Kalawao County Death Records

Kalawao County death records are among the most historically significant in the entire state of Hawaii. This county is unlike any other in the United States, and searching for death records here often means digging into both the State Department of Health's vital records system and the unique archives tied to the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement. Whether you need a certified copy of a recent death certificate or want to trace a family member who lived in the settlement, this guide walks you through how to find and obtain those records.

About Kalawao County and Death Records

Kalawao County is the smallest county in the United States. It covers just 12 square miles on the Makanalua Peninsula along the north coast of Molokai island. The name "Kalawao" means "mountain-side wild woods" in Hawaiian. The county was created on April 22, 1903, and its county seat is Kalaupapa. No other county in the country is quite like it.

The county has roughly 82 residents today. Fewer than 10 of those are former patients of the leprosy settlement, all of whom are over 80 years old. The rest are health workers, state employees, and conservationists. It is the only county in the United States that is permanently closed to new residents. The only way to reach Kalaupapa by land is a mule trail carved through the cliffs that rise above the peninsula. Populated places within the county include Kalaupapa, Kalawao, Makanalua, and Waikolu. The Kalaupapa National Historical Park was established in 1980 to preserve the site's unique history.

For death records, Kalawao County falls under the Second Judicial Circuit, which is based in Maui County. The circuit court is located at 200 S. High St, Kalana O Maui Building, Wailuku, HI 96793, and can be reached at 808-323-4881. State death records for Kalawao County residents go back to 1905. Vital records are processed through the Hawaii State Department of Health and the Maui County court system. Because the population is so small, nearly all requests go directly through the state DOH in Honolulu.

The images below, sourced from amapnerd.com, offer a look at what makes Kalawao County so different from every other county in the nation.

Few places carry as much historical weight as Kalawao County. Its death records are part of a larger story that spans the Kingdom of Hawaii, the territorial period, and statehood.

Kalaupapa Settlement Death Records

For 103 years, from 1866 to 1969, Kalawao County served as a forced quarantine settlement for people diagnosed with Hansen's disease, commonly known as leprosy. Over 8,000 patients were confined here during that period. Most were exiled from the moment of diagnosis and remained on the peninsula until they died. The toll on Native Hawaiians was severe. These deaths form a major part of the county's vital records history and are among the most important public health records in the state.

Historical death records from the settlement date back to the Kingdom of Hawaii era. A list of patients who died in Kalawao during a quarter in 1887 was published in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa on November 5 of that year. Sample entries from that list include: Papa, male, from Hilo, Hawaii; Jno. Hoopii, male, from Kaupo, Maui; Punahoa, female, from Waimea, Hawaii; Adamu (Chinese), male, from Wailuku, Maui. The notation system used "m." for male and "f." for female, with the location indicating where each person came from before their exile. These entries document deaths during the Kingdom of Hawaii period and hold both genealogical and historical significance.

FamilySearch has a dedicated Kalaupapa project that preserves records of patients, employees, volunteers, and kokua (helpers) who lived in the settlement beginning in 1865. The project, listed as "Community Trees - Hawaii. Kalawao. Kalaupapa," includes arrival records, birth records, marriage records, death records, burial records, and census population schedules. FamilySearch also hosts the Hawaii Hansen's Disease Records, Kalaupapa Vital Records Card Index for 1928 to 1947. This card index covers vital records for leprosy patients and includes birth certificates, death records, and marriages. These records are free to search on FamilySearch.

For genealogy resources specific to Kalawao County, Forebears.io provides a useful index of surnames and death record collections tied to the county.

The Forebears database for Kalawao County links to several record sets useful for tracing family history in the settlement and the broader region.

Note: Kalaupapa settlement records are a primary source that often contain more complete death information than general state vital statistics for people who lived there.

Requesting Kalawao County Death Records

All death certificates for Kalawao County residents are processed through the Hawaii State Department of Health in Honolulu. There is no county-level office to contact for certified copies. You can get records online, by mail, or in person at the state DOH office. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 338, access to death records is regulated at the state level. HRS 338-18 limits access to those with a direct and tangible interest in the record.

Online requests go through the state's vital records portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov/vitalrecords/. A $2.50 portal fee applies in addition to the standard copy fees. By mail, send your request to the State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. In-person requests are handled at 1250 Punchbowl St, Room 103, Honolulu, Monday through Friday from 7:45 AM to 2:30 PM. Mail requests typically take 6 to 8 weeks to process.

The fee for a certified death certificate is $10 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy. To pick up or order a record, you need a government-issued photo ID. People who are eligible to request a death record include the spouse, parents, descendants, siblings, grandparents, a legal guardian, an estate representative, or anyone with a court order. For residents of Kalawao County, ordering online or visiting Honolulu are the most practical options. The Maui District Health Office in Wailuku also handles some vital records matters for the judicial district area and can be reached at (808) 241-3498. More details are at health.hawaii.gov/maui/vital-records/.

Historical Death Records for Kalawao

State death records for Kalawao County go back to 1905. For deaths before that date, the Hawaii State Archives and the Kalaupapa settlement records are the main sources. The Hawaii State Archives maintains a genealogy research guide with vital statistics at ags.hawaii.gov. Digital collections are also searchable through the Hawaii Digital Archives.

Several record collections cover Kalawao County deaths across different time periods. These include Hawaii Deaths and Burials, 1862-1919, the United States Social Security Death Index for 1962 to the present, US Mortality Schedules covering 1849 to 1886, and US Rosters of World War II Dead for 1939 to 1945. The Hawaii Obituaries Index covers 1980 to the present and contains over 40,000 entries. For veterans, the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific has burial records from 1941 to 2011, and the US Veteran's Gravesites database covers 1775 to 2008. FamilySearch hosts free 1841 to 1925 Hawaii Death Records and Death Registers.

Because of the settlement's unique history, many death records for former residents may appear in Kalaupapa settlement records rather than in traditional vital statistics files. The University of Hawaii at Manoa library guide at guides.library.manoa.hawaii.edu is a useful starting point for research. You can also order certified copies through GoCertificates. If you need proof of a death but cannot get a full certified copy, Hawaii law under HRS 338-14.3 allows a verification letter as an alternative.

Note: For genealogy requests involving events 115 or more years ago, the State DOH handles those by appointment. Visit health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/genealogy/ to schedule one.

Genealogy Research for Kalawao Records

Genealogy research tied to Kalawao County requires a different approach than most other counties. The population was small and largely isolated, so the best records often come from sources outside the standard vital statistics system. Newspaper obituaries, settlement records, and cemetery indexes are all worth checking before you contact the DOH. The Hawaii State Archives has an obituary index for newspapers published before 1950.

Historical Kalawao death records also appear in the Ka Nupepa Kuokoa archives and other Kingdom-era Hawaiian language newspapers. These papers documented deaths in the settlement during the 1800s and are a unique primary source for the period. The US Social Security Death Index is useful for more recent research, particularly for former patients or workers who left the peninsula before death.

For legal help with genealogy research or navigating vital records requests, Legal Aid Hawaii offers assistance to qualifying residents. The same $10 first copy and $4 additional copy fees apply to genealogy requests through the state DOH. If you are unsure where a death record is filed, start with the State Archives genealogy guide and then contact the DOH office in Honolulu for guidance.

Nearby Counties

Kalawao County is part of the Hawaii island chain. The counties below also handle death records through the State DOH system and the Hawaii court network.