King County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  King County ''  Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1861, when the county was formed. ''

Parent County(s)
King County, Washington was created 22 December 1852.

County Seat: Seattle. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Chelan | Kitsap | Kittitas | Pierce | Snohomish | Yakima

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Dates of Major County Records
Note: The dates you see below have not yet been adapted to.

Topics
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Cemeteries

 * Kolb, Alexis Ann Alexander, Black Diamond Cemetery, Black Diamond, Washington, (Auburn, Washington: A.A.A. Kolb, 1980). Book online at Includes map of cemetery plots.
 * Fort Lawn Cemetery -- Burial Index
 * Lake View Cemetery main site
 * Lake View Cemetery Burial Search

BillionGraves:


 * Carnation Cemetery, Carnation
 * Forest Lawn Cemetery, Seattle
 * Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery, Seattle
 * Greenwood Cemetery, Renton
 * Hills of Eternity Cemetery, Seattle
 * Holy Cross Cemetery, Enunclaw
 * Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton
 * Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Seattle
 * Suise Creek Cemetery, Kent
 * Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent
 * White Lake Cemetery, Auburn

Find A Grave: search and contribute to 168 King County cemeteries

Census

 * See Washington Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
 * Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.


 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

State


 * 1889
 * 1907

Church Records

 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Queen Anne (Seattle)
 * Renton
 * Seattle S.
 * Seattle W.
 * University (Seattle)

Lutheran
Denny Park Lutheran Church


 * Records of Denny Park Lutheran Church, Seattle, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Immanuel Lutheran Church


 * Records of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seattle, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Court Records
Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Washington Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate

Japanese
World War II Files, 1942-1946

Public Welfare/Social Security Department, (Japanese Internment) Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 from the Washington State Archives – Digital Archives

Guardianship
Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Washington Court Records.

History

 * History and Progress of King County, Washington... 1916, by Henry C. Pigott. Digitalized book online from archive.org.

Oral History


 * Olson, Diane and Cory, comp. and ed., Black Diamond: Mining the Memories, An oral history of life in a company town, (Seaside, Oregon: Frontier Publishing, 1988). The 1989 Washington Centennial project of the Black Diamond Historical Society, this book is a compilation of historical photographs and selections from the transcripts of over fifty oral history interviews.


 * University of Washington, Urban Design and Planning, Mining the Memories II, Black Diamond Oral History Project, (University of Washington: 2011). Summary of 2010 oral history project pdf for the Black Diamond Historical Society. A follow-up to the 1988 centennial project, students interviewed another twenty-two residents capturing the history of Black Diamond as the area transitioned from a coal mining company town, 1950s to present.

History Timeline
Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wilma, David. King County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7905.


 * The area's indigenous peoples included the Duwamish, the Snoqualmies,and the Muckleshoots.
 * Early explorers were Colonel Isaac Ebey and later, the gold-seeker John Holgate.
 * The great spur to settlement was the Donation Land Claims Act of 1850, which granted 320 acres to each adult U.S. citizen who arrived in Oregon Territory before December 1850, and resided on their claim for four years.
 * 1851 September 14 - The first settlers were farmers led by Luther Collins.
 * 1852 December 22 - The Oregon Territorial Legislature created King County.
 * 1889 June 6 - The Great Seattle Fire wiped the downtown slate clean.
 * 1890s - Immigrants into King County included Russians, Greeks, and Serbs.

Land and Property

 * County Land Records, 1850-1954 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.

Probate Records
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at: Washington, King County Probate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Birth
Washington State Digital Archives has a database of King County Birth Records. This database contains the names of people who were born in King County from 1891-1907.

Marriage
To obtain copies of marriage records from King County, go to the following website: www.kingcounty.gov/courts/marriage/Licensecopies.aspx. The website offers a link to an online search for marriage records 1855-1989, which includes images.

Divorce
Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Washington Vital Records for excellent information.

Death

 * Washington Death Certificates 1907-1960 A free internet index to the 1907-1960 death certificates can be found at FamilySearch Record Search, no images are available. A transcribed death certificate may contain such information as name of the deceased, date and place of death, age, gender, birth date and birth place, mother’s maiden name and name of spouse, place of residence, occupation and certificate numbers.

Websites

 * King County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * King County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

Archives, Libraries, etc.
Resources for are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.


 * Check websites and catalogs, such as items in (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for . ===== Courthouse =====

King County Courthouse 516 3rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206.296.1020 Records and Elections Division, Records Section has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1853. Clerk of the Superior Court has divorce, probate and county records.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Auburn Washington Family History Center
 * Bellevue Washington Family History Center
 * Bellevue Washington South Family History Center
 * Federal Way Washington Family History Center
 * Kirkland Washington Family History Center
 * Maple Valley Washington Family History Center
 * North Bend Washington Family History Center
 * Redmond Washington Family History Center

Libraries

 * Fiske Genealogical Foundation and Library - Located at 1644 43rd Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98112. Hours: Monday & Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Wednesday 12:00 - 8:00 p.m.; Thursday 3:00 - 8:00 p.m.; Friday by appt; 2nd Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Phone: 206-328-2716.

Museums

 * Black Diamond Historical Depot Museum 32627 Railroad Ave Black Diamond WA 98010 360–886–2142 Franklin Tours: 253–852–6763 Transit: Baker St and 3rd Ave Send e-mail to: museum@blackdiamondmuseum.org Hours: Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Summer) 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Winter) 12 to 3 p.m.

Societies

 * Black Diamond Historical Society – The mission of the Black Diamond Historical Society shall be the discovery, preservation, and dissemination of the history of Black Diamond and environs, as it relates to King County and the State of Washington. Like us on facebook Black Diamond History


 * Eastside Genealogical Society – Library holdings are located at the Bellevue Regional Library, a part of the King County Library System. Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Bellevue Regional Library at 1111 110th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, WA 98004. Check the website for more information on the various interest groups that meet as a part of EGS.


 * South King County Genealogical Society – Library holdings are located at the Auburn branch of the King County Library System. Meetings are held from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the First Baptist Church of Kent, 11420 S.E. 248th St., Kent, WA 98030.


 * Seattle Genealogical Society – Library located at 6200 Sand Point Way N.E., #101, Seattle, WA 98115. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and Wednesday until 8:00 p.m. Check the website for the society meeting schedule and a listing of the various interest groups that meet as a part of SGS.

Towns and Communities
See a list of towns and communities in King County per Wikipedia.