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Genealogical Societies
Washington State Genealogical Society (WSGS)
WSGS links you to Washington State genealogical societies, genealogical events and the Washington State Pioneer Project.
The Washington State Genealogical Society does not have a library collection in a repository. They are currently operating out of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society which has a wonderful collection of genealogical materials. They have an excellent obituary card file for the local region.
The best way to contact the Washington State Genealogical Society directly is to go to their Board of Directors page for contact emails. The Regional Representatives are a good place to start. They know about the counties they represent. They can choose who to refer you to if you have additional questions.
Genealogical Societies in the Puget Sound Area:
The following societies are listed in alphabetical order and cover Western Washington. To find genealogical societies in Eastern Washington go to this Washington State Genealogical Society link.
Research strategy: Genealogical societies sometimes have excellent links pages to other resources near them or to the state. Significant websites with great links are South King County Genealogical Society and Tacoma-Pierce Genealogical Society listed below. Be advised that not all genealogical societies have websites. Also call or email before you visit to be sure that the times and dates are what is listed.
Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 135
Rolling Bay, WA 98061-0135
This society is very active and large; however, they do not have their own library but they provide
a list at their website of books for lookups and borrowing by members. They meet regularly with classes
and field trips. They are in Kitsap County which is in the middle of Puget Sound.
Belfair Genealogical Society (Chapter of PSGS-BGS)
P.O. Box 1931
Port Orchard, WA 98366
This society is located in the southern Puget Sound area of the State of Washington and is
southwest of Bremerton. They are in Kitsap County.
Black Genealogy Research Group of Seattle (BGRG)
P.O. Box 22848
Seattle, WA 98122
They meet at the Douglass-Truth Library at 23rd and Yesler in Seattle the 1st Saturday at
11 a.m. (Seattle Public Library Branch). Two of their members gave a talk for PS-APG in April 2007.
It covered African American Genealogical Research Challenges and was very well attended. Last year
they sponsored a seminar in October on Black Genealogy. They are located in King County.
Clallam County Genealogical Society
931 W. 9th Street
Port Angeles, WA 98363
Phone: 360-417-5000.
This society is located on the Olympic Peninsula along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the
town of Port Angeles.
Clark County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 5249
Vancouver, WA 98668
Library location: 717 Grand Boulevard, Vancouver, WA 98661
Phone: 360-750-5688.
They are a very active genealogical society in Southern Washington. They have a great
links page that includes Oregon information.
Eastside Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374
The Eastside Genealogical Society houses their genealogical collection in the Bellevue
Regional Library of the King County Library System (KCLS). You can find their collection in
the online catalogue of the KCLS.
Fiske Genealogical Library
1644 43rd Avenue E.
Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: 206-328-2716
The Fiske Genealogical Library is located on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle,
Washington, in what is called the Madison Park District of Seattle. It is a little southeast
of the University of Washington. Their website gives directions. Fiske has been working diligently
at placing their entire collection on World Cat. You can also go to their website and look at their
collection. Their website lists their collection by location. They are heavy on New England states
but they do have a nice collection of Washington State titles. Classes are offered quarterly.
They are located in King County. They also offer interlibrary loan and their catalog listings
will indicate whether you can use this feature or not.
Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island
P.O. Box 1024
Freeland, WA 98249-1024
They ask that you please indicate near the beginning of your email whether the e-mail is
for a specific person. GSSWI member Ann Wright will accept phone calls at: (360)579-2352. Their
website is filled with all kinds of great information and wonderful old photographs.
Grays Harbor Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 867
Cosmopolis, WA 98537-08670
This society is located on the Pacific Ocean south of Aberdeen, Washington. In 2011 they launched
their new website and it has the most amazing photographs.
Heritage Quest Library and Bookstore
1007 Main Street
Sumner, WA 98390
Phone: 253-863-1806.
Heritage Quest is located in Sumner right on the main street in the middle of town. They have a
wonderful library and bookstore. They have classes throughout the year and are a very active and
dedicated group. They are located in Pierce County.
Jefferson County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 627
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Jefferson County Genealogical Society is a very active group. In March 2008, they sponsored a
seminar and their guest speaker was Elizabeth Shown Mills, one of the top genealogists in the country.
