921
- Snohomish County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- Snohomish County, Snohomish, Death Records, 1892-1909
- Spokane County Birth Returns, 1890-1905; Death Returns, 1891-1907
- Spokane County Deaths 1888 – 1907
- Spokane County Deaths 1989 – 2011
- Spokane County, Death Records, 1888-1907
- Stevens County Deaths 1891-1907
- Stevens County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- Tacoma-Pierce County Deaths
- Taholah Agency, Birth and Death Records, 1894-1948
- Thurston County, Coroner’s Records, 1913-1943
- Thurston County, Death Returns, 1892-1907
- Thurston, Olympia Birth & Death Register 1892-1906
- Tulalip Agency, Vital Statistics, 1897-1949
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
- Wahkiakum County, Death Returns, 1891-1907
- Walla Walla County, Death Records, 1891-1913
- Washington Archives – Birth, Marriage and Death Records
- Washington Archives, Death Records by County
- Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960
- Washington Death Index, 1965-2014
- Washington Death Records, 1907-1979
- Washington Federal Census Record Mortality Schedules 1860-1880
- Washington State Birth & Death Registers & Returns; 1891-1907, 1938-1969
- Washington Archives Death Records, 1907-1960, 1965-2014
- Washington, County Death Registers, 1881-1979
- Washington, County Deaths, 1891-1907
- Washington, County Records, 1803-2010
- Washington, County Records, 1856-2009
- Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 ; Index to Death Certificates, 1907-1979
- Washington, Deaths and Burials, 1810-1960
- Washington, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, Deaths, 1917-1919
- Whatcom County, Bellingham, Death Records
- Whatcom County, Death Records, 1891-1971
- Whatcom County, Fairhaven, Death Records, 1890-1904
- Whitman County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- Yakima Agency, Vital Statistics, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1895-1950
- Yakima County Death Returns 1898-1907
- Yakima County, Death Records, 1891-1907
- Yakima County, Records, 1869-1907, and Benton County, 1905-1907
- Yakima, Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1939
For all Free Washington Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Yearbooks
Births
Marriages
Deaths
BMD Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
Church Records
Coroner Records
Criminal Records
Digital Archives
Directories
Divorce Records
Immigration Records
Institutional Records
Military Records
Mortuary Records
Naturalizations
Obituaries
Photos
Probate and Wills
School Records
Tax Records
Voter Records
