Wahkiakum County Obituary Records

Wahkiakum County obituary and death records are available through a mix of state, county, and historical sources covering deaths from the 1800s through the present day. Whether you need a certified death certificate, want to search a historical index, or are digging into genealogy for a family that lived along the Columbia River in this small southwest Washington county, this guide explains where to look and how to get what you need. The county seat is Cathlamet, and most records point back to state agencies or the county auditor for the earliest documents.

Wahkiakum County Vital Records

Wahkiakum County is the smallest county in Washington by population, and its vital records services follow the standard state structure. The Washington State Department of Health is the main source for certified death certificates covering deaths from July 1, 1907, to the present. For deaths that happened in the current or prior month, you should contact the local health department in Cathlamet before going to the state office, since those very recent records may not have transferred yet.

The Washington State Department of Health vital records page explains all three ordering methods: by mail, online through VitalChek, or by phone. Mail orders take about 8 to 10 weeks after the office gets your payment. Online and phone orders placed through VitalChek typically ship within 3 to 7 business days and start at $40.50 per certificate. A $3 optional identity authentication fee may apply and can raise the total to $43.50.

For deaths before July 1, 1907, the Wahkiakum County Auditor held the original death registers. Those early records were kept at the county level before the state began centralized registration. The auditor's early death registers have since been digitized and are now searchable through the Washington State Digital Archives. If you can't find what you need online, the Northwest Regional Archives in Bellingham also holds physical copies of some pre-1907 materials.

Note: Under RCW 70.58A, Washington became a closed-record state on January 1, 2021. Only qualified applicants with a direct and tangible interest can receive certified copies of death certificates. That group includes spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, legal representatives, and others with a documented legal need. Informational copies, which are not certified and cannot be used for legal purposes, are available more broadly and work well for genealogy.

Washington State Digital Archives Death Index

The Washington State Digital Archives Death Certificate Index is one of the best free tools for finding Wahkiakum County obituary and death records. It covers deaths statewide from 1907 through 1960 and again from 1965 through 2017. Over 2.3 million records are in the index. Searches are free and open to anyone with no login required.

Records in the 1907 to 1960 range tend to be more detailed. Volunteers transcribed that portion of the index from original certificates, and entries often include cause of death, names of surviving relatives, and place of burial. The 1965 to 2017 portion came directly from the Department of Health and is somewhat less rich but still covers the key facts: name, date, and county of death. For a Wahkiakum County resident who died in the mid-20th century, this index is often the fastest place to start. The indexes for 1961 through 1964 are not online; those years are available on microfilm at the State Archives in Olympia.

Images of actual death certificates are available for deaths that occurred more than 25 years ago. If you find a record in the index and need a certified copy, contact the Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4313 or (360) 236-4312. That office handles certified copies from July 1, 1907 through three months before the current date.

The page shown here is the Washington State Digital Archives vital records collection page for Wahkiakum County, one of the primary free tools for searching historical death data.

This resource lets you search the statewide death index at no cost and view certificate images for older Wahkiakum County deaths.

Wahkiakum County Historical Death Records

Wahkiakum County was created in 1854, making it one of Washington's original counties. The county auditor kept death records beginning in the early 1890s, well before the state took over registration in 1907. Those early county death registers have been digitized and are available through the Washington State Digital Archives. If you're tracing a family that settled along the Columbia River before the 20th century, the auditor records and early census data are your best sources.

The Washington State Library holds microfilm copies of Wahkiakum County death registers in its genealogy collection in Olympia. Researchers who can't travel to Olympia can submit specific lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service on the Washington State Library vital records LibGuide. The guide also explains the full structure of Washington death record sources and how to navigate them by time period.

FamilySearch holds Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 as an indexed and image collection, and Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 as a searchable index. Both are free to access with a FamilySearch account. The Social Security Death Index is also a useful tool for deaths in the 20th century, as many Wahkiakum County residents are included in that national database. FindAGrave has cemetery listings for the county's burial sites, including Cathlamet and several rural cemeteries, and many entries include linked obituaries submitted by volunteers.

The Washington State Library publishes a research guide called "How to find Washington State DEATH RECORDS." For deaths before July 1, 1907, counties held the records; for deaths from July 1, 1907 forward, the state Department of Health is the official custodian. For very recent deaths, the local health office is the first contact. That pattern applies to Wahkiakum County just as it does to the rest of the state.

Wahkiakum County Auditor Records and Pacific County Overlap

The Washington State Archives Digital Archives holds a Pacific County Auditor Miscellaneous Recordings collection that is relevant to some Wahkiakum County researchers. The two counties share a border, and families from communities near that boundary may have records in either county's collections. The Pacific County Auditor Miscellaneous Recordings at the Digital Archives includes document types such as death certificates, birth certificates, and name changes recorded with the Pacific County Auditor from 1996 to present, with over 20,000 records in the collection.

