Genealogy

Resources to help you research your family history.

Ancestry – Library Edition: Only available at library branches. Offers resources for genealogical and historical research in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. Includes census, vital, church, court, and immigration records.

Visit Ancestry Library Edition

HeritageQuest Online offers remote access to a collection of genealogy resources. It offers Census records from the US, Canada, and the UK; the Social Security Death Index; over 22,000 digitized books on local and family history; City Directories from 1821-1989; a collection of Will and Probate records from 1668-2005; records from the Freedman’s Bank, 1865-1871; extracts from the US Serial Set covering acts of Congress that impact individuals; historical maps and photos; and much more!

Visit HeritageQuest Online

Newspapers.com – West Collection provides access to historic newspapers, a tool that can be very helpful for family history and genealogy research. Ancestry and HeritageQuest search results include records from Newspapers.com.

The West Collection has newspapers from these states:

AK, AZ, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, WA, WY

Includes the Bellingham Herald from 1903 – 1923.

Visit Newspapers.com – West Collection

Genealogy Collection

The Bellingham Public Library has a special collection of library materials relating to genealogy. Topics include: how to get started doing genealogy research, family histories, census and court records, tax lists, land claims, and cemetery records.

Canadian Genealogy and Family History
Publications, archival records, sound and audio-visual materials, photographs, artworks, and electronic documents relating to Canadian genealogy.

Cyndi’s List
A categorized and cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet, including a list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.

Family Search
Search the catalog of materials (including microfilm, microfiche, and publications) found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also offers the following in Bellingham:

Family History Center
2925 James Street
Bellingham, WA 98225

call for hours: 360-738-1849

GENUKI
A large collection of genealogical information pages for England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.

JewishGen
A free, easy-to-use genealogy website featuring thousands of databases, research tools, and other resources to help those with Jewish ancestry research and find family members.

Online Searchable Death Records Index
A directory of links to websites with online death indexes, listed by state and county. Included are death records, death certificate indexes, death notices and registers, obituaries, probate indexes, and cemetery and burial records.

Roots Web
The primary purpose of RootsWeb.com is to connect people so that they can help each other and share genealogical research.

United States National Archives
A selection of guides, finding aids, microfilm catalogs, and special archival publications useful to scholars, archivists, historians, and researchers.

USGenWeb
An index to free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.

WAGenWeb Whatcom County
Whatcom County’s USGenWeb project homepage.

Whatcom Genealogy Society
A non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting genealogical and family history research and to preserving local historical records needed for the search.

Washington State Digital Archives
The nation’s first archives dedicated specifically to the preservation of electronic records from both State and Local agencies that have permanent legal, fiscal or historical value.