Find Obituaries in Grays Harbor County

Grays Harbor County obituary and death records can be found through the county's Genealogical Society, the Washington State Digital Archives, and several local and state collections reaching back to the 1850s. Whether you need a certified death certificate for legal purposes or want to search through a large local obituary database for family history research, this guide walks you through each source. It covers which office handles which time period, what each source costs, and how to place an order or search online.

Grays Harbor County Vital Records

Grays Harbor County was created in 1854 from Thurston County and was originally named Chehalis County. The name changed to Grays Harbor in 1915 to honor Captain Robert Gray. The county seat is Montesano. For certified death certificates, residents work through the local health department or the Washington State Department of Health, depending on when the death occurred.

For deaths in the current or previous month, contact the local health district where the death happened. For deaths from two months ago through the present minus three months, the Washington State Center for Health Statistics in Olympia handles requests. The fee for a certified death certificate is $25 per copy by mail or in person. Online orders through VitalChek start at $40.50. Under RCW 70.58A, certified copies are limited to people with a qualifying relationship to the deceased.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records ordering page covers all three ordering methods in detail and explains what documents to include with your application.

Grays Harbor Genealogical Society Obituary Database

The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society maintains one of the most complete local obituary collections in Washington State. Their Grays Harbor obituary database holds nearly 80,000 Grays Harbor area obituaries and death notices, with thousands more available in hard copy at their Research Library in Aberdeen.

To order a copy of an obituary, search the database by last name, by last and first name together, or by first name alone. The search results can be sorted by name, age, or birth and death dates in ascending or descending order. Do not enter names in "First Last" format. The results will include every database entry for that name, including entries where the name appears as a spouse or maiden name. A $5 donation per deceased person's name covers all listings for that name, regardless of how many entries appear. Send payment to Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 916, Aberdeen, WA 98520.

The page shown here is the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society's online obituary database, which covers nearly 80,000 death notices for the Grays Harbor area.

This free-to-search database is the best starting point for anyone researching Grays Harbor County obituaries from the late 1800s through the modern era.

If you cannot find what you need in the online database, you can submit a Research Query to the society. A researcher will contact you, and the minimum donation for that type of request is $10. The society's library in Aberdeen also holds hard copy obituaries not yet entered into the digital database.

Washington State Digital Archives Death Records

The Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index covers Grays Harbor County deaths from 1907 through 1960 and from 1965 through 2017. The index has more than 2.3 million statewide entries and is free to search. Most entries show name, date of death, gender, county of death, age, and certificate number. Some entries also include residence location.

The separate Grays Harbor County Auditor Death Records, 1891-1907 collection at the Digital Archives holds index entries and images for the 794 death returns filed with the County Auditor between 1891 and 1907, plus some records outside that date range. This collection also includes Death Returns. For best results, search by last name, by last and first name, or by just the first letter of the last name. These records have no access restrictions and are free to view. For questions about this collection, contact the Washington State Archives Southwest Region Branch at (360) 753-1684 or swbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov.

The Department of Health Death Certificates collection at the Digital Archives covers July 1, 1907 through 1996, with ongoing additions. That collection includes full certificate images for deaths older than 25 years and often provides more detail than the index alone, including cause of death, place of burial, and parental names. Under RCW 70.58A.510, death certificates can be transferred from DOH custody to the State Archives, though DOH still provides certified copies.

Grays Harbor County Historical Death Records

Grays Harbor County has an unusually deep set of pre-statehood death records. The Grays Harbor Co. Marriages-Deaths Records, 1855-1892, held at the Washington State Library, is a compilation of abstracts for marriages, marriage affidavits, marriage returns, and death records for the county, abstracted from handwritten papers and books at the Montesano courthouse. The county was named Chehalis County during part of this period.

The Washington State Library vital records LibGuide describes the physical holdings for Grays Harbor County in detail. The library holds the Register of Deaths for Grays Harbor County (microform GEN MICRO 979.795 DEATH 1892-1907), covering the County Auditor register of deaths from May 1, 1892 through June 23, 1907. The library also holds Obituaries of Grays Harbor Pioneers Published in the Aberdeen Daily World, 1895-1961 (microform GEN MICRO 979.795 DEATH 1895-1961). The Grays Harbor Co. Washington Death and Birth Records 1891-1908 is a compiled alphabetical register of death containing surname, given name, date of death, age at death, marital status, place of death, cause of death, and birthplace.

FamilySearch holds several Grays Harbor County death collections. Washington County Records, 1803-2010, includes images only and covers Grays Harbor County coroner records from 1905 to 1937, the death register from 1891 to 1907, and death returns from 1891 to 1907. Washington County Death Registers, 1881-1979, includes indexed images. Washington County Deaths, 1891-1907, is available as indexed images. The Grays Harbor County Health Department Burial Transit Permits from 2003 to 2010 are also at the Washington State Archives as indexed images.

Note: The Washington State Archives also holds Grays Harbor County Health Department Fetal Death Records from 1919 to 1921, and Department of Labor and Industries Fatal Accident Cards from 1915 to 1928, both available as index and images.

Ordering Grays Harbor County Death Certificates

You have three ways to order a certified death certificate for a Grays Harbor County death: in person at the local health office, by mail through the Washington State Department of Health, or online through VitalChek. The DOH death records page has specific instructions for each method and lists acceptable forms of identification.

Mail orders go to Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709. The fee is $25 per certificate, and processing takes 8 to 10 weeks after payment is received. Online and phone orders through VitalChek start at $40.50 per certificate, plus a possible $3.00 identity authentication fee. VitalChek ships in 3 to 7 business days. It is the only state-contracted third-party vendor; any other service will add extra fees on top of the state cost.

For questions, call the Consumer Resource Center at 206-464-6684 or 800-551-4636, Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For genealogy purposes, informational copies are available more broadly than certified copies and are free of the relationship restrictions imposed by RCW 70.58A. Informational copies cannot be used for legal or official purposes but are sufficient for most family history research.

Genealogy Resources for Grays Harbor County Deaths

Grays Harbor County has a rich set of genealogy resources beyond what official channels offer. FamilySearch holds multiple Grays Harbor collections as indexed and image sets, all free with a FamilySearch account. The Washington County Death Registers, 1881-1979, and Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960, are the most used starting points for mid-century searches.

The Washington State Library holds a microfiche and microfilm death index covering July 1, 1907 through 2004 for the entire state, including Grays Harbor County deaths. The State Library LibGuide explains how to submit a lookup request through the Ask-A-Librarian service. Include a date range when you ask, since the index spans many reels. Staff can also help you identify which physical microfilm collections to request if you visit in person.

Local newspapers in Aberdeen and Hoquiam have published obituaries and death notices since the late 1800s. The Aberdeen Daily World obituary archive, dating from 1895 to 1961, is held at the State Library on microform and represents a significant local source not available through the state archives system. The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society library in Aberdeen also holds newspaper clippings and other local records.

Cities in Grays Harbor County

Grays Harbor County communities include Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Elma, Montesano, and Westport. No cities in Grays Harbor County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Grays Harbor County is on the Washington coast and borders several other counties, each with its own vital records system.