Finding Genealogical Resources at the UW Libraries

| Searching the UW Libraries Catalog for Genealogical Material |
|Genealogical Reference Books | Biographical Dictionaries |


The University of Washington Libraries can be a great resource for family historians. In the UW Libraries you will find a range of useful materials such as local, national and international newspapers, regional city directories, historic photographs, state historical society journals, local histories, and manuscripts collections dealing with Seattle area history. In addition, the UW Libraries has a number of published works ranging from birth registers such as the Vital records of Harvard, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 to a listing of medieval English wills, Bedfordshire wills, 1484-1533, from Civil War rosters, Official roster of the soldiers of the state of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866 to immigrant lists, Swedish passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820-1850. However because the UW Libraries does not have a genealogical section, materials that may be useful to family historians are scattered throughout the libraries (primarily the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries). The most effective way to identify and locate published materials is by using the UW Libraries Catalog.

Searching the UW Libraries Catalog for Genealogical Material

The UW Libraries Catalog [http://catalog.lib.washington.edu/] lists the books, subscriptions (journals, magazines and newspapers) and other material (microfilm sets, government publications and selected web sites) available in the 16 Seattle campus libraries as well as the Tacoma and Bothell campus libraries. A subject search in the UW Libraries Catalog can be used to find items relating to genealogy. The following subject headings may be helpful:

Subject Heading
Search Illustration
Example
GENEALOGY maine genealogy Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine
GENEALOGY african americans genealogy List of free Black heads of families in the first census of the United States, 1790
HISTORY snohomish county wash history History of Snohomish County, Washington
SOURCES georgia history sources The Colonial records of the state of Georgia
REGISTERS OF BIRTHS ETC registers of births etc virginia Index to marriage notices in the Southern churchman, 1835-1941
CHURCH RECORDS AND REGISTERS church records and registers england lincoln The registers of Bishop Henry Burghersh, 1320-1342
CHURCH ARCHIVES church archives alaska The Alaska Russian Church archives: vital statistics
CHURCHWARDENS ACCOUNTS churchwardens' accounts england boxford Boxford churchwardens' accounts 1530-1561
WILLS wills connecticut A digest of the early Connecticut probate records
PROBATE RECORDS probate records texas Index to probate cases of Texas.
CEMETERIES cemeteries alaska Alaska's Kenai Peninsula death records and cemetery inscriptions
EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION germany emigration and immigration German immigrant servant contracts registered at the port of Philadelphia, 1817-1831
PASSENGER LISTS ships passenger lists Swedish passenger arrivals in New York 1820-1850
REGIMENTAL HISTORIES united states history war of 1812 regimental histories Report of the Adjutant General of the state of Kentucky. Soldiers of the war of 1812.
REGISTERS united states army registers Official Army register for 1818
OBITUARIES obituaries massachusetts boston Index of obituaries in Boston newspapers, 1704-1800
COURT RECORDS court records north carolina North Carolina higher-court records
LAND TITLES land titles kentucky Old Kentucky entries and deeds; a complete index to all of the earliest land entries, military warrants, deeds and wills of the commonwealth of Kentucky
DEEDS deeds massachusetts Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England
NOBILITY nobility ireland The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant
HERALDRY heraldry scotland Scottish armorial seals

Genealogical Reference Books

The following reference books are primarily guides for genealogical research. Many can be found in Suzzallo Reference on the first floor of Suzzallo Library.

Title
Location
Call Number
The American census handbook. Suzzallo Reference CS49 .K4 2001
Basic guide to Chinese genealogy. East Asia CS1162 .B64 2002
Encyclopedia of local history. Suzzallo Reference E180 .K25 2000
Evidence! citation & analysis for the family historian. Suzzallo Reference CS16 .M63 1997
Genealogical research at the Library of Congress. Gov't Pub LC 1.2:G 28/2001
The Genealogist's Guide to Suzzallo Library. Suzzallo Reference Z664.U54 W34 1989
The Genealogist's Handbook: modern methods for researching family history. Suzzallo/Allen Stacks CS9.W74 1995
Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. Gov't Publications Z5313.U5 U54 1983
The Librarian’s Genealogy Notebook: a guide to resources. Suzzallo/Allen Stacks CS9 .M66 1998
Life writing : a guide to writing family history. Odegaard Stacks CS16 .H62 2001
The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History. Suzzallo Reference CS9 .O94 1996
The Oxford Guide to Family History. Suzzallo/Allen Stacks CS9.H49 1993
Printed sources: a guide to published genealogical records. Suzzallo Reference Z5311 .P75 1998
Researching life stories and family histories. Suzzallo/Allen Stacks CS16 .M54 2000
Sephardic genealogy: discovering your Sephardic ancestors and their world Suzzallo/Allen Stacks CS66.J4 M35 2002
The Source: a guidebook of American genealogy. Suzzallo Reference CS49 .S65 1997
Sources and Methods for Family and Community Historians: a handbook. Suzzallo Reference CS415 .S64 1997
Virtual Roots: a guide to genealogy and local history on the world wide web. Suzzallo Reference CS21 .K46 1997
Where to Write for Vital Records. Gov't Pub & Online HE20.6210/2: 999

Biographical Dictionaries

The UW Libraries has a large international collection of biographical dictionaries. Those listed here can be found in Suzzallo Reference or in the Microform and Newspaper Collections on the ground floor of Suzzallo Library.

Title
Location
Call Number
American National Biography. Suzzallo Reference CT213 .A68 1999
*Archives Biographiques Francaises. Mcnews M-2799
*Archivo Biografico de Espana, Portugal e Iberoamerica. Mcnews M-2943
*Archivio Biografico Italiano. Mcnews M-3109
Biography and Genealogy Master Index. web online, UW Only
Burke’s Peerage & Baronetage. Suzzallo Reference CS420 .B85
*Deutsches Biographisches Archiv. Mcnews M-3205 and M-3094
Dictionary of American Biography. Suzzallo Reference E176.D56
Dictionnaire de Biographie Francaise. Suzzallo Reference CT143.D5
Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Suzzallo Reference F1005.D49
Dictionary of National Biography. Suzzallo Reference DA28.D42
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Suzzallo Reference CT1123.D5
*Indian Bibliographical Archive. Mcnews M-3124
*Judisches Biographisches Archiv. Mcnews M-3157
Neue Deutsche Biographie. Suzzallo Reference CT1053 .N48
*Russisches Biographisches Archiv. Mcnews M-3174
*Scandinavian Biographical Archive. Mcnews M-2798
*South-East Asian Biographical Archive. Mcnews M-3106
World Biographical Index. Indexes the microfilmed collections * above. web Online


Image: Jack Whinery and his family, homesteaders, Pie Town, New Mexico, 1940. Courtesy of America from the Great Depression to World War II.

Questions? Comments? Email:   mudrock@u.washington.edu
Last modified: Tuesday August 03, 2004 (mudrock)