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Washington Genealogy

Washington Genealogy Facts

As part of the vast Oregon Country, Washington territory was visited by Spanish, American, and British explorers—Bruno Heceta for Spain in 1775, the American Capt. Robert Gray in 1792, and Capt. George Vancouver for Britain in 1792–1794. Lewis and Clark explored the Columbia River region and coastal areas for the U.S. in 1805–1806. Rival American and British settlers and conflicting territorial claims threatened war in the early 1840s. However, in 1846 the Oregon Treaty set the boundary at the 49th parallel and war was averted.

  • Washington was organized as territory on March 2, 1853
  • Washington entered the union as the 42th state on November 11, 1889.
  • Washington has 39 Counties.
  • Washington’s capital is Olympia and the official state website is www.wa.gov.
  • Washington is bordered by Idaho (east), Oregon (south) and Canada (north)
  • Washington has a land area of 71,303 square miles making it the 18th largest state.
  • Washington’s 2010 population was 6,724,540 .
  • Washington  largest cities (2010) are Seattle, 608,660; Spokane, 208,916; Tacoma, 198,397; Vancouver , 161,791; Bellevue, 122,363; Everett, 103,019; Kent, 92,411; Yakima, 91,067; Renton, 90,927; Spokane Valley, 89,755.
  • Washington was named for George Washington, the first president of the United States.
  • Washington’s nickname is ” The Evergreen State “
  • Washington State Motto is ” Alki ” which means By and By .

Washington County Genealogy

Although originally held in the county seat, many county land, probate, and court records have been transferred to the state archive’s regional branches. For judicial purposes, many of the counties were attached to other counties.

Select a County Below

COUNTY PAGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Washington has counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states. These counties need to be looked at when doing genealogy research. Pay close attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was abolished or combined with another county.

  • Chehalis County – Formed in 1854 (renamed Grays Harbor, 1915) Thurston.
  • Slaughter County – formed in 1857 and renamed Kitsap County in 1857.
  • Sawamish County – formed in 1854 and renamed Mason County in 1864.
  • Spokane County (old) – formed in 1859, abolished and became part of Stevens County in 1864; In 1879 part of this county was set off as Present Spokane County

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Washington Genealogy Links

See Washington County Genealogy for County Links. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.

Washington State History

 

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