Pierce County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Pierce County

Guide to Pierce County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

Historical Facts

 * Parent County: created 2 December 1852 from Thurston County
 * County Seat: Tacoma
 * Neighboring Counties: King | Kitsap | Kittitas | Lewis | Mason | Thurston | Yakima

Resources
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

 * Sumner Cemetery, Sumner BillionGraves

Census

 * 1860
 * 1870
 * 1878
 * 1879
 * 1880
 * 1889
 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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


 * Lincoln (Tacoma)
 * Tacoma
 * Tacoma Central

Lutheran

 * Records of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Tacoma, 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.

Military
Some military records for this county have been digitized at the Washington State Digital Archives.

Naturalization and Citizenship
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.)

Newspapers
The News Tribune (Tacoma)

Puyallup Herald (formerly Pierce County Herald)

Obituaries
Tacoma Obituary Index contains more than 350,000 entries. File is complete from 1984 to the present day.

Courthouse
Pierce County Courthouse 930 Tacoma Ave South Tacoma, WA 98402 Phone: 253.798.7455 County Auditor has marriage and land records. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890 and adoption records.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Puyallup Washington Family History Center

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

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

Places
Populated Places

Tacoma

Puyallup

Sumner

Orting

Lakewood

Edgewood

Fort Lewis