Washington Genealogy Records
Washington genealogy records span more than 170 years, from the territorial era of 1853 through the present day. The state holds birth, death, marriage, land, probate, military, and naturalization records across 39 counties and five regional archives branches. Researchers can search millions of family history records through the Washington State Digital Archives, the Washington State Department of Health, and local county offices. This guide covers where to find genealogical records in Washington, how to access them, and which sources work best for different time periods.
Washington Genealogy Records Overview
Washington State Digital Archives
The Washington State Digital Archives is the starting point for most genealogy research in Washington. The portal gives free access to more than 200 million records from state and local governments. You can search birth and death registers from 1891 to 1907, marriage records, land records, probate files, school censuses, military records, city directories, and naturalization documents. The search system supports name lookup, Soundex, date ranges, and collection-level browsing. Records come from all five regional branches and are updated on a regular basis.
For family history work in Washington, the Digital Archives is hard to beat. It pulls together records from county auditors, county clerks, superior courts, and state agencies into one searchable system. Many county-level collections include both index data and scanned images of the original documents, so you can view the actual record rather than just a reference to it. Birth returns, death registers, and marriage certificates from before 1907 are especially well-represented here because counties were the primary registration point before the state took over.
The portal runs advanced search tools. Use Soundex when you are unsure about a spelling. Search by parents' names when looking for birth records, since the child may not appear by name in early returns. The interface is free to use and does not require an account.
The screenshot below shows the Washington State Digital Archives homepage, where researchers begin their genealogy searches.
The Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov provides direct access to indexed and imaged genealogy collections from all 39 Washington counties.
Washington Vital Records for Genealogy
The Washington State Department of Health is the statewide custodian for vital records from modern registration periods. Birth and death certificates are available from July 1, 1907, to the present. Marriage and divorce certificates are available from January 1, 1968, to the present. Certified copies cost $20 to $25 per certificate and can be ordered online, by mail, or in person at the Department of Health office in Tumwater.
For genealogy research covering events before the modern registration dates, county auditors and the Washington State Archives are the right places to look. County auditors held birth and death registers before statewide registration began in 1907. General compliance with statewide birth and death registration was not fully established until around 1917, so county records remain essential for the 1907-1917 period as well. Marriage records at the county level go back to each county's founding date, which in the oldest counties means the 1850s and 1860s.
Note: For pre-1907 vital events, search the Digital Archives and contact the county auditor where the event occurred rather than the Department of Health.
Legacy Washington and the Secretary of State
The Secretary of State's Legacy Washington genealogy gateway connects researchers to key databases held by the Washington State Archives and Washington State Library. The gateway highlights the Birth Records Index covering 1907 to 1929, the Death Records Index covering 1907 to 2000, the Marriage Records Index covering 1968 to 2004, and the Divorce Records Index covering 1968 to 1999. It also points to city and county directories, territorial assessment rolls, school censuses, and pioneer certificate application files.
Legacy Washington is particularly useful for researchers who want a quick overview of what databases exist before diving into specific searches. The site also explains how to access the Ancestry Library Edition at Washington State Library branches, which is free for library card holders and contains many Washington-specific genealogy collections not freely available online.
The screenshot below shows the Legacy Washington genealogy page, which serves as a gateway to the combined resources of the Washington State Archives and State Library.
Visit sos.wa.gov/legacy/genealogy.aspx to browse indexes for births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and pioneer records maintained by the Secretary of State's office.
Washington State Archives Regional Branches
The Washington State Archives operates five regional branches spread across the state. Each branch holds historical records for its service counties. The branches are:
- Central Branch (Ellensburg) - serves Kittitas, Yakima, and nearby counties
- Eastern Branch (Cheney) - serves Spokane, Adams, Whitman, and eastern counties
- Northwest Branch (Bellingham) - serves Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island counties
- Puget Sound Branch (Bellevue) - serves King, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Mason counties
- Southwest Branch (Olympia) - serves Thurston, Clark, Lewis, and neighboring counties
Each branch holds pre-1907 vital registers, marriage certificates, court case files, probate records, land records, school censuses, and county commissioners' proceedings. Researchers can visit in person or contact archivists by phone and email for reference assistance. All branches participate in the Digital Archives digitization program, though not every collection is yet available online. If you cannot find a record in the Digital Archives, calling the relevant branch directly is often the fastest way to locate it.
Hours and access policies vary by branch. It is worth checking the archives website or calling ahead before making the trip, especially for rural branches where staff availability may be limited on certain days.
FamilySearch Washington Genealogy Resources
The FamilySearch Washington genealogy wiki is one of the best free starting points for family history research in the state. The wiki covers federal censuses, military records, court records, probate files, land patents, and immigration and naturalization records. It explains Washington's history from territorial status in 1853 through statehood in 1889. County boundary changes are documented, which matters because a county that existed under one name or boundary in 1880 may have been reorganized by 1900.
