Step-by-Step Washington Research, 1850-1910

Washington Step-by-Step Research 1850--1907 Step-by-Step Research 1907--present Step-by-Step Research 1850--1907


 * 8. Printed local histories or biographies online.
 * 9. Wills and probate.
 * 10. Land records online.
 * 11. Historical or genealogical societies.


 * }

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Using clues to lead to census record searches.
Your grandmother, Vernita Seeley, tells you that she was born 17 June 1899 in Seatlle, Washington, and that her parents (your great-grandparents) were Bert and Margaret Swezea. You know quite a bit about Vernita's later life, husband, and chidren. You would like to identify your great-grandparents and hopefully their parents. Since Juanita was born just one year before the 1900 census, we would start by looking for her in the 1900 census, probably with her parents. You find them listed living in Seattle.



Notice that you now have birth dates and places for Bert and Margaret. An important detail here is that Bert Swezea's sister Adda is living with them. The next census we can find is in 1880 (since the 1890 was destroyed), so we need to guess where the Swezea family lived then. Adda's birth information shows the family was in Washington by 1881. Margaret's family was in Washington for an entire generation earlier, but we will have to find her maiden name to search for her.



So here we find the family living in Walla Walla, Washington. We learn that Bert's parents are James W. Swezea and Adda M.__________. They were born respectively in Missouri and Iowa. We can calculate their birth years. We also learn the identity of three more of their children. To follow up on this family in the 1870, 1860, and 1850 census records, we would move to searches in Missouri and Iowa. But let's move to some other record groups for Washington to learn more about them. Let's also see if other records will give us clues to come back to Washington census records hunting for Margaret Swezea's family.

Census Records

 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.

Look at the samples of census records below to become familiar with the types of information found in each.

Census Links to Start Your Own Research in Census Records

 * Now you will want to find your family members in every possible census, using these convenient links.


 * If possible, different collections for the same census should be checked, as there is wide variation in the function of the different search engines. Unfortunately the free of charge database has a weaker search engine.


 * However, the fee sites, Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local FamilySearch Center or the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * Washington State Digital Archives, Census, 1847-1910''', includes 1883, 1885, 1887, and 1889 Territorial Censuses
 * 1850 United States Federal Census (Part of Oregon Territory): . Index. Also at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. And Findmypast.com, ($). Index and images. And MyHeritage.com, ($). Index and images.
 * 1860 United States Federal Census: . Index. Also at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. And Findmypast.com, ($). Index and images. And MyHeritage.com, ($). Index and images.
 * 1870 United States Federal Census: . Index. Also at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. And Findmypast.com, ($). Index and images. And MyHeritage.com, ($). Index and images.
 * 1880 United States Federal Census: . Index. Also at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. And Findmypast.com, ($). Index and images. And MyHeritage.com, ($). Index and images.
 * 1900 United States Federal Census: . Index. Also at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. And Findmypast.com, ($). Index and images. And MyHeritage.com, ($). Index and images.

Other indexes available:
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States.
 * Note: The 1890 census was destroyed in a fire.

'''In steps 3 and 4, we will use what we learned from the census records to help search for birth, marriage, and death records. But first, we will try to gather more clues from several collections of death, obituary, and cemetery records that may give other places those birth and marriage records might be located.'''
 * Washington State Digital Archives, Colville Reservation Census
 * Washington, Compiled Census Index, 1850-90, ($), index
 * Washington State and Territorial Censuses, 1857-1892 Index and images ($)
 * Oregon Territory Census, 1850 Index and images ($)
 * U.S., Schedules of Special Census of Indians, 1880 ($)
 * You will want to find and keep notes on census records from every census during each ancestor's lifetime.
 * Using the census records, you will be able to estimate approximate birth dates and marriage dates. These records will lead you to additional census searches because you will find the names of other members of the family you will need to find. You may also find clues to other states and countries your family lived in before coming to Washington.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
We can look for many death-related records for Robert F. Johnson, his parents, and his siblings. In particular, we are looking for the maiden name of Robert's mother, a more specific town or origin in England for his father, and more complete birth dates for all of the family members. You will see at the end of this section a FindAGrave record for William S. Johnson which gives us his full name, William Smith Johnson; his full birthdate, 1 August 1822; and his birth place, Manchester, England.

