Washington DC FamilySearch Center

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Revision as of 13:32, 7 January 2023 by GPetranek (talk | contribs)
FamilySearch This article describes the services and resources available at a FamilySearch Center, a branch facility of the FamilySearch Library.


Washington DC FamilySearch Center

The Washington DC FamilySearch Center welcomes you, and we look forward to assisting you with your genealogical research. Our all-volunteer staff is ready to answer questions about the resources available in the FamilySearch Center.


Washington DC FamilySearch Center

10000 Stoneybrook Drive

Kensington, MD 20895

Phone: 301-587-0042 (please leave a message and we will return your call when the center is open)

Location Map: Location Map


Hours of Operation

CLOSED--November 20-27, December 18-January 4

  • Wednesday .... 10:00 - 1:00
  • Thursday ......... 1:00 - 4:00
  • Saturday ........10:00 - 4:00

**Masks required while in the FamilySearch Center


E-mail: wdcfhc@gmail.com

Website: Washington DC FamilySearch Center

Free Access at the FamilySearch Center[edit | edit source]

Premium family history websites and additional resources available to help you as you make family history discoveries[edit | edit source]

  • FamilySearch Portal – free access to the following subscription websites:
  1. Access Newspaper Archives
  2. Ancestry Library Edition
  3. ArkivDigital Online (Swedish)
  4. MyHeritage.com
  5. FindMyPast
  6. Fold3
  7. 19th Century British Library Newspapers
  8. Puzzilla
  9. Historic Map Works Library Edition
  10. The Genealogist
  11. Alexander Street Press, American Civil War
  12. Paper Trail
  • 17 computers, 4 with dual monitors
  • Free Wi-Fi for your laptops and tablets
  • High volume Photo scanner (can scan 500 photos per hour)
  • Flatbed scanner-- scans and edits photographs, slides, photo negatives and documents.
  • Slide and negative scanner--scanner displays your digital images on a monitor which makes it easier to adjust tint and print quality before you scan slides and negatives.
  • Book scanner--Bring in journals, diaries or books you would like to digitize. The book scanner will remove the fold in the center of the book and flatten the pages. You can save the book as a searchable pdf, Word document or Excel spreadsheet.
  • Library Collection--comprehensive collection of printed books that include family histories, yearbooks, biographies, local histories, other genealogical books

Generations Newsletter[edit | edit source]

Our free monthly newsletter, Generations, is sent via email during the first week of each month. It has timely information about activities and events at our FamilySearch Center as well as research tips and links. To subscribe, please send an email to: wdcfhc@gmail.com.

Research Specialists[edit | edit source]

Volunteers specialists are available to assist patrons in a variety of areas of research within the U.S. and internationally. Several of our volunteers are members of APG (Association of Professional Genealogists). If you have a specific research need, please contact us to determine how we can be of help.

Special Interest Groups[edit | edit source]

  • African-American Focus on all aspects of African-American research
    • Group meets alternating Mondays, 10-12 on Zoom, 10-2 in person at FSC, Contact Frank Jenkins at FSCAASIG@gmail.com for further information
  • Beginning Genealogy: For those getting started with genealogy research
    • Group meets via Zoom every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Contact Lorraine Minor at ldgene@verizon.net for further information
  • Advanced DNA Group Focus on advanced methodologies and tools
    • meets on the 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. Contact Jim Bartlett at jim4bartletts@verizon.net for further information
  • Beginning DNA Group Focus on how to use DNA for genealogy research
    • Meets via Zoom on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm. Contact Andy Hochreiter at ajhochreiter@comcast.net for further information
  • Eastern European: Focus on research and resources in Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
    • Group meets monthly on the 3rd Saturday at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. Contact Mary Ann Evan at maryann.evan@gmail.com for further information
  • Irish Research: Focus on research in both Ireland and in the U.S.
    • Group meets the 3rd Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Contact Cindy Finelli at cfinelli16@gmail.com for further information
  • Metro DC RootsMagic Users: RootsMagic is a popular genealogical software which makes researching, organizing and sharing family history easy. This group explores its many features to maximize usage.
    • Group meets the 1st and 2nd Saturdays each month at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. Contact Gary Petranek at gpetranek@gmail.com for further information

Resources in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area[edit | edit source]


If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the Washington DC FamilySearch Center please contact us at 301-587-0042[edit | edit source]