Washington Fast Facts and Key Resources

Statehood: 1889

• US territory status: part of Oregon Territory in 1848, became Washington Territory in 1853

• First federal census: 1860

• Territorial censuses: sporadic from 1857 to 1892

• Statewide birth and death records begin: 1907

• Statewide marriage records begin: 1968

• Counties: 39

• Public-land state

• Contact for vital records:

<www.doh.wa.gov/ehsphl/chs/cert.htm>

Web Sites

• 1895 US Atlas: Washington

<www.livgenmi.com/1895/WA>

• Center for Columbia River History

<www.ccrh.org>

• Cyndi’s List: Washington

<cyndislist.com/wa.htrn>

• The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History

<historylink.org>

• Pacific Lutheran University Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection

<www.plu.edu/~archives/sie/sie_index.html>

• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections: Civil War Letters Collection

<content.lib.washington.edu/civilwarweb>

• University of Washington Scandinavian Archives

<www.plu.edu/~archives/sie/uw/alpha.htm>

• Washington GenWeb Project

<rootsweb.com/~wagenweb>

• Washington History: Historical Maps

<www.secstate.wa.gov/history/maps.aspx>

• Washington State University: Early Washington Maps

<www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/Holland/masc/xmaps.html>

Resources

• Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, & Washington 1727-1900 Marriage Index CD (Genealogy.com)

• Early Washington: Overland Stage Routes, Old Military Roads, Indian Battle Grounds, Old Forts, Old Gold Mines by Ralph N. Preston (Western Guide Publishers)

• Exploring Washington’s Past: A Road Guide to History by Carmela Alexander and Ruth Kirk (University of Washington Press)

• The Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists edited by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack and Erin Nevius (Family Tree Books)

• Historical Atlas of Washington by James W. Scott and Roland L. De Lorme (University of Oklahoma Press)

• Newspapers on Microfilm in the Libraries of the State of Washington: A Union List by Hazel E. Mills (Washington State Library)

• Washington Atlas of Historical County Boundaries by John H. Long (Charles Scribner’s Sons)

• Washington State Place Names: From Alki to Yelm by Doug Brokenshire (Caxton Press)

Organizations and Archives

• NARA Pacific Alaska Region — Seattle

6125 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, (206) 336-5115, <archives.gov/pacific-alaska/seattle>

• Seattle Genealogical Society

6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, (206) 522-8658, <rootsweb.com/~waseags/library.html>

• Seattle Public Library

1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104, (206) 386-4636, <www.spl.org>

• Tacoma Public Library Genealogy Collection

1102 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, WA 94802, (253) 591-5666, <wwwv3.tacomapubliclibrary.org/Page.aspx?nid=97>

• Washington State Archives

1129 Washington St. SE, Box 40238, Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 586-1492, <www.secstate.wa.gov/archives>

• Washington State Genealogical Society

Box 1422, Olympia, WA 98507, <rootsweb.com/-wasgs>

• Washington State History Research Center

315 Stadium Way, Tacoma, WA 98403, (253) 798-5914.

<www.wshs.org/wshs/research>

• Washington State Library