Washington, the Evergreen State
Welcome to the Washington State Genealogical Society's website. We are here to help connect you with resources and services so you can advance your search for your Washington State ancestors and family history.
Nestled in the beautiful northwest corner of the U.S., Washington is a state with terrain from the vast Pacific Ocean, snow-capped Cascade Mountains and forested islands in Puget Sound to rolling wheat fields and an abundance of apples, pears, grapes and hops in Eastern Washington. While Seattle is Washington’s most recognized city, known for its booming tech industry, vibrant music scene and famed coffeehouses, the center of state government is in Olympia. State landmarks include Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, the Space Needle, and mighty Columbia River.
Washington became a state in November 1889 as the nation’s 42nd state and is the only state named after a U.S. President.
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Basketball player from Washtucna High School, 1949. Photographer: A.M. Kendrick. A.M. Kendrick Photographic Collection, ca. 1890-1976. Imaged and indexed by Eastern Region Branch staff, Washington State Archives, Eastern Region. All original prints and negatives are housed at the Eastern Region of the Washington State Archives, Cheney, WA. On-line 2008. Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov, accessed: 07 Apr 2025. For more information or to learn about related records, contact the Washington State Archives at (360) 586-1492, or email research@sos.wa.gov.
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What's New
Pioneer Push to 5,000. WSGS is trying to have 5,000 pioneers listed in the Pioneer Pursuit Index. To date, we have over 4,000 people indexed. Please help us by researching family histories of any man, woman or child who lived in Washington Territory on or before 11 Nov 1889. For more information about the Pioneer Pursuit program, click here.
WSGS Resources and Services
Blog: Sign up for our blog to keep current with the latest genealogical happenings and events in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest.
Event Calendar: Looking for a road trip? There are genealogical events and meetings all around the state, as well as neighboring states and British Columbia.
Local Society contacts: There are more than 30 local genealogical societies around the state waiting to help you with your research.
Pioneer and First Citizen Program: Begun in 1989 to celebrate Washington's centennial, the Pioneer and First Citizen Program memorializes those Washington citizens who were early residents of the state. Commemorative certificates are available upon residency proof, as well as an index of participants.
Resource Guides: Looking for resources in a specific county? Check out these comprehensive resource guides listing everything from chambers of commerce, and local government departments to libraries, churches and newspapers.
Speakers' Bureau: If you're looking for a speaker for a society meeting, workshop or seminar, visit our Speakers' Bureau page.
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Tech Tuesday
Tuesday - 04/22/2025
The Seattle Genealogical Society's Tech Tuesday is an informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy, sofware or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. For more information, visit the SGS website.
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DNA
Tuesday - 04/22/2025
The Tacoma-Pierce County DNA special interest group will discuss the Y-DNA offerings at DNA company FamilyTreeDNA, their offerings, and take a virtual tour of the website. If you are not a member of TPCGS and wish to attend, please email ...
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Discovering African American Ancestry - Fiske
Wednesday - 04/23/2025
The Fiske Genealogical Library is sponsoring "Discovering African American Ancestry" with Beth Swartz. Researching African American ancestry blends traditional genealogy with unique historical challenges. The 1870 Federal Census, the first to list African Americans by name, is a key starting ...
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