Genealogy Collection
Our Genealogy Collection is one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest. The collection supports Seattle researchers in tracing their roots from anywhere in the country and beyond.
Explore the Collection
Our Genealogy Collection, located on Level 9 of the Central Library, is the largest and primary genealogy resource in Washington State. Featuring more than 40,000 bound volumes as well as periodicals, pamphlets, and microfilm, you can explore historical and census records, immigration lists, military records, genealogy guidebooks on various topics, and more. While the reference collection is only available for in-library use during open hours, circulating genealogy handbooks are available to borrow.
Genealogy Librarians offer free one-on-one help with your genealogy and family history, whether in-person, on the phone or virtually. You can request an appointment with a Genealogy Librarian, who will guide you to the best resources for your research. After you submit a request, we will contact you to schedule your 30-minute appointment.
Preview the Collection
Materials in the Genealogy Collection are discoverable using the library’s catalog. Use these strategies to search.
Searching the Genealogy Collection: Using the catalog’s advanced search, you can explore this collection by clicking the Collections drop-down menu and selecting any of collections listed as “REF – Level 9 – Genealogy”.
Finding a book about your family: Using the catalog’s advanced search, click the “Search by” drop-down menu to select Subject and enter the family surname + the word family. For example, “Abbott Family”.
Finding a book of records: Using catalog’s advanced search, click the “Search by” drop-down menu to select Subject and enter the place + the kind of record. For example, “Maine births”.
General search to see what we have on a topic: Using the catalog’s advanced search, type in your keywords. For example, “genealogy DNA”.
You can also use your Library card to access online genealogy resources such as HeritageQuest (historic books, periodicals and records) and HeritageHub (obituaries); historic newspapers via America's Historical Newspapers, The New York Times (1851-2011), Seattle Times (1895-Current) and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1901-Current); Sanborn maps (1867-1970) of Puget Sound and other North American communities; and you can explore genealogy records from around the world using Ancestry Library Edition while in a library branch.
About the Collection
The Genealogy Collection officially began in 1926 as the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) collection. Without a permanent home for their materials, the Library agreed to house them, and many of these original items are still at the Central Library. In the 1950s, the Washington State Library transferred all non-Washington genealogical materials to the Library, with an agreement that the Library would be the main genealogical resource in Washington.
The collection has grown through gifts and donations, and more recently through purchases made with library funding. Today, the collection includes genealogical and historical materials from U.S. states and territories, Canadian Provinces, the British Isles, and many other regions. It also offers handbooks and other resources to support researchers with ancestors from around the world.
Genealogy Research
In addition to our online Genealogy Resources, we recommend the following resources and websites:
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Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records: Access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1788 and the present.
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Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers: Search and read newspaper pages from 1836-1922, and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. From the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites: Over 300,000 websites for genealogists. Sites are categorized and cross-referenced by many categories. Particularly good for access to library catalogs around the world.
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Fiske Genealogical Foundation Library: Provides information on the Fiske Library holdings and lists programs in their quarterly online newsletter. This library was founded by Arthur Fiske in 1971.
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GENUKI (Genealogy of the United Kingdom and Ireland): This large collection of genealogical information pages run by volunteers covers England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Includes a link to the UK National Archives. GENUKI is the British equivalent of the USGenWeb site.
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Library and Archives Canada: Search Canadian government records, books, newspapers, images and more.
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National Archives and Records Administration: Maintains retired records from federal agencies and provides information about locating immigration, land, military, and census records.
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National Union Catalog of Manuscripts (NUCMC): A searchable catalog of manuscript collections across the U.S. Search by both surname and location. This material is not accessible via interlibrary loan.
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One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse: Provides tools for finding your ancestors in passenger lists, census and public records. Includes an Enumeration District finder for the newly released 1940 U.S. Census.
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RootsWeb: The Internet's oldest and largest free genealogy community.
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Seattle Genealogical Society: Provides information on the library holdings and programs of the oldest genealogical society in Washington State founded in 1923. Also provides links to genealogy-related websites with emphasis on the Pacific Northwest.
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USGenWeb Project: A volunteer project to provide websites for genealogical research in every county and state of the U.S. Includes access to the USGW Digital Library transcription project and a variety of other special projects and sites.
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Washington State Archives - Digital Archives: Historic records of Washington State ancestors from State records including Territorial censuses and naturalization records.