Washington, Postmaster Indexes - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Washington

What Is in the Collection?
This collection of indexes includes records prior to 1965.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The indexes usually include the following information:


 * Name of head of household or business
 * Name of spouse
 * Street address
 * Other contact information such as telephone number
 * Occupation or business enterprise

Sample Image
Directories are published books that are usually updated every year or so. This collection of directories consists of postal and shipping guides to Washington counties. They are usually arranged alphabetically.

The first directories were simple groupings of residents by street within large cities. The businesses that compiled the directories usually combined the listings with their own business or professional information and address. Information on other professionals and businesses quickly began to be included on the lists. Then the directories began dividing the names by function, and eventually there were multiple types of directories, such as city, telephone, county and regional business, professional, organizational, religious, and post office and street directories.

Directories were created to form a readily accessible record with current residence or contact information. They were created primarily by businesses for advertising and sales purposes. The information in directories is fairly reliable because it was usually provided by the business people and residents themselves.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The location or date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page'''. br>
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Record type, year range and volume number or letter

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Washington, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Washington Archives and Libraries.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:

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