A couple of suggestions about researching memorials in Washington State:

1. The Washington State Digital Archives has many, many death certificates on their website. They date from July 1, 1907-1996. They have other death records before 1907 also.

2. Familysearch.org has the same death certificates that the WSDA does but they are indexed differently. I have discovered that if I cannot find a certificate on the WSDA site many times I find it on the Familysearch.org website. They are also browsable on this site unlike the digital archives' website.

NOTE: We have many memorials in the Western State Hospital Cemetery. Most of the people buried in this cemetery died at the hospital. Years ago the hospital was on federal land which was known as Fort Steilacoom. The hospital and cemetery were never within the city limits of Steilacoom. But we are constantly having members trying to change the death location of the people buried in this cemetery to Steilacoom. The cemetery has only been in Pierce County and now in the city limits of Lakewood. For the most part memorials are listed with the death place as the place name currently being used where the person died. If it were otherwise we would have to be using territory names for many people which is not what is being done on the site.

Please STOP sending edits to change these memorials death place to Steilacoom! I'm working to get them all changed from Steilacoom to Lakewood in order to be consistent. Thank you!

A couple of suggestions about researching memorials in Washington State:

1. The Washington State Digital Archives has many, many death certificates on their website. They date from July 1, 1907-1996. They have other death records before 1907 also.

2. Familysearch.org has the same death certificates that the WSDA does but they are indexed differently. I have discovered that if I cannot find a certificate on the WSDA site many times I find it on the Familysearch.org website. They are also browsable on this site unlike the digital archives' website.

NOTE: We have many memorials in the Western State Hospital Cemetery. Most of the people buried in this cemetery died at the hospital. Years ago the hospital was on federal land which was known as Fort Steilacoom. The hospital and cemetery were never within the city limits of Steilacoom. But we are constantly having members trying to change the death location of the people buried in this cemetery to Steilacoom. The cemetery has only been in Pierce County and now in the city limits of Lakewood. For the most part memorials are listed with the death place as the place name currently being used where the person died. If it were otherwise we would have to be using territory names for many people which is not what is being done on the site.

Please STOP sending edits to change these memorials death place to Steilacoom! I'm working to get them all changed from Steilacoom to Lakewood in order to be consistent. Thank you!