Genealogy & History

Discover your family history with sources like censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps, and more. Ancestry's genealogy information includes US immigration records, SSDI, and census images. Available on Library Computers, no home access.

View the tutorial on Niche Academy to learn more.  

A comprehensive collection of royalty-free downloadable maps.

Includes:

• Modern Maps -  World, Country, Regional and Continent
• Historical Maps - World, Country, City, Ancient & Medieval Maps
• Climate Maps - Temperature, Global Weather Visualization, NASA Sea Level
• Geology Maps - USGS Topographic, Tree Species, Bird Species, Global Volcano
• Video Guides - Geography (U.S. States, Capitals, Major U.S. lakes and rivers)

A comprehensive treasury of American genealogical sources—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, and finding aids. The database provides genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries, with coverage dating back as early as the 1700s.

When you first log in to Heritage Quest, you will see the home page that has a generic “Begin Searching” button allowing users to immediately search without having to identify the type of information they want to find.  There are also some links to the most commonly used resources in HeritageQuest such as census records and books as well as links to begin searching for resources relating to the revolutionary war and the Canadian Census.

This popular product includes:

• City Directories
• Census Map Guide
• U.S. Indian Census Rolls
• Mortality Schedules
• Agricultural and Industrial Schedules
• U.S. Freedman’s Bank Record, 1861-1875

HeritageQuest – tutorial

Legacy Washington is a section of the Washington State Secretary of State's blog, "From Our Corner," dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich history and stories of Washington state. This blog category features a collection of articles, stories, and content that highlights the state's historical figures, events, and cultural heritage, offering readers a valuable resource to explore and appreciate the legacy of Washington state and its people.

In Newspaper Archive, search thousands of old newspapers from around the world dating back to 1607.

Find your family’s story in old newspaper articles, save clippings, and pass on your family legacy. For genealogists, newspaper archives provide public and vital records information such as birth and marriage announcements, death notices, military records, obituaries, historical photos and more!

WSL's newspaper collection includes current issues on paper (125+ titles) and historic newspapers on microfilm (over 50,000 reels of newspapers dating from the 1850s to the present). There are additional research options through subscription newspaper databases.

Some of these online databases, like the historical Olympian archives, are not accessible if you are in a TRL building. To access the online databases at the WSL or from home, you must get an e-card from the WSL, opens a new window (available to any WA resident).

A partnership between the Washington State Library, opens a new window, the Oregon Heritage Commission, opens a new window, and the State Library of Oregon, opens a new window, Northwest Digital Heritage leverages existing infrastructure and best practices to enhance access to libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations throughout Oregon and Washington. Services and support include:

• Digitization training and digital asset management guidance
• Best practices for metadata creation and remediation
• Digital collections hosting and consultation
• Grants and funding opportunities for community digital projects
• On-site digitization services

Northwest Digital Heritage also operates a service hub of the Digital Public Library of America, opens a new window (DPLA), which helps bring these unique and local Northwest collections to a wider audience. Funding provided in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, opens a new window.

About the Timberland Regional Library Collection: The Review Club of Aberdeen is the oldest women's cultural group still operating in the state of Washington.

Founded on March 3, 1891, the group meets in Aberdeen twice a month to share and discuss "good books." Topics have included everything from fiction to politics to spiritualism. The group's continued existence speaks to the ongoing desire for intellectual opportunities for women throughout the century.

Washington Rural Heritage is a community memory project headquartered at the Washington State Library. The project brings together unique local history materials from libraries, museums, and private collections of citizens across Washington State.