For direct Wahkiakum County death records, the auditor's death registers from the 1890s through 1907 are the main pre-state-era source. Those records are searchable online through the Washington State Digital Archives. The Digital Archives also holds the statewide Department of Health Death Certificates from July 1, 1907 through 1997, with images available for deaths more than 25 years ago.

The page shown here is from the Washington State Digital Archives and covers another collection related to auditor-recorded vital documents in the southwest Washington region.

This collection at the Digital Archives is a secondary source for researching family deaths in the counties along Washington's Columbia River border.

Newspapers have also been a key source of obituary information for this small county. The Wahkiakum County Eagle, the county's local paper, has published death notices and obituaries for residents going back many decades. Many older editions are available on microfilm at the Washington State Library or through the Washington State Historical Society collections. If you are researching a family that lived in Cathlamet, Skamokawa, Grays River, or the other small communities in the county, the local newspaper is often the best source for biographical detail not captured in official death certificates.

Note: The Washington State Archives Southwest Region Branch handles records from Wahkiakum and surrounding counties and can be reached at (360) 753-1684 or swbrancharchives@sos.wa.gov for questions about specific collections.

Ordering Wahkiakum County Death Certificates

You have three ways to order a certified death certificate for a Wahkiakum County death: by mail through the Washington State Department of Health, online through VitalChek, or by phone through VitalChek. The mail fee is $25 per certificate and takes 8 to 10 weeks. The Washington State DOH vital records ordering page lists all methods and explains what documentation you need to provide.

Online and phone orders through VitalChek start at $40.50 per certificate, with an optional $3 identity authentication fee that can push the total to $43.50. VitalChek is the only state-contracted third-party vendor. Any other company offering to handle your order will charge fees on top of the state cost. VitalChek orders typically ship within 3 to 7 business days after processing. To order, you will need the decedent's full name, date or approximate date of death, and city or county of death. You must also provide valid government-issued photo identification and documents showing your qualifying relationship to the deceased.

The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records page for Washington confirms that the Center for Health Statistics main phone is (360) 236-4300 and has records from July 1, 1907, to the present for all Washington counties, including Wahkiakum. Mail orders go to: Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709.

Certified copies come in two forms. The long form contains cause and manner of death and the decedent's Social Security number; it is restricted to qualified applicants. The short form has basic details like name and date but omits cause of death; it is used for probate and property transfers. Noncertified informational copies are available to a broader group and are useful for genealogy research without needing to prove a qualifying relationship.

Genealogy Resources for Wahkiakum County Deaths

Researchers tracing family history in Wahkiakum County have access to several useful tools beyond the state archives. The Washington State Library maintains a statewide death index on microfiche and microfilm from July 1, 1907 through 2004. The Washington State Library vital records LibGuide explains how to search the collection and how to submit lookup requests through the Ask-A-Librarian service if you can't travel to Olympia. Librarians can search the microfiche index and send back results for a specific name and date range.

FamilySearch is free and holds Washington County Death Registers from 1881 through 1979 as both an indexed and image collection. Washington Death Certificates from 1907 through 1960 are also available as an index. For pre-1907 Wahkiakum County records, the county auditor's death register is available as digitized images through the Washington State Digital Archives. These early records can include the name of the deceased, date and place of death, age, cause of death, and names of parents or surviving relatives.

The Social Security Death Index, accessible through Ancestry and FamilySearch, covers most deaths from 1935 onward and is especially useful for the mid-20th century when detailed death records may not be fully indexed elsewhere. FindAGrave has listings for many Wahkiakum County cemeteries including Cathlamet City Cemetery, Greenwood Cemetery, and rural sites in Skamokawa and Grays River. Many entries include photos of markers and links to submitted obituaries.

For newspaper obituaries, the Wahkiakum County Eagle is the primary local source. Back issues on microfilm are available at the Washington State Library and can sometimes be accessed through interlibrary loan via your local library system. The wagenweb.org site accepts genealogy submissions for Washington ancestors and has some coverage of southwest Washington counties including Wahkiakum. If you are stuck on a specific name, the Ask-A-Librarian service at the Washington State Library is a practical way to get a quick lookup without having to travel to Olympia.

Cities in Wahkiakum County

Wahkiakum County communities include Cathlamet, Skamokawa, Grays River, and several small unincorporated areas along the Columbia River. No cities in Wahkiakum County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Wahkiakum County borders several other Washington counties. Each has its own vital records system and courthouse.