Washington Archives and Libraries
United States 
Washington Archives and Libraries
The archives and libraries listed below offer services or have major collections of genealogical and historical records relating to Washington.
Archives
- Washington State Archives
1120 Washington Street S.E.
Olympia, WA 98504-0238
Telephone: 360-586-1492
Fax: 360-664-8814
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 40238
Olympia, WA 98504-0238
- Washington State Digital Archives
The nation's first archives dedicated to the preservation of electronic records from both State and Local agencies that have permanent historical value. The web site was designed to provide simple, straight forward access to researchers.
- National Archives—Pacific and Alaska Region (Seattle)
6125 Sand Point Way, N.E.
Seattle, WA 98115-7999
Telephone: 206-336-5115
Fax: 206-336-5112
Libraries
- Washington State Historical Society Library
Research Center
315 North Stadium Way
Tacoma, WA 98402
Telephone: 253-798-5914
Fax: 253-597-4186
- Washington State Library
P.O. Box 42460
Olympia, WA 98504-2460
Telephone: 360-753-5590
Fax: 360-586-7575
Internet:- Catalog: Select a topic from the Search In list. Add keywords, such as "Adams County."
- Seattle Public Library
1000 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Telephone: 206-386-4629
Fax: 206-386-4632
- Suzzallo-Allen Library
University of Washington
P.O. Box 352900
Seattle, WA 98195-2900
Telephone: 206-543-9158
Fax: 206-685-8049
- A helpful catalog for this library is:
- University of Washington (Seattle) Library, The Dictionary Catalog of the Pacific Northwest Collection of the University of Washington (Seattle) Libraries. Six Volumes. (Boston, Massachusetts: G.K. Hall and Co., 1972.) At various libraries (WorldCat); Family History Library book Q 979.7 A3w
Washington Online Records
Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.
Guides
Two important guides to Washington records are:
- Genealogical Resources in Washington State: A Guide to Genealogical Records Held at Repositories, Government Agencies and Archives. Olympia, (Washington: Secretary of State, Division of Archives and Records Management, 1983.) at various libraries (WorldCat); Family History Library book 979.7 A3g
- Historical Records of Washington State: Records and Papers Held at Repositories. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Historical Records Advisory Board, 1981. At various libraries (WorldCat); (Family History Library book 979.7 A3hi; fiche 6051177
To learn more about the history and record-keeping systems of Washington counties use the 15 inventories of the county archives produced by the Historical Records Survey around 1940. Copies of these inventories are at the Family History Library. To access these records, use the Place Search in the FHL catalog for:
- WASHINGTON, [COUNTY] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES
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