Seattle Washington Family History Center

The Seattle Family History Center (FHC) serves The South Seattle area. Our facility is experienced in multi-cultural research including U.S., European and Pacific Island countries and multiple languages such as English, Dutch, French, German, Samoan, Spanish and Tongan.

The Seattle FHC is open to the public. All are welcome and our services are free.



Location Map:


 * Location on Map

Address:


 * 14022 Ambaum Blvd SW, Burien, WA 98166 United States
 * Please note, this is not a mailing address.
 * There are ample parking places in front of the building.
 * If front doors are locked during business hours.
 * Please ring the bell or call, our staff will open the door.


 * Language:English

Phone:


 * 1-206-957-0792

E-mail:


 * [mailto:WA_Seattle@ldsmail.net WA_Seattle@ldsmail.net]

Open Hours:


 * Tuesday: noon-8:30 pm
 * Wednesday: noon-8:30 pm
 * Thursday: 2:00 pm-8:00 pm

Closures:  ''Legal holidays. Weather related school closure days.''

Calendar and Events

 * Make an appointment for: Oral History and Videographic Recording of Family History
 * Saturday: Classes and Seminars (see schedule below)
 * Special Opening per appointment: [mailto:wa_seattle@ldsmail.net wa_seattle@ldsmail.net]

Click here for calendar

Puget Sound Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (PS-APG)

 * For details about the society chapter click here.

Classes for Beginning Family Historian
Coming

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog: Patrons have the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog and read them in this center
 * Special Collections, 120 Films with Scandinavian emphasis, 1100 fiche, printed collection, Pedigree Resource File, Family History Library Favorites including Ancestry.com institutional edition and other commercial applications.

Databases and Software

 * Genealogy database software (Ancestral Quest, Family Insight, Family Tree Maker, Legacy, PAF, RootsMagic)
 * Charting software (PAF Companion, Legacy Charting)
 * Word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software such as Word, WordPerfect and OfficeLibre (on selected machines)
 * Photo editing software (IrfanView, Adobe Photo Shop Elements, HP Photo Smart Essential, MGI Photo Suite, ACD Foto Slate and Canon Zoombrowser EX).
 * Pedigree Resource File (complete on server)
 * Free access to several subscription sites through the FamilySearch Portal such as Ancestry.com, British Newspapers, Find-My-Past (UK), Footnote, Genline (Swedish), Heritage Quest, World Vital Records and others.

Hardware and Equipment

 * 10 computer stations with high-speed internet access,
 * 2 printers and 1 multifunction printer to copy, scan, and duplex print,
 * 4 film readers (with 35 mm and 16 mmm capabilities),
 * 1 fiche reader,
 * located in the spacious newly remodeled rooms for training, research and consulting purposes

Staff Research Specialties
(Include sections for any other services your center provides. Add additional sections for those services. See the Bountiful and Chattanooga FHC pages for examples.)

Resources in the Local Area:
Seattle location of the National Archives click here

South King County Genealogical Society click here

Association of Professioanl Genealogists, Seattle Chapter, click here

Seattle Public Genealogy Collection click here: including:


 * America's GenealogyBank: Search national historical newspapers, books, pamphlets, genealogies, obituaries and the complete American State Papers.
 * Ancestry Library Edition: Genealogical information and records including the U.S. and Canadian Census, the Washington State Death Index 1940-1996 and the Social Security Death Index.
 * Biography and Genealogy Master Index to 700 biographical dictionaries.
 * Canadian Genealogy Centre Search the National Archives of Canada, National Library of Canada and the Genealogy Centre.
 * Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910, and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. From the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
 * Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites, Over 260,000 Websites for the genealogist. Sites are categorized and cross-referenced by many categories. Particularly good for access to library catalogs around the world.
 * Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970, Historic detailed maps showing streets and building footprints for Seattle (1884-1951), other Puget Sound cities, and cities of the entire United States.
 * FamilySearch, Search the FamilySearch Catalog as well as digitized records, which include over 2 million rolls of microform and hundreds of thousands of books and maps related to family history and genealogical research.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * HeritageQuest Online, Genealogy books and serials, primarily from the early 1900's and the complete U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1930. Digitized images are fully searchable and printable.
 * National Archives and Records Administration, Maintains retired records from federal agencies and provides information about locating immigration, land, military, and census records, including the newly released 1940 U.S. Census.
 * New York Times Historical (1851 - 2007), A ProQuest database that includes the entire historical run of The New York Times from 1851-2007. Digital page and article images.
 * NUCMC (National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections) A searchable catalog of manuscript collections across the U.S. Search by both surname and location. This material is not accessible via interlibrary loan.
 * One-Step Webpages (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.
 * RootsWeb, The Internet's oldest and largest free genealogy community.
 * 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.
 * Seattle Times Historical Archives (1900 - 1984)
 * Seattle Times newspapers 1900 - 1984, digitized, searchable, printable, and downloadable. (1896-99 available at a later date.) This resource is made possible through a generous grant from The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
 * The Digital Archives from the Washington Secretary of State Historic records of Washington State ancestors from State records including Territorial censuses and naturalization records.
 * USGenWeb Project A volunteer project to provide Internet sites 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.

