One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information, and sometimes more importantly – information about the relatives of the deceased’s family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to Washington obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated October 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
- U.S., Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
Washington
- Aberdeen, The Daily World, Obituaries 1972-1973 (clippings)
- Adams County Obituaries
- Bellingham, Whatcom County, Bayview Cemetery Obituaries and Other Records, 1884-1995 (clippings)
- Benton County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Camwood Obituary Project
- Chelan Valley Genealogical Society Obituaries
- Clallam County Obituary Directory (transcriptions)
- Clallam County Obituary Index
- Clallam County, Obituary Clippings, ca. 1945-1993
- Clark County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Clark County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Clark County Obituary Indexes
- Cowlitz County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Cowlitz County Obituary Index
- Cowlitz County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Eastern Washington Genealogical Society Obituary Index
- Franklin County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Funeral Alternatives of Washington (Transcriptions, mainly from Pierce & Thurston counties)
- Grays Harbor County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Grays Harbor Genealogical Society Obituary Database
- Jefferson County Death and Obituary Databases
- Kent Area Obituaries Extracted from Early Kent, Washington Newspapers
- King County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- King County Obituary Index
- King County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kitsap County Death and Obituaries Index
- Kitsap County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kittitas County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kittitas County Miscellaneous Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kittitas County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kittitas County Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Kittitas County Obituaries (short transcriptions)
- Klickitat County Obituary Indexes
- Lewis County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Lewis County Historical Museum Obituary Database
- Lincoln County Cemetery Obituaries
- Olympian, 1993-2009 Newspaper Index
- Pacific County Obituaries
- Pacific NW Cremation & Funeral Obituaries and Memorials
- Pierce County, Obituaries, 1967-1997
- Renton, Obituaries Extracted from Record Chronicle Newspaper
- Ritzville Newspaper Obituaries 1898 – 1968
- Seattle Times Obituary Index
- Skagit County Obituaries
- Skagit Valley Death and Obituary Index
- Snohomish County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- South King County Obituary Indexes
- South Snohomish County Obituary Index
- South Whidbey Island Genealogical Society, Obituaries (clippings)
- Spokane County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Spokane County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Spokane Obituary Index
- Spokane Public Library Obituaries
- Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society Death and Obituary Index
- Tacoma, Washington, Obituary Index, 1882-2015
- Tacoma-Pierce County Obituary Index
- Thurston and Pierce County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Thurston County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Tri-City Herald – Kennewick Courier Reporter Obituary Index 1927 –
- Tri-City Herald Obituary Index 2000-2016
- Wahkiakum County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Walla Walla County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Walla Walla County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Washington GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- Washington Obituaries – Obit City
- Washington USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Wenatchee Obituary Index
- Western Cremation Alliance, Obituaries
- Wenatchee, Washington, Obituary Index, 1888-2009
- Whatcom County Obituaries and Death Notices (transcriptions)
- Whatcom County Obituaries (transcriptions)
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on Washington Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Washington Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
database cover through 2016.
https://www.lewiscountymuseum.org/education/obituary-database/