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Biographies
The State Library has many biographical resources available on site for genealogy research: Biography and Genealogy Master Index, Washington Pioneers (a multivolume set published by the Washington State Genealogical Society), Told by the Pioneers, and Family Records of Washington Pioneers (a 65 volume set published by the Daughters of the American Revolution).
The State Library also has a large number of biographies of Washingtonians and other persons from the Pacific Northwest. They are all listed in our online catalog.
Some of these books, especially the ones in our Rare Collection, have been scanned, and are available on our web site.
Resources available online are Thurston County Pioneers, Governors of Washington State, and Women in the Washington State Legislature, World War I Soldiers Remembered.
Birth, Death, Marriage & Divorce Records
Please visit our Vital Records page for a complete outline of what Washington State vital records are available, where they are held, and how to locate them.
Cemetery Transcriptions
The State Library has collected cemetery transcriptions published by local genealogical and historical societies in Washington State. They are all listed in our online catalog. You can also find some Washington cemetery records online.
Census
The State Library has Washington Territorial Census Rolls, 1859-1892 available on microfilm. These censuses vary by county and years. Some local genealogical societies have published indexes to Washington censuses which will be in the online catalog.
The State Library also has the U.S. census records of Washington State for years between 1850 – 1880 and 1900 - 1930.
All of these censuses, both the Washington Territorial and the U.S. censuses are also available on Ancestry.com, which the library subscribes to.
City & County Directories
The State Library has an extensive collection of city and county directories, dating from 1890 to present. City directories were generally published annually and list the names and occupation of adult residents. Directories are available for 35 Washington Counties and 300 cities. These are available for on site use only.
City & County Histories
The State Library has many Washington city and county histories. They are all listed in the online catalog. A brief history of each county can be found on this County Histories handout.
Some of these city and county histories, especially the ones in our Rare Collection, have been scanned, and are available on our web site.
Databases
Ancestry Library Edition provides access to a wide variety of resources including U.S. census indexes & images 1790-1930; vital records, the Social Security Death Index, church, military, immigration, court, land and probate records; and United Kingdom and Ireland census images and indexes.
It includes the Washington State and Territorial Censuses, as well as birth and death registers and indexes for Washington State. This resource is available on site only.
Footnote.com is a place where original historical documents are combined with social networking in order to create a truly unique experience involving the stories of our past. Some of the collections include Revolutionary War Records, , FBI Case Files, and Naturalization Records & Indexes. This resource is available on site only.
Genealogy Bank (Newsbank) has thousands of historical & current newspapers, books, as well as selected material from the American State Papers and U.S. Serial Set, the complete Social Security Death Index and more than 29 million obituaries. This resource is available on site only.
HeritageQuest Online includes: ProQuest’s Genealogy & Local History Collection of family and local history books; images and head-of-household indexes to the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1930; the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), which is a subject index to genealogy and local history periodicals; selected records from Revolutionary War Pension and bounty land warrant files; Freedman's Bank records from 1865-1874. This resource is available on site only.
Digital Collections
The State Library has several digital collections, including Washington Rural Heritage, Thurston County Pioneers and Historical Maps. The University of Washington also has many digital collections.
Gazetteers and Business Directories
The State Library has gazetteers and business directories dating from the late 19th and early 20th century. Among some of the titles are Pacific Coast Business (1867), Disturnell’s Business Directory and Gazetteer of the West Coast of North America (1882), McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory (1883-4, 1886-7), and Oregon, Washington and Idaho Gazetteer and Business Directory (1886-7, 1892). These are available for on site use only.
Immigration Records
The State Library does not have immigration records in its collection. The State Archives has some naturalization records, and they have begun to put them online.
The State Library does have resources about different immigrant communities in its genealogy collection. These resources are listed on the Genealogy Collection Bibliographies handout.
Land Records
The State Library has a donation land claim records, as well as records from the Bureau of Land Management. A full description of the collection can be found on our Land Records page.
Military Records
A complete list of the military records in the State Library can be found on this handout.
The Washington State Archives has begun to put some of the military records in their collection up on their Digital Archives web site. These include records from the Retsil and Orting Soldiers' Homes.
There are also online resources to help you research Washington state soldiers.
Newspapers
The State Library has copies of Washington State newspapers dating from 1853 - present, available on microfilm. Our complete newspaper holdings are listed in our online catalog.
The State Library does not have an index to all of the newspapers in our collection, however, we do have some indexes created by other libraries and historical soceties. A list of them can be found on the Newspaper Indexes & Abstracts handout.
Most newspaper microfilm is available for interlibrary loan(max. 10 reels). Please contact your local library to initiate your request.
Periodicals
The State Library has a large number of local genealogical and historical periodicals, as well as some general genealogical journals including: Everton's Genealogical Helper, Family Tree Magazine, Family Chronicle.
A list of all of our genealogy periodicals can be found on the Genealogy Periodicals handout. All of our periodicals are listed in our online catalog. They are available for on site use only.
Telephone Directories
The State Library has a large collection of telephone directories for major and small towns in Washington. All of the directories are listed in our online catalog. These are available for on site use only.
