The Washington State Library is open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. M-F (closed state holidays) for research appointments and walk-in customers. Click for details here.

Obituary Requests

Due to budget cuts and reduced staff, the State Library is no longer offering our obituary lookup service. 
These are some options for accessing obituaries and other genealogical information in Washington state newspapers.   Information about finding Washington obituaries using existing resources online can be found here.
 

  1. Interlibrary Loan
    www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/interlibrary.aspx

    The Washington State Library lends out its microfilmed newspaper collection through interlibrary loan.  You can submit an interlibrary loan request at your local library.  When we receive that request, we will send the microfilm to your library for you to search.  Every box of microfilm is listed in our online catalog. www.sos.wa.gov/library/catalog.aspx

    If you have any questions about which newspapers cover the area you are researching, contact us through Ask-A-Librarian, and we’d be happy to help.

 

  1. County Genealogical Societies of Washington State
    www.wasgs.org/cpage.php?pt=11

    Many of the county genealogical societies in this state will do obituary lookups for a small fee.   You will need to contact them directly with any inquiries.

 

  1. Association of Professional Genealogists
    www.apgen.org/

    You can search this web site for a professional researcher by name, location or research specialty.