'''Death Certificates
Even though this article focuses on finding records prior to 1907, remember that many of the people you are studying in the late 1800's died after 1907, when death certificates began being filed statewide. This example of a death certificate demonstrates what information you can obtain by sending for an actual certificate. Most notably, you would probably find the names and birthplaces of the parents of the deceased.

Death Indexes
Eventually, we will want to send for the death certificates of Bert and Margaret Swezea. But in the meantime, their are many death-related online records that we can search immediately:

Here are the records we find for Bert and Margaret when we search these online databases. We will still want to send for Bert's original record, but below that Margaret's original record, an example of death registers kept by the individual counties:
 * Online Washington Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Browse images, records vary by county.
 * Washington, Deaths, 1883-1960 Index and images ($)
 * Index and images. Also at Ancestry.com, ($), and Findmypast, ($), index, and MyHeritage, ($)
 * Washington State Digital Archives Death Records, 1907-1960 Also on *Ancestry.com($) See here for specific date range for each county included in the collection.
 * Index only.
 * Washington Death Index, 1940-1996 ($)



'''Ordering Full Certificates

 * Click here for information on how to order birth or death records. This will require an application, and a fee.
 * Click here for information on how to order marriage or divorce records. This will require an application, and a fee.

U.S. Social Security Death Index
The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962. The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled. Women are listed under their married name at the time of their death. You can search these records online at. Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.

The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names. The deceased would have to be at least 75 years old today for their parents' names to be published in the index. You will not find everybody who is listed in the SSDI, as criteria for inclusion differs.

If you find your ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed, the date and place of birth, currenr residence and employer.



Obituaries

 * Try these Washington links:
 * Online Washington Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Obituaries.com
 * Washington obituaries
 * Obituaries Help
 * Washington obituary database
 * ObitsArchive.com - Washington ($)
 * The Obituary Link Page - Washington Obituary Links
 * Washington Obituaries
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Try these Washington links:


 * Online Washington Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Washington State Digital Archives Cemetery Records
 * Washington Cemetery Records at Findagrave.com
 * Washington Cemetery Records at Interment.net
 * BillionGraves Washington Cemeteries
 * USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project
 * Linkpendium scours the Internet for resources.
 * USGenWeb Tombstone Project - Washington
 * I Dream of Genealogy
 * Washington Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy
 * Washington Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy

'''Here are some fairly typical FindAGrave records. It is finally here in cemetery records that we learn the identity of Margaret Swezea's parents: Christian Maier and Mary Ann Summers. Christain Maier's FindAGrave records was also found but not shown here as it has a lengthy biography attached. We have shown the record of Mary Ann Summers Maier, his wife. It gives the names of all their children, and the names, birth dates and death dates of her parents. The names of her children give links to their FindAGrave records, where we will find more complete information for each of them.



Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
States, counties, or even towns in some states recorded births, marriages, and deaths. In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations. A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1907. Prior to that the individual counties kept the records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed. Also, Washington state collected delayed birth certificates which may cover births earlier than 1907. Here are a variety of collected county records: Births
 * Images/no index.
 * Washington Births, 1883-1935 Index and images ($)
 * Washington State Digital Archives Birth Records See here for specific date range for each county included in the collection.
 * Index and images
 * Washington, BirthsI ndex & images ($)

Marriages
 * Washington State Digital Archives Marriage Records See here for specific date range for each county included in the collection.
 * Washington Marriages, 1802-1902 Index ($)
 * Browse images, records vary by county.
 * Index and images. Also at Ancestry.com, ($), and Findmypast, ($), index, and MyHeritage, ($), index
 * Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004 ($)

Samples of index entries
Notice how these records, available online, verify that Margaret, wife of Bert Swezea, had the maiden name of Margaret Elaine Maier and that Bert's mother's maiden name was Adella Lizenby.

Step 6: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards and Civil War pension records online.

 * There are many different types of military records, some covered in online collections, some microfilmed, and some requiring you to order them from government repositories with a fee. For more information, read the U.S. Military Records Class Handout. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information.

World War 1 Draft Registration

 * One of the most helpful military records is the draft registration of 1917-1918. During three separate registrations, men born between 1873-1897 were required to register in the draft for World War I. Cards may give birth date, birth place, residence, occupation, employer, physical description, next of kin (usually the wife or mother), and number of dependents. Search for your male relatives born in this time period at.

