Graham Death Index Records
Graham death index records are part of Washington State's vital records system, with the free historical death index available through the Washington State Digital Archives covering deaths from 1907 through 1967. Graham is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, and all death records from Graham flow through the state Department of Health and Pierce County's vital statistics office. This page covers how to search Graham death records, how to order certified death certificates, and what laws govern access to these records.
Graham Overview
How Graham Death Index Records Work
Death records in Graham follow Washington State's centralized vital records system. When a death occurs in Graham, the attending physician or funeral home files a death certificate with the Washington State Department of Health within ten days. DOH maintains all death certificates from 1907 to the present for the entire state. The state runs one unified registry, not separate community-level or county-level databases.
Graham is an unincorporated community in Pierce County. It has no city government of its own. All local services, including the county-level handling of death records, fall under Pierce County. When you search for Graham death records, you search by Pierce County or by the person's name in the statewide index. There is no separate Graham death index.
The death index is a summary record, not a full death certificate. It shows the name of the deceased, the date of death, the county, the certificate number, age, and gender. Cause of death is not included in the index. To get the full details, use the certificate number from the index to order the complete certified death certificate from DOH.
Note: Pierce County death registers go back to 1883, giving Graham area researchers access to records well before the 1907 statewide registration date through the Washington State Digital Archives.
Which County Handles Graham Death Records
Graham is in Pierce County. Because Graham is unincorporated, Pierce County provides all local services including the county-level handling of death records. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department serves as the local vital records office and can issue certified death certificates for Pierce County events, including those in Graham.
| Local Office | Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Vital Records |
|---|---|
| Address | 3629 S. D St., Tacoma, WA 98418 |
| Phone | 253-649-1418 |
| Pierce County Auditor | 2401 S. 35th St., Room 200, Tacoma, WA 98409 |
| Auditor Phone | 253-798-7780 |
| County Public Records | piercecountywa.gov/publicrecords |
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at 3629 S. D St. can issue certified death certificates for events that occurred anywhere in Pierce County, including Graham. The fee is $20 per copy, same as the DOH fee. The Pierce County Medical Examiner at 3619 Pacific Ave., Tacoma (253-798-6497) investigates sudden, unexplained, or violent deaths in Pierce County, including the Graham area.
Searching Graham Death Records Online
The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov is the primary free tool for searching Graham death index records. It covers the statewide death index from 1907 through 1967 and includes Pierce County death registers going back to 1883. That is over 80 years of indexed records at no cost, which is especially useful for genealogical research on Graham-area families.
To search, go to the Digital Archives and use the fields for first name, last name, year of death, and county. Filter by Pierce County to narrow results to Graham and the surrounding area. Each result shows the person's name, death date, county, certificate number, age, and gender. Keep the certificate number when you find a match, because you will need it to request the full certified copy from DOH.
Source: Washington State Digital Archives - Graham Records
This targeted search returns results specific to Graham, Washington, including cemetery and burial records for the Graham area.
For deaths after 1967, there is no public online index. Contact DOH directly or use VitalChek to search. DOH staff can sometimes confirm whether a record exists before you commit to paying for a certified copy.
Ordering a Death Certificate for Graham
Washington State law under RCW 70.58 governs who can get death certificates. Deaths within the past 50 years are restricted. The fee is $20 per certified copy. A Verification of Death letter costs $15 and confirms a death occurred without providing all the detail of a full certificate.
Qualified applicants for restricted records include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or legal representative of the deceased. You must show proof of your identity and your relationship when requesting a restricted record. Deaths older than 50 years are public records. Anyone can request them.
You can order a Graham area death certificate four ways:
- In person at DOH in Tumwater at 101 Israel Road SE, or at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
- By mail to DOH at PO Box 9709, Olympia WA 98507-9709
- By phone at 360-236-4300, Monday through Friday 8am to 4:30pm
- Online through VitalChek at vitalchek.com
Source: VitalChek Online Certificate Ordering
VitalChek is the only authorized third-party vendor for online Washington death certificate orders and adds a $12.50 processing fee to the $20 state fee.
Mail orders take 4 to 6 weeks. Walk-in service at DOH handles records from 1968 to present the same day. Records from 1907 to 1967 may take extra time to process even with in-person requests.
Graham Local Resources
Graham has no city clerk because it is an unincorporated community. Public records requests for county-level records in the Graham area go to Pierce County. Pierce County handles these requests under RCW 42.56. The Pierce County Sheriff's Office covers law enforcement for unincorporated Graham, and sheriff's department records may document death-related incidents such as accidents or investigations.
| County Records | Pierce County Public Records |
|---|---|
| TPCHD Vital Records | Tacoma-Pierce County Health Dept Vital Records |
| Pierce County ME | 3619 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98418 | 253-798-6497 |
| Pierce County Auditor | 2401 S. 35th St., Room 200, Tacoma, WA 98409 | 253-798-7780 |
The Pierce County Medical Examiner handles cases involving deaths in Graham that require investigation. When the ME's office files a death certificate with DOH, it becomes part of the state vital records system. The ME's case files are separate public records that can be requested through Pierce County under RCW 42.56.
Historical Graham Death Records
For deaths before 1907, researchers need to look beyond the DOH system. The Washington State Archives holds early death registers and pre-statehood records that predate Washington's mandatory death registration law. Pierce County death registers go back to 1883 and are indexed in the Digital Archives for free searching. The Graham area was part of rural, unincorporated Pierce County throughout its early history, so records from those years appear in Pierce County death registers available through the Digital Archives.
The State Archives Research Facility in Olympia at 1129 Washington St SE can assist with requests that go beyond what appears online. Staff can be reached at 360-586-1492 or archives@sos.wa.gov, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Their main site is at sos.wa.gov/archives.
Source: Washington State Archives
The State Archives holds pre-1907 Pierce County records and can assist researchers looking for early Graham area deaths.
Other useful sources for historical Graham death research include probate records at Pierce County Superior Court, FamilySearch's Washington death index collections, historic newspapers, and cemetery records for Pierce County cemeteries available in the Digital Archives.
Public Records and Access Laws
Two state laws govern death record access in Washington. The first is RCW 70.58, the Vital Statistics Act. It limits access to certified death certificates for deaths within the past 50 years. Only qualified applicants can get those records. Deaths older than 50 years are public.
The second law is RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act. This applies to all government records held by state and local agencies. For records outside the vital records system, such as sheriff reports and medical examiner files, you submit a public records request under RCW 42.56. Agencies must respond within five business days. Because Graham is unincorporated, public records requests for local records go to Pierce County rather than a city clerk.
Source: RCW 70.58 Vital Statistics
RCW 70.58 sets out who can get certified copies of Washington death certificates and what fees apply across the state.
Death index records in the Digital Archives from 1907 through 1967 are fully public. The index shows only basic identifying details with no cause of death, so it does not carry the same privacy restrictions as a certified certificate. Anyone can search and view the index at no cost.
The CDC also maintains Washington vital statistics data at the national level. Their Washington page at cdc.gov provides additional contact information and links to state resources.
Nearby Cities
These Washington cities also have death records resources and guidance for the death index.