Links

Washington State Archives & Library

There are some records that you may be able to get for free or just for the price of a photocopy by requesting them from the Washington State Archives. If the lookup takes less than 15 minutes, there is no research fee! (I offer a couple of these lookups anyway, in case their turnaround time is long, or you wish for one-stop-shopping.) A few of their record collections are:

Washington State Death Index, 1907 – 1999 (may be online soon!)

Washington State Birth Index, 1907 – 1929

Washington State Marriage records, various counties and years

Death Records from several different counties, pre-1907

Washington State Death Certificates, 1907 - 1960 (now online at Washington Digital Archives)

Go to their search page to see what records they have, then you can make a request from the results page at Washington State Archives Search.

If it was in King County, you can usually order historical photographs of your ancestor’s home through the Puget Sound Regional Branch.

You can order free obituaries from the Washington State Library, but there may be a considerable wait time: Washington State Library Ask A Librarian

LDS Family History Centers

Washington state death certificates, birth index pages, death index pages, and many other records are available on microfilm through local LDS Family History Centers. If they have these films, you can search them at no charge, but if not, they can be borrowed through them for about $6.50 each. I look up these types of records for you through my local FHC. They have done an unbelievable job of making genealogical records available to everyone. Also check out their newly available records at the Family Search Labs, though this site is still in the testing phase.

Low-Cost Lookups in Other Areas

Several states: Frugal Map I have not used any of the services listed on this website, but they sure look interesting!

Chicago: ChicagoGenealogy.com Stupendous service, and the main inspiration for my business!

Illinois: Molly Kennedy Excellent service.

All over the place: Genlighten.com Coming soon…..

Other Free Genealogy Sites

All sorts of free genealogy information, links, and databases from all counties in the state: US GenWeb Project - Washington State

Burial info and sometimes photos of gravestones: Find a Grave

Burials in Washington: Interment.net

Certified Washington State Vital Records

http://www.doh.wa.gov/EHSPHL/CHS/cert.htm

Certified Vital Records from Washington Counties