Preliminary Guide to the Seattle Funeral Homes Records Collection
1916-1999

Historical Note

Several independent businesses' records combine to form the Seattle Funeral Homes Records Collection. These businesses themselves combined through many mergers and acquisitions over the years, until finally Acacia Funeral Home possessed all of the records (with the exception of Sessions Funeral Home). These mergers resulted in several name changes for some of the businesses, which were also often colloquially referenced with name variations. For example, University Funeral Parlor was also known as University Undertaking; when Forkner Funeral Home merged with Acacia Funeral Home it became Forkner-Acacia for the three year period in which its records were kept separately from Acacia's; Clark-Rafferty & Putnam was originally Rafferty Undertaking, and is also referred to as Clark-Rafferty and Rafferty-Putnam; Acacia Funeral Home's variations include Adams Morrison Mortuary, Adams Forkner Acacia, and Acacia Forkner & Home.

Scope and Content

The Seattle Funeral Home Records Collection combines funeral home records from eight separate businesses in the Seattle area; most were maintained through a series of mergers and acquisitions until 1999. These records are usually comprised of data sheets or cards describing arrangements for funerals, cremations, or both - including detailed information about the deceased (name, age, next of kin, cause of death, insurance information, etc.). Data sheets also list the date of the funeral or cremation and details of the memorial service: the coffin, the headstone, the flowers, the music, etc. Finally, these cards often state information about the cost of these services and the arrangements for payment. Other related material is sometimes filed with the data sheets, such as newspaper clippings or typescripts of obituaries. In some of the later records, medical or hospital records related to the client's death are included. The larger series include alphabetical indexes to the data sheets.

Some records are fairly complete for the duration of that funeral home's operation, while others cover only a few years out of a longer span. See scope and content notes at the series level for more specific detail.

These records will be useful for genealogists, historians, and anyone interested in the death arrangements made in the Seattle area over most of the twentieth century.

For general researchers, one of the highlights of the collection is the Home Undertaking uncollectible accounts index. In this group, each index card lists multiple attempts to acquire payment, as well as notes describing the family's (or individual's) financial situation. Many of these cards date from the Great Depression.

There are also many records from the funeral homes active during the 1940s of funerals for WWII soldiers killed in action which may be of historical interest.

Arrangement

These records are separated into series by funeral home:

In each series, the original order and indexing methods used by the originating funeral home have been preserved as well as possible.

Restrictions on Use

Literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries. Unless restricted by deed of gift, records can be photocopied.

Restrictions on Access

Open to all users.

Researchers who are not able to visit Special Collections in person may submit a search request online.

Physical/Technical Access

Records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Preferred Citation

Seattle Funeral Homes Records Collection, 5522-001 / 5529-001, University of Washington Libraries.

Inventory