District of Columbia Archives and Libraries

United States District of Columbia  Archives and Libraries

The following archives, libraries, and societies have collections or services helpful for genealogical research for the District of Columbia.

Archives
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Pennsylvania Avenue at 8th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20408 Telephone: 202-501-5415 Fax: 301-713-6740 The archives has microfilms of all available federal census records, many naturalization records, passenger arrival lists, military records, and other historical resources. Learn more.

Maryland State Archives 350 Rowe Boulevard Annapolis, MD 21401 Telephone: 410-260-6400 Toll free: 1-800-235-4045

Libraries
Library of Congress 101 Independence Avenue S.E. Washington, DC 20504 Telephone: 202-707-5000 Learn more.

District of Columbia Public Library Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library 901 "G" Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001-4599 Telephone: 202-727-0321 The library's Special Collections include Washingtoniana, The Peabody Room (Georgetown historical resources), and the Black Studies Center.

Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit 333 Constitution Avenue, NW Room 4714 Washington, DC 20001-2866 Telephone: 202-216-7346

Gallaudet University Library Deaf Collections and Archives 800 Florida Ave. N.E. Washington, DC 20002 Telephone: 202-250-2604 TTY 202-651-5209 Fax: 202-651-5213 Library collections include records, manuscripts, photographs, biographies, and other genealogical resources.

Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 Telephone: 801-240-2584

The Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints houses a collection of genealogical records that include names of more than three billion deceased people. It’s the largest collection of its kind in the world. Collections include digitized historical records, microfilms and microfiche, books, maps, and much more. Explore at FamilySearch.org.

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy. You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. These local centers are staffed by volunteers and have varying hours and resources so call to verify their hours in advance.


 * Washington DC Family History Center 10000 Stoneybrook Drive Kensington, Maryland Telephone: 301-587-0042

Repository Guides

 * Benton, Mildred, ed. Library and Reference Facilities in the Area of the District of Columbia. 12th edition. American Society for Information Science, 1986.
 * Eales, Anne Bruner and Robert M. Kvasnicka. Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. Washington, District of Columbia : National Archives and Records Administration, 2000.
 * Neagles, James C. and Mark C. Neagles. The Library of Congress: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research. Salt Lake City, Utah : Ancestry Pub., 1990.
 * Provine, Dorothy S. Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Government of the District of Columbia. Record Group 351. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1976.

District of Columbia Digital Collections
has statewide online database links which may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.

Web Sites
You can find computerized research tips and information about ancestors from the District of Columbia in a variety of sources at local, state, national, and international levels. The list of sources is growing rapidly. Much of the information is available at no cost. Addresses on the Internet change frequently. The following sites are important gateways linking you to many more sites:

FamilySearch - At this site you can access digitized historical records, the Family History Library Catalog, lists of Family History Centers, and other resources related to family history.

DCGenWeb - a cooperative effort by many volunteers to list genealogical databases, libraries, bulletin boards, and other resources available on the Internet for each county, state, and country

CyndisList - a major portal linking to a variety of family history sites