FamilySearch also hosts millions of Washington records in its free online database. Collections include Washington state censuses, county birth and death registers, marriage records, land records, and naturalization papers. Many of these overlap with what is in the Digital Archives, but FamilySearch often has additional indexes and images from microfilm collections. The site is free to use and does not require a paid subscription.
Washington State Library Genealogy Guides
The Washington State Library genealogy research guides cover vital records, newspapers, city and county directories, military records, naturalizations, probates, school censuses, and territorial censuses. The guides include direct links to microfilm holdings, digital newspaper collections, and finding aids. The library's Northwest Microfilm collection holds county birth and death registers from the pre-1907 period, which is important for researchers looking at early events before statewide registration began.
Library staff can assist with interlibrary loan and research referrals. For newspapers, the State Library maintains access to historical Washington newspaper collections that can help confirm births, deaths, marriages, and other life events that never made it into official records. Obituaries in particular are valuable for genealogists because they often name parents, siblings, and children not found in vital records.
Washington Genealogical Societies
The Washington State Genealogical Society (WASGS) supports family history research across the state by maintaining a directory of local genealogical societies, publishing research guides, and coordinating indexing projects. The WASGS website links to cemetery databases, obituary indexes, pioneer records, and historical newspaper projects. The society publishes a quarterly newsletter and offers educational programs. Local genealogical societies affiliated with WASGS exist in most counties and often hold records and indexes not available anywhere else.
The screenshot below shows the Washington State Genealogical Society website, a key hub for researchers working with Washington family records.
The Washington State Genealogical Society connects researchers to local societies, cemetery projects, and genealogy education programs statewide.
Washington Rural Heritage is a collaborative digitization program run by the State Library. It provides access to digitized photographs, documents, newspapers, and oral histories from small and rural libraries, museums, and historical societies. Collections are browsable by county, city, institution, and subject. It is a solid source for local family history and community photographs in smaller Washington communities that are not well-covered by larger statewide databases.
Open Access Genealogy Resources
The screenshot below shows the Washington Rural Heritage portal, which provides free access to digitized local history collections from rural communities across Washington.
Browse washingtonruralheritage.org to find photographs, local newspapers, and historical documents from rural communities throughout Washington State.
Reclaim The Records is a nonprofit that uses public-records laws to obtain genealogical data sets and make them freely available. For Washington, the group has acquired and published indexes to births, marriages, deaths, divorces, and voter registrations. Researchers can download spreadsheets and browse record images without paywalls. This source fills gaps in other databases and often contains records that have not been indexed elsewhere.
The screenshot below shows the Reclaim The Records website, which provides free downloads of Washington genealogy indexes obtained through public-records requests.
Visit reclaimtherecords.org to download Washington genealogy indexes for births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and voter registrations at no cost.
Types of Washington Genealogy Records
Washington holds a wide range of genealogical records. Understanding which record type fits your research question helps narrow the search quickly. Birth records at the state level go back to 1907, but county-level birth registers extend the record set back to 1891 in many counties. Death records follow a similar pattern. Marriage records exist at the county level from each county's founding, which in some cases means the 1850s. The state death index covers 1907 to 2000, and the marriage index covers 1968 to 2004.
Land and probate records are stored at the county clerk's office and in the Digital Archives. Land records can be among the most detailed genealogical sources because they name grantors and grantees, describe property boundaries, and often appear in decades when no census was taken. Probate files frequently list heirs by name and relationship, making them valuable for reconstructing family structures. Naturalization records in Washington are held by both federal district courts and county courts, and many are available through the Digital Archives.
The Library of Congress Washington State research guides cover federal-level materials including maps, newspapers, manuscript collections, and territorial papers that supplement state and county records.
School censuses from the territorial and early statehood periods list children by name and household, which can help track families between federal census years. Military records and pension files for Washington residents are primarily held at the National Archives, though state-level service records and bonus applications may be found through the Washington State Archives.
County-Level Washington Genealogy Records
County offices are essential for Washington genealogy. The county auditor holds marriage records and pre-1907 vital registers. The county clerk holds court records including probate files, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files. The county assessor holds land records and tax rolls. Together these three offices cover the bulk of the documentary record for most families in Washington history.
Access varies by county. Some larger counties like King, Pierce, and Spokane have online search portals for court records and land documents. Smaller counties may require an in-person visit or a written request by mail. The Digital Archives has digitized many county record sets, but coverage is uneven. Eastern Washington counties and smaller rural counties often have strong Digital Archives coverage because the regional branches prioritized those collections early in the digitization program.
When a county record is not in the Digital Archives, contact the relevant regional branch of the Washington State Archives. Archivists can tell you what they hold for a specific county and time period, and in many cases they can do basic lookups or provide guidance for remote researchers.
Browse Washington Genealogy by County
Washington has 39 counties, each with its own set of genealogy records. Select a county below to find contact info, record availability, and research resources for that area.
View All 39 Washington Counties
Washington Genealogy Records by City
Residents in Washington's major cities file records with the superior court in their county. Select a city below to find genealogy resources and courthouse information for that area.