How to explore your family tree

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It seems like more and more people are getting into genealogy. Last weekend, the News Tribune had a nice story about South Sound women exploring their family histories. Many people, including genealogy buffs, have been watching an interesting new NBC show called “Who Do You Think You Are?” which explores the family history of certain celebrities. While many of us know a lot about our family’s history and background, there is a large segment out there who doesn’t but wants to find out. Researching one’s family tree is a challenging, time-consuming task. While there isn’t a TV show that spotlights our own family history, the folks at the State Archives and State Library have the resources and knowledge to help you start your ancestral exploration. Click here to check out all of the genealogical resources provided by our State Archives and State Library. You’ll have access to a wide range of stuff, including:

• a large collection of historical newspapers in Washington
• obituaries in Washington newspapers
• Washington digital collections
• telephone directories
• a death records index
• marriage records
• military records
• territorial assessment rolls
• additional state or local genealogical sources

You can also get help by going to “Ask an Archivist” or by clicking on “Ask a Librarian." To get a taste of the great genealogical firepower at the Archives and State Library, check out the presentations that several Archives and Library staffers made at the “Ruddell Riddle” event last January in Olympia.