Washington Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Washington online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
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For more information on census records, see Washington Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Washington statewide beginning in 1907, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1852-1963 Washington, Births at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 1870-1935: Washington County Birth Records at Ancestry; index & images ($)
- 1873-1965: Washington County Birth Registers at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1907-1919: Washington Birth Index at Ancestry; index only ($)
- Washington Birth Records at Washington State Archives
Marriages
- 1801-1962: US Marriages at Findmypast - index & images ($)
- 1802-1902: Washington Compiled Marriage Index at Ancestry; index only ($)
- 1854-2013: Washington Marriage Records at Ancestry; index & images ($)
- 1855-2008: Washington County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images; Also at Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($)
- 1969-2014: Washington Marriage Index at FamilySearch; index only
- 1969-2017: Washington Marriage Index at Ancestry; index only ($)
- Washington Marriage Records at Washington State Archives
Deaths
- 1810-1960: Washington Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1881-1979: Washington County Death Registers at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1883-1960: Washington Death Records at Ancestry; index only ($)
- 1891-1907: Washington County Deaths at FamilySearch; index & images; Also at Ancestry ($), Findmypast ($), MyHeritage ($)
- 1907-1960: Washington Death Certificates at FamilySearch; index only; Also at MyHeritage ($), Ancestry ($)
- 1940-2017: Washington Death Index at Ancestry; index only ($)
- Washington Death Records at Washington State Archives
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Washington, see How to Find Washington Birth Records, How to Find Washington Marriage Records, and How to Find Washington Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1907. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- 1980-2014: US GenealogyBank Obituaries at FamilySearch; index & images
- Washington Obituaries at ObitLinksPage
- Washington Obituaries at Washington State Library
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- Washington Cemetery Directories at Washington Digital Archive — select the 'Cemetery Directory' collection
- Washington Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Washington Cemetery Records at Interment
- Washington Deaths and Burials, 1810-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- WashingtonTombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Washington Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Washington Burials at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- Washington Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Washington Obituaries and Washington Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Washington, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Washington, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Washington Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Washington Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.