World War II Draft Registration
-

Civil War Pensions

 * Pensions were given to Union Civil War soldiers who sustained war-related disabilities from the Federal Government.
 * There are several Civil War pension indexes online:
 * at FamilySearch
 * General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, Civil War at Ancestry - $
 * Civil War Pensions Index at Fold3 - $


 * This collection indexes approved pension case files of widows and other dependents of soldiers submitted between 1861 and 1934 and sailors between 1910 and 1934. The pension files are being uploaded and attached to this index as they become available. If the pension images are not available, they must be obtained from the National Archives. The wife's maiden name is used in the index along with her married name.





This collection consists of two card indexes to widows who had applied for a pension renewal. The first covers service between 1812-1860 and the second covers service in the Civil War and later. This is helpful in locating a woman in census and death records under her new surname.



Pension Records for Other Wars

 * This record might help by naming a wife or widow of a Revolutionary War veteran who settled in Washington: Index


 * This record gives name, rank, regiment, company commander, regimental commander, height, weight, color of eyes, hair, complexion, age, occupation, county or state of birth, date and place of enlistment, miscellaneous remarks. Additional records include Indian Scouts, 1878-1914: Index and images.


 * These records might help by naming a wife or widow of a veteran who settled in Washington:
 * Index Only.
 * Index only.
 * Index only.
 * For a more complete list of available online military records and indexes, see United States Online Military Records.

Military Indexes Unique to Washington

 * Washington, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Washington, Territorial to 1966 ($)
 * Washington Index to Indian War Service Affidavits, 1909-19
 * Washington Index to Indian War Service Affidavits, 1909-19
 * Washington Index to Indian War Service Affidavits, 1909-19
 * Washington Index to Indian War Service Affidavits, 1909-19

Step 7: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that your ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in that country. The next goal is to search immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records. Immigration refers to people coming into a country, such as the United States, and emigration refers to people leaving a country to go to another. Usually these records are passenger lists of the ships they sailed on. A typical record will show name, age, and country of origin, but records after 1892 often list the actual town of last residence and later, the town of birth. The later passenger lists can also list the next of kin still living in the old country and their residence, and the names of relatives and the place they are traveling to. Here is a simple pedigree showing what we have discovered so far: Here are some sample research projects you could continue with:
 * Continue looking up all the children of each couple in the birth, marriage, death, Social Security, cemetery, and military collections until you have complete information on each of them.

Census clues to Immigration records
Census records can provide important clues about nationality and immigration. This chart lists data that can be found in each of the census records. Gather the information in the census records specifically about immigration, as it will help narrow down your search.

Immigration records
There are too many immigration records to list here. Click here to see a complete list of available immigration records online. Notice that they are listed by state, but under the letter "U" there is a long list of records that cover all of the United States. Unless family information tells you the port where family arrived, you will need to search all of the United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records for the time period when your ancestors arrived. Here are the immigration records specific to Washington:
 * Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1961 Index and images ($)
 * Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists of Airplane Departures, 1947-1957 Index and images ($)
 * Index and images, also at Findmypast, ($), index
 * North Dakota and Washington, Chinese Passenger Arrivals, 1903-1944, Index/images.
 * Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists of Airplane Departures, 1947-1957 Index and images ($)
 * Images.
 * Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-1944 Index and images ($)

Example of a shipping list for families travelling to Raymond, Washington
I have not been able to find immigration records for Christian Maier, so these examples are unrelated.

Naturalization (Citizenship) Records
Naturalization is the process of becoming a citizen. Records can include the immigrant's declaration of intent to become a citizen, petition, and final citizenship papers. Also locate both the declaration of intent and the petition. Naturalization records after 1906 can give birth date and place, spouse's name, marriage date and place, and lists of children with their birth dates. Records before 1906 usually include less information although, some county clerks would add more information then necessary making it important to always search for the records even if the naturalization happened before 1906. For more information regarding the naturalization process go to: Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records wiki page.

Washington Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * Washington State Digital Archives On the right side of the page, select Naturalizations in the Digital Collection box under Detailed Search heading.
 * Browsable records, incomplete for all counties.
 * Browsable records, incomplete for all counties.
 * Images . Also at Ancestry.com, index/images.
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents for Washington - Superior Court for King, Pierce, Thurston, and Snohomish Counties, Washington, 1850-1974 ($)
 * Washington, Naturalizations, 1853-1980 Index and images
 * Washington, U.S., County Naturalizations, 1878-1974 Index and images ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records for Washington - Eastern District - U.S. District Court - Original Documents, 1890-1972 (World Archives Project) ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records for Washington - Western District - U.S. District Court - Original Documents, 1890-1957 (World Archives Project) ($)
 * Washington, Petitions for Naturalization, 1904-1991 Index and images ($)

Local histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories:
 * Hathi Trust Digital Library. Don't use the keywords Washington; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Washington" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Washington" and the county name.
 * Genealogy Book Links, Washington. Browse list; county histories are interspersed.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Washington and the name of the county.


