District of Columbia, United States Genealogy

Guide to District of Columbia ancestry, family history, and genealogy, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records

See also Step-by-Step District of Columbia Research, 1880-Present.

Featured Content
The first land grants to English settlers, in what is now the District of Columbia (then Charles County, Maryland), were made in 1663. Scottish immigrants founded Georgetown in 1751. Only a few people lived in the area when the federal government offices were moved there from Philadelphia in 1800. The city grew slowly until the 1860s, when the population more than doubled during and after the Civil War. NEW! Join the District of Columbia Genealogy Research Community on Facebook or Skype!

Major Repositories for the District of Columbia
Bureau of Land Management Eastern States Office · City of Fairfax Regional Library (VA) · Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library · District of Columbia Archives · District of Columbia Marriage Bureau · District of Columbia Public Library · District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds · District of Columbia Register of Wills · District of Columbia Vital Records · Family History Library (Salt Lake City, UT) · Gallaudet University Library · Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit · Historical Society of Washington, D.C. · Library of Congress · Library of Virginia (Richmond, VA) · Maryland State Archives (Annapolis, MD) · National Archives I · National Archives II (College Park, MD) · National Genealogical Society (Arlington, VA) · National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) (St. Louis, MO) · New York Public Library (NY) · Prince George's County Genealogical Society (Bowie, MD) · Washington National Records Center (Suitland, MD)

Migration Routes
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal· Cumberland Road· Fall Line Road (or Southern Road)· King's Highway· National Road· Potomac River· Atlantic Coast Ports {| style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
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Did You Know?
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) collection contains some District of Columbia Bible records. This collection is partially indexed by E. Kay Kirkham, An Index to Some of the Bibles and Family Records of the United States, vol. 2 (Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1984; FHL book 973 D22kk v.2; fiche 6089184).

Wiki articles describing these collections are found:


 * District to Columbia Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * District of Columbia Birth Returns (FamilySerach Historical Records)
 * District of Columbia Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * District of Columbia Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * District of Columbia Marriage Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Distict of Columbia Marriages (FamilySearchHistorical Records)
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