Washington, Birth Records, 1869-1950
Index and images of birth records from Washington state. The records include images of birth records from the Washington State Archives, including King County and delayed birth records from 1941-1942. This collection will be published as index data and images become available.
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Washington, Birth Records
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Washington,_Birth_Records_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
What is in This Collection?
This collection contains index and images of birth records from the state of Washington, as well as delayed birth certificates applied for during 1941 and 1942. Delayed certificates were issued for people whose birth was not recorded at the time of the event.
Births were recorded for public health purposes. Birth certificates were also issued to individuals as legal documents. In cases where an individual’s birth had not been recorded, it was not uncommon for that individual to apply for a delayed birth registration since the certificate was needed to receive government benefits.
Individuals who were born prior to 1907, or who did not have a birth certificate, may have applied for a delayed birth certificate at a superior court or at the State Department of Health. Washington began keeping delayed birth records in 1907. Many unrecorded births were finally registered during World War II or as people applied for Social Security.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Name of person requesting delayed birth certificate
- Current residence
- Name of child for whom certificate is requested
- Child's date and place of birth
- Name of any attendee at birth
- Father's name, current residence, race and birthplace
- Mother's maiden name, current residence, race and birth place
- Names and affidavits of two (2) witnesses and their residence
Collection Content
Sample Image
1941 King County Delayed Birth Record
Digital Folder Number List
This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Washington, Birth Records Digital Folder Number List.Collection Details
Location of Original Records
Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Region
"Washington, Birth Records, 1869-1950." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 3 December 2024. State Archives, Bellevue.
