Washington, Soldier Home Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in the Collection?
The collection consists of images to the records of the Washington Soldier Homes acquired from the Washington State Archives in Olympia. The records include information from the State Soldiers' Home in Orting, the State Soldiers' Colony in Orting, and the Washington Veterans' Home in Retsil. The Washington Veterans' Home is also listed as being in Port Orchard, close to Retsil. These records are arranged by file number. Includes application for admission to home, lists military service, unit, date and place of enlistment and date and place of discharge, cause of discharge, name and address of nearest relative or friend, and miscellaneous information. The collection covers the years 1891 to 1945.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Key genealogical facts found in this collection may include:


 * Name of disabled veteran
 * Time and place of enlistment
 * Rank, company and regiment in which served
 * Time and place of discharge
 * Nature of disability
 * Date admitted to home
 * Birthplace
 * Age and physical description
 * Religion
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Marital status
 * Name and address of nearest relative
 * Date and cause of death
 * Pension information
 * Place of burial

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'''.
 * 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.

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, marriage, census, church, land and death records..
 * Use the occupations to find employment or military records.
 * Use the information to establish a migration pattern and 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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