Washington, United States Genealogy

United States  Washington

Guide to Washington state ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records {| width="100%" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="1" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
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Welcome to Washington, The Evergreen State
Created 11 November 1889 from Washington Territory




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Counties
Click on the map below to go to a county page.

Extinct or Renamed Counties: Chehalis |Sawamish | Slaughter | Vancouver

Major Repositories
Washington State Archives· Washington State Library· Seattle Public Library· Tacoma Public Library· Washington State Historical Society· National Archives at Seattle· Family History Library

Migration Routes
Columbia River· Snake River· Oregon Trail· Great Northern Railway (U.S.)· Northern Pacific Railroad

Featured Content

 * Orting, Washington USA Soldiers Home Applications
 * Index to Naturalization Records (Digitized Collection within the State Archives of Washington)
 * Naturalization Records (Digitized Collection within the State Archives of Washington)

Did You Know?

 * Washington is a public land state. The area that now comprises the state was part of the public domain and was administered by the federal government through local land offices under the direction of the General Land Office (GLO), later known as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The first land office in Washington was established at Olympia in 1855.
 * In the early 1800s, traders and trappers came from Canada, Russia, Latin America, and the United States into what is now Oregon and Washington. Most well-known was David Thompson starting in 1809.
 * In 1811 The American Fur Company, owned by John Jacob Astor, an American, established the first white settlement at Astoria, Oregon.
 * Protesant missionaries settled in Walla Walla and Tshimakain in 1836 until the Whitman Massacre in 1847.
 * Washington Territory was created February 8, 1853 from northern part of Oregon Territory north of the Columbia River in the west, and north of the 46th parallel east of the Columbia River.
 * Gretna Greens. When a Washington State couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like Port Orchard for the greater Seattle area, Coeur d'Alene ID for Spokane and eastern Washington, and Canadian communities on the border.

Research Tools

 * Join the Facebook or Skype Washington Genealogy Research Community!
 * Find which county a town is in, what town a cemetery is in, even where a postoffice or building is by using the United States Geographical Survey's Geographical Names Information System. This also provides the name of the USGS map to find Historic Topographical Maps for that location.
 * Washington Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Washington Genealogy - Guide to Ancestry information on ordering vital records, city and government links, history and facts of counties, printable genealogy forms, list of archives and societies, and genealogical terms
 * Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Washington State at The Newberry Library Dr. William M. Scholl Center for American History and Culture. Provides pdf of county boundaries and KMZ files for use with Google Earth.
 * Rotating Formation Washington County Boundary Maps and Atlases
 * Washington Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Georgraphic Dictionary of Washington, 1917
 * University of Alabama Historical Map Archive
 * Historic Maps and Navigation Charts from the NOAA Office of Coast Survey
 * University of Oregon Map and Aerial Photography Library Historic Nautical Charts
 * David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures.
 * The Washington GenWeb Project has a wealth of information and is a part of the larger USGenWeb Project. The USGenWeb Project provides internet information on every county in every state in the United States.
 * The Washington State Genealogical Society has Resource Guides for most counties in the state of Washington.
 * The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History (History Link).
 * The Evolution of Washington Counties by Newton Carl Abbott &amp; Fred E. Carver, 1979. Published by the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society and Klickitat County Genealogical Society. Book gives a complete recap of formation and dissolution of Washington Territory and Washington State counties.
 * Washington Genealogy extensive directory of Washington genealogy records

Obtain additional help

 * Call or chat with an experienced researcher
 * Join a Facebook Group
 * Consult a Professional Genealogist

Things You Can Do
In order to make this wiki a better research tool, we need your help! Many tasks need to be done. You can help by:

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