How I Find Genealogical Documentation for Washington State
My Go-To Washington State Genealogical Resources
As a Washington State native, I have searched for many records in the State of Washington. On occasion, I have to visit a local records center. However, I am grateful that I am able to do so much of my research online.
The First Places I Look for Washington State Records
These websites are the ones I search first. It is why I recommend them the most for local-to-me resources.
- Cyndi’s List – I love to visit Cyndi’s main page for Washington State.
- Pierce County Auditor’s Office – I have found several records on this site. I think it’s one of the best and is fairly easy to use.
- Spokane County’s Auditor’s Office – I can probably find family records on this site because of how much family I have in and from Spokane.
- Washington State Digital Archives – I probably use this website the most. I have found many records in the Archives.
- Washington Digital Newspapers – I just recently found this site.
- Western States Marriage Records Index – I have found a couple of records on this site.
Local Resources for the Evergreen State
Unfortunately, not everything can be found online and you may need to go to a research facility. As such, I have visited several over the years.
- Fiske Genealogical Library – This library is in the basement of Pioneer Hall.
- Heritage Quest Research Library – This library is located in downtown Sumner. Some of their holdings are listed on their website.
- National Archives and Records Administration (N.A.R.A.) – The Seattle Research Facility is not open on the weekends. I visited the Seattle location in August 2018 and it was a great experience.
- Pioneer Association of the State of Washington – This association owns Pioneer Hall which is located on the waterfront in Seattle. It is in the Madison Park neighborhood. If you are in the area, the public is welcome to attend one of the monthly open houses.
- Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society – This genealogical society hosts an annual conference. You can find several resources on their website.
- Tacoma Public Library – The Northwest Room is located at the Main Branch. This room contains special collections, local histories, genealogical records. There are older phone books, maps, and microfilm.
Additional Online Washington State Genealogical Resources
I use these websites almost every time I do research. These are my go-to websites for all of my family history research.
- Ancestry.com – This link is for their Washington State research page.
- BillionGraves – You can search for cemeteries in Washington State. If you cannot find a cemetery that you know exists, add it to the database.
- FamilySearch – By visiting this page, you will be able to see the collections that FamilySearch has on Washington State.
- Find A Grave – Here you will see all of the cemeteries currently in the Find A Grave database for the State of Washington.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have used other resources for Washington State, please let me know in the comments. I love finding new places to search for my family.
~Adrienne