PS-APG was there. Spend time at their website it has a lot of good information. They share their
library with the Jefferson County Historical Society at their Research Center. Research center is
located at 13692 Airport Cutoff Road, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (Please do not send mail to this
address use the one above.) Research Center phone: (360)385-9495.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
4111 205th Ave SE,
Sammamish, WA 98075
The Jewish Genealogical Society has a library of Jewish genealogical titles. This library is
available at their monthly meetings. They hold their monthly meetings on the second Monday of the
month at the LDS Factoria Building at 4200 124th Ave. S.E. in Bellevue, WA. Admission is free. They
have a great links page with more Jewish genealogical resources. They are located in King County.
Lewis County Genealogical Society
Attn: Margie Lloyd
P.O. Box 782
Chehalis, WA 98532
Research requests may be submitted by mail to: Lewis County Genealogical Society, Attn: Margie
Lloyd, P.O. Box 782, Chehalis, WA 98532. Their website is very full of information so take your time
exploring. They are located in Southern Washington State along the I-5 freeway.
Lower Columbia Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 472
Longview, Washington 98632
Their website features the Genealogy Room at the Longview Public Library in Longview, WA. They
have titles for Cowlitz County and Wahkiakum County. Check their website for their meeting times and
locations.
Mason County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 103
Shelton WA 98584-0103
North Beach Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 774
Ocean Shores, WA 98569
They meet on the 3rd Monday at 1 pm at the Ocean Shores Library at 573 Point Brown Ave.,
Ocean Shores, WA by the Pacific Ocean.
Olympia Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1313
Olympia, WA 98507-1313
They do not provide research services but they do recommend that you go to the USGenweb Website
for Thurston County where you will find more information. They also recommend the Olympia Timberland Library.
Mr. Ed Swan provides a wonderful list of unique genealogical links. These are fun to explore.
Puget Sound Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1931
Port Orchard, WA 98366-0805
Research Library is at: 2501 SE Mile Hill Dr., Suite A 102, Port Orchard, WA 98366
Phone: (360)874-8813
They do have a research policy, so check their website for more details. Port Orchard is located
in the Puget Sound area on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Seattle Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 15329
Seattle, WA 98115-0329
Library location: 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA
Phone: (206)522-8658 [Across the street from the National Archives at Seattle]
Their library listings are located under the heading: Library Holdings. They are organized by
location and the library collection is quite comprehensive. Take some time to explore it. The Seattle
Genealogical Society, located in King County, has many interest and focus groups so check out their
Events page. They sponsor a seminar every Spring and Fall. They are a very involved and active group.
Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 715
Conway, WA 98238-0715
The society address has them located south of Mt. Vernon, Washington which is north of Everett
and Seattle. They usually conduct their business in Burlington, WA just to the east of I-5. There
website is loaded with lots of information and they have a great listing of the libraries in Skagit
County and a link to library holdings and a timeline of Skagit County. Their library is located in the
Burlington Public Library at 820 E. Washington Ave., Burlington, WA 98233.
Sno-Isle Genealogical Society
19827 Poplar Way
Lynnwood, WA 98036
Phone: 425-775-6267
Lynnwood is north of Seattle. This society is housed in a historic building set in a park in
Lynnwood east of I-5 called Humble House at Heritage Park. They have a nice collection of books in
their library. They have a link to their library holdings at their website. The Lynnwood Public
Library (part of the Sno-Isle Regional Library System)
a couple blocks away holds reference works, city directories and newspaper microfilm. Sno-Isle is
very active and friendly. They are located in Snohomish County.
South King County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 3174
Kent, WA 98032-0203
Kent is south of Seattle. Their library collection is housed in the Auburn Public Library
which is a part of the King County Public Library System. Their website is very well done with lots
of good information. They have comprehensive Events and Links pages. Their library holdings are
listed by location categories which make it easy to find information. This is a very active
genealogical society. They have interest groups, seminars and presentations.
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 34
Arlington, WA 98223-0034.
Library Address is 135 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington, WA 98223
Phone: 360-435-4838
Their website gives a partial listing of their holdings. They also have a great bookstore
with a list of their publications on their website.
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1952
Tacoma, WA 98401
Phone: 253-572-6650
This society is located in the heart of Tacoma, Washington. They have a very good links page – click
on the Puget Sound Resources. They feature an index to Pierce County Records on their website and
much more. They have a list of NARA films covering Washington State.
Whatcom Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1493
Bellingham, WA 98227-1493
They are located in Bellingham in northern Washington State near the Canadian border. They have
links to the NW Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives. The Western Washington University
Library and the Bellingham Public Library. Publications for sale and a list of Whatcom County Books.
Their collection is at the Bellingham Public Library.
Whidbey Island Genealogical Searchers
P.O. Box 627
Oak Harbor, WA 98277-0627
Contact Ruth Hancock at 360-675-4086.