LINKS

 * FamilySearch Research Wiki: What It Can Do For You!: A comprehensive video presentation explaining the Wiki, navigating it, and some especially useful pages. Case studies demonstrate using the Wiki for genealogical research. Editing and adding articles to the Wiki are covered.

Auburn Pioneer Cemetery - Includes translations of the Japanese language stones Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society - Serving Kitsap County Clark County Genealogical Society - Serving Southwest Washington State Eastside Genealogical Society - Serving communities east of Seattle in King County Fiske Genealogical Foundation Library Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State King County Archives King County Genealogical Records King County Records and certificates King County Historical Web Site - a new site dedicated to the history of Seattle and King County. A link exists to add anecdotal stories about individual or family histories. King County Library System King County USGenWeb Archives King County WAGenWeb Project Northwest African American Museum - Multimedia Genealogy Center King County WAGenWeb Cemetery Info Puget Sound Genealogical Society Seattle Genealogical Society Skagit Valley Genealogical Society Sno-Isle Genealogical Society Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Washington State Cyndi Howell's Washington State Research Links Heritage Quest Research Library National ArchivesandRecord Service, Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle) Pacific Northwest Cornish Society Seattle Public Library Genealogy Collection Tacoma Public Library Genealogy Collection Genealogy Records in the Washington State Archives Washington State Cemetery Association - a group that works for the preservation of our state's cemeteries Washington State Department of Health Washington State Genealogical Society Washington State History Museum Washington State Library Washington State Digital Archives King County Birth Register 1891-1907 Indexed by members of SKCGS. King County Death Register 1891-1907 Indexed by members of SKCGS. Be a Part of History by Jerry Handfield, Washington State Archivist get involved! Washington State USGenWeb Project

Internet

FIRST PEOPLE SPECIAL CATALOG Sno-Isle Genealogical Society Vol. I Vol. II Edwin C. Bolles Collection, A Digital Archive on the History and Topography of London Death Certificates of Finns in King County, Washington, 1892-1947 The Genealogical Society of Finland FamilySearch Labs FamilySearch Labs showcases new family history technologies that aren't ready for prime time. Online Washington Death Records and Indexes A collection of links for Washington Death Records and Obituaries. Tahoma National Cemetery Interment.net records of burials from opening in September 1997 to July 2, 2000. USA.gov Family History and Genealogy, official information and services from the U.S. government for genealogists and family historians: Learn how you and your ancestors interacted with the government. WorldCat - WorldCat is the largest library network in the world, 1.3 billion items in 18,000 libraries worldwide DNA Mini-Seminar Emily Aulicino's Blogs and Links: DNA - Genealem's Genetic Genealogy Writing Your Memories International Society of Genetic Genealogy Genealogical Council of Oregon, Inc. SKCGS Programs Preserving Historic Family Photographs Resources for Photos in the Family Tree by MaryLynn Strickland. Lineage Societies List of Lineage Societies with links by Barbara Rush. Lineage Societies PowerPoint presentation notes by Guy Moellendorf. "Big Trees" Logging and Sawmill History, presented by Eric Erickson, you may contact Eric by email for additional information. Finding your Mayflower Ancestors via the Web How to search for Mayflower ancestors by Guy Moellendorf. Genealogy and Music presented by Janet Camarata. Using music to add dimension to our genealogy research. Includes links to sites mentioned and the song list. Finding birth dates and names presented by Judy Wiggins. A list of 110 places to find information. TechFest Links Links to websites for products and services featured at the April 16th, 2011 General Meeting Using Timelines and Chronologies presented by Janet Camarata. Genealogists use a variety of methods to better understand their ancestors. One method is the use of timelines and/or chronologies to summarize a person's life, demonstrate how lives interconnect, point out problems and areas for further research, and help in writing a memoir, family history or obituary. The presentation is an example of the method applied to the Farthing-Fallis family. ''Out of The Attic - Using Memorabilia To Help Tell Your Story (2.5Mb) Presented by Lou Daley. Most of us have some memorabilia from our families or we know someone in the family who does. Is it your g grandmother's thimble, your great- great- grandfathers Civil War sword, a favorite cook book from your mother, a trophy from some contest many years ago? No memorabilia? Where can you find it? What do you do with these items? What stories do they tell? Where can they lead you? How do they become part of the story you are trying to tell?''

Volunteer at the Center
Staff volunteers can assist you familiarity with personal computers and software, church websites, commercial websites; and a willingness to help patrons with research for their ancestors. All staff members have been or are being trained on FamilySearch products.

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