 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find out about local histories the library has by checking the FamilySearch Catalog. In the "place" field, type the name of your county and select it from the drop down list, then click "Search". A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, and History - Indexes.


 * Also, in Step 12, you will be contacting a county history society. Societies often have a good selection of printed histories about the area. Some may be search history for you for a fee.

Biographies
These collections of Washington biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or you can use the "Find" function on your computer.


 * Who's Who on the Pacific Coast, 1913, ($), index/images
 * County and Town Histories with biographies
 * Women in Washington biographies
 * Eastern Washington Biographical Sketches
 * Washington, west of the Cascades; historical and descriptive; the explorers, the Indians, the pioneers, the modern; Vol. 1, e-book, Vol. 2, Vol. 3,
 * A history of the Puget Sound country,... v.1, e-book, Vol. 2
 * History of Washington, the evergreen state, from early dawn to daylight; With portraits and biographies. Vol. 1, e-book, Vol. 2
 * An illustrated history of the state of Washington, containing biographical mention of its pioneers and prominent citizens, e-book

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.
For more information, see U.S. Probate Records Class Handout.

County Probate Records

 * Washington probate records include probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration. In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet. Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

We looked in probate indexes for the names Maier, Swezea, Summers, and Lizenby. We found a record for a Thomas Swezea. Altough we had not heard of a relationship to a Thomas Swezea, we searched through the entire probate packet and found these important notes. Thomas Swezea,it turns out, is the father of James William Swezea (and therefore the grandfather of Bert L. Swezea). He did not leave a will, but these notes are from pages in the probate packet, showing the importance of sending to the county for the whole packet, if it is not shown online:





Online Indexes to Washington Probate Records

 * Currently, these Washington probate records are microfilmed and digitized:
 * Washington, Wills and Probate Records, 1807-1997, ($), index and images, incomplete.
 * Browsable records, incomplete for all counties.
 * Index and images
 * Images
 * Washington, County Records, 1856-2009, ($), images/no index.


 * Eventually more of these records may become available online.

Writing for Probate Packets

 * In the meantime, this online directory by Genealogy Inc. will enable you to arrange to have them searched for a fee: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the Courthouse and Government Records to find the address and phone number of the County Clerk of Court. Ask them about the years covered by their probate records and their procedure and fees for ordering copies probate packets. When you write, always ask for the full probate packet, not just the will or administration.

Step 10: Search land records online.

 * These records will give the name of the owner, the date they obtained the land, the county, and the exact location of the land. They can contain clues to family members who shared ownership of the land, sold or gave land to a child, or witnessed the sale. Sometimes they show the previous or new residence of the parties to the deed. They can be useful in tracking an ancestor who lived in more than one county in Washington. With the additional county name where the family lived, the probate and vital records of that county can then be searched.
 * Washington State Digital Archives, Land Records, Plats and Surveys,
 * Images only
 * Bureau of Land Management Land Patents, index
 * Images.Also at Ancestry.com, ($), images.
 * U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898, ($)
 * We know that Mary Ann Summers was the daughter of Samuel Summers, but we don't know whether her father ever came to Washington. This land patent record may be about him or not.  But it gives us a clue to follow up on records about a Samuel Summers who purchased land in Willamette County in 1820, and gives us a possible county to begin searching for our Samuel Summers.

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society. --

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After online research, search the collection at the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch Center.

 * Search the catalog of the FamilySearch collection.


 * Records are catalogued by location. Do these three searches for each place: Washington; the county (or counties) where your ancestors lived; and the town (or towns) where they lived.

Although FamilySearch is actively working to microfilm and preserve records throughout the world, this huge job is nowhere near complete. We have tried in the Wiki to provide information about collections, books, and records held in government and ecclesiastical archives beyond the FamilySearch Library records. In Washington, United States Genealogy, you can find links to these records and how to access them. Also here you will find information on records from your particular Washington county of interest.