Members of the Jefferson County Genealogical Society originally compiled data on the various cemeteries in 1985. Updates are conducted by volunteers on an ongoing schedule. Activities include walking the cemeteries and noting the gravestones and inscriptions. As part of the update every effort has been made to locate Sexton records for the cemeteries.

JCGS maintains records on the follow Jefferson County cemeteries. Click on the links below for cemetery information, maps and records.

Cemeteries: 
Brinnon Cemetery
Catholic Cemetery
Center Cemetery
County Cemetery (aka Chinese Cemetery, Soldiers & Sailors Cemetery)
Discovery Bay (aka Maynard Cemetery)
Fletcher Cemetery (aka Lower Hoh Cemetery)
Forest Hill (aka Swansonville Cemetery)
Fort Worden Military Post Cemetery
Gardiner Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery (aka Chimacum Cemetery)
Huelsdonk Cemetery (aka Upper Hoh Cemetery)
Laurel Grove Cemetery
Quilcene Cemetery
Redmen Cemetery
Shine Cemetery
Soundview Cemetery (aka Marrowstone Island Cemetery)

Columbariums and Memorial Wall records were documented by JCGS volunteers for the first time  in early 2026.

First Presbyterian Church Memorial Wall (website: fpcpt.org) Records (Alphabetical Listing)
Grace Lutheran Church Columbarium and Memorial Wall (website: gracelutheranpt.org)  Records (Alphabetical Listing)
Quimper Unitarian Church Columbarium (website: quuf.org) Records (Alphabetical Listing)
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church Columbarium and Memorial Wall  (website: stpaulspt.org)  Records (Alphabetical Listing)

Other Cemeteries: The following cemeteries have been referenced in Jefferson County over the years, but no longer exist. No records for them survive.

Chinese Burial Grounds

Location: Port Townsend Adjacent to the north boundary of Laurel Grove Cemetery

Comments: The Chinese section of the County Cemetery was used for temporary burials from 1871 to 1918 until funds were available to send the deceased back home. The burial area may have become a part of the County Cemetery about 1893. It is overgrown and not maintained.

Researchers should refer to JCHS for recent research information and may enjoy this KPTZ radio broadcast: (Airdate: June 5, 2023) Reed Barry and Ellie DiPietro of the Jefferson County Historical Society present Reed’s study of the history of the Jefferson County Cemetery from its creation in the late 19th Century to its abandonment in the 1940s. With Host Phil Andrus.

Cooper Family Cemetery AKA Watson Family Cemetery

Comments: Private family cemetery, established before 1910, but some reports suggest it existed in the 1800s. The property was originally purchased by Walter G. Watson from Pope and Talbot and was earlier known as the Watson Family graveyard. Some bodies were moved to Forest Hill Cemetery when it opened. Abandoned, location uncertain.

Fort Townsend Cemetery

Location: Port Townsend, Ft. Townsend State Park, on the west shore of Port Townsend Bay, about 3 miles southwest of Port Townsend on State Highway 20. The cemetery is in the woods southwest of the Ranger’s house.

Comments: Fort Townsend was established in 1856 as a place where settlers might find sanctuary in cases of Indian attack or other necessity. It is reported that the bodies were exhumed in 1898 and taken to the San Francisco National Cemetery, including burials from American Camp in the San Juan Islands which had been moved to Fort Townsend earlier.

Marine Cemetery

Comments: Between 1913 and February 1924 approximately 60 deaths occurred with burial noted as “Marine Cemetery.” The deceased were males, foreign born. Most of the deaths occurred at the Marine Hospital, a few at St. John’s Hospital, and one aboard a Chilean ship. Burials may have started before 1913. After 1924 those dying at the Marine Hospital were interred at Redmen Cemetery. The location of the “Marine Cemetery” has not been positively established. One source said that the “Marine Cemetery” consisted of plots at Redmen Cemetery.

Port Ludlow Cemetery – Update Coming Soon

Comments: This cemetery existed during the 1800s and overlooks Port Ludlow Bay. Some human remains were moved to Forest Hill Cemetery when Forest Hill Cemetery opened. The location and cemetery has recently been identified and the boundaries mapped out. It is located on the hill above Port Ludlow to the north of the Village Center, above the marina, and on the west side of Oak Bay Road.

Back to Indexes of JCGS Databases