Genealogy Resources

In the Washingtoniana Division


Residence

City Directories
 
1822, 1827, 1830, 1834, 1843, 1846, 1850, 1853, 1855, 1858, 1860
1861-1943 annually
1948, 1954, 1956, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973
 
City Directories include:
Alphabetical list of people and businesses
Classified list of businesses
Street directory (starting in 1914)
Phone number directory (starting in 1969)
 
The directory of individuals includes name, spouse's name (1928--), occupation, work address, home address, race (up to 1870).
The directory was done by canvass and individuals could request to be excluded.
 
Telephone Books
 
1907-1975 microfilm
1976-2005 microfiche
Reverse directories 1914-1973, in City Directories
Haines Criss-Cross Directories, 1974-present 


Marriage

    Published Indexes to Marriage Records
    (chronological)
     
    Maryland Marriages  1634-1777
    Marriages and Deaths from the Maryland Gazette  1727-1839
    Marriage and Death Notices from Alexandria VA Newspapers 1784-1852
    Marriages and Deaths from the National Intelligencer [also on microfilm] 1800-1820
    Blacks in the Marriage Records of the District of Columbia 1811-1870  1811-1870
    Marriage Licenses of Washington, D.C.  1811-1830
    District of Columbia Marriage Licenses  1811-1858
    Daily National Intelligencer Marriage and Death Notices  1851-1854
    Georgetown Courier Marriage and Death Notices   1865-1876
    District of Columbia Marriage Records 1870-1877
    District of Columbia Marriage Records Index  1877-1885 
    District of Columbia Marriage Records Index  1885-1892
    Marriage Bureau Listings, DC Superior Court (microfiche)
    Listings by groom and bride names 1921-1990 


Death

Published Indexes to Wills and Death Records
(chronological)
 
Marriages and Deaths from the Maryland Gazette  m 1727-1839
William King's Mortality Books  1795-1832
Alexandria, VA Wills, Administrations, and Guardian Bonds  1800-1870
Marriages and Deaths the National Intelligencer [also on microfilm]    m 1800-1850
Index to District of Columbia Estates 1801-1929
District of Columbia Probate Records: Will Books and Estate Files  1801-1852
Index to District of Columbia Wills  1801-1920
District of Columbia Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864
Daily National Intelligencer Marriage and Death Notices   m 1851-1854
Daily National Intelligencer Index to Deaths 1855-1870
District of Columbia Mortality Schedules (Census)  1860, 1870, 1880
The Georgetown Courier: Marriage and Death Notices, Georgetown  m 1865-1876
District of Columbia Death Records  1874-1879
Index to District of Columbia Wills  1921-1950
Register of Burials of the Joseph F. Birch Funeral Home 
[m - shelved in marriage section]

Obituaries

Can be found in newspapers, 1800 to present
Washingtoniana holdings of major local papers:

Evening Star
     Indexing:
     Annual index on microfilm 1852-1973. Search under “Deaths, Local”
     Clipping files 1950-1980 (national in scope) 1852-1981
National Intelligencer
     Indexing:
     National Intelligencer Newspaper Abstracts, 1800-1848, 1861-1865
     Marriages and Deaths the National Intelligencer [also on microfilm], 1800-1850
     Daily National Intelligencer Marriage and Death Notices, 1851-1854
     Daily National Intelligencer Index to Deaths, 1855-1870 1800-1869
National Era  1847-1860
Washington Bee
     Indexing: 
     Library of Congress [chroniclingamerica.loc.gov], 1901-1912 1882-1921
Washington Daily News  1921-1972
Washington Herald
     Indexing: 
     Library of Congress [chroniclingamerica.loc.gov], 1906-1910 1906-1939
Washington Post
     Indexing:
     Proquest database 1877-1990
     NewsBank database 1977-present (indexes obituaries not death notices)
     Print Index 1973-2007 1877-present
Washington Times [evening]
     Indexing: 
     Library of Congress [chroniclingamerica.loc.gov], 1895-1910 1895-1939
Washington Times [morning]
     Indexing: 
     Library of Congress [chroniclingamerica.loc.gov], 1894-1902 1894-1902
Washington Times-Herald  1939-1954

See Also: Abstracts of the newspapers of Georgetown and the Federal City, 1789-1799

Published Indexes to Church and Cemetery Records
(alphabetical)
 
Alexandria Tombstone Inscriptions 
Civil War Cemeteries of the D.C. Metropolitan Area 
Records of the Columbian Harmony Cemetery 1831-1959
The Transcribed Ledger of the Eastern Methodist Cemetery (also called Old Ebenezer)  1823-1893
The Church Register of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church (First Colored Presbyterian Church) 1841-1926
Minutes of the Session of the 15th Street Presbyterian Church  1890-1923 
Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia  
Holmead's Cemetery (Western Burial Ground) 
Register of the Burials of the Joseph F. Birch Funeral Home 1847-1938
Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown 
Old Methodist Burial Ground 
Records of Payne's Cemetery 1907-1952
Presbyterian Cemetery Records (Georgetown) 1856-1897
Rock Creek Cemetery, Old Interment Records 1822-1906
Rosemont Cemetery (formerly Moore's Cemetery) 
Burials in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Alexandria, VA  1798-1983
Selected Small Cemeteries of Washington, DC 
Register of Members of Union Bethel Church  1839-1852
Woodlawn Cemetery, Brief History and Inscriptions 


Census

Heritage Quest

U.S. Census searchable through DCPL website with a library card: HeritageQuest
Searchable 1790-1820, 1860-1920 (decennial); browseable 1790-1930 (except 1890)

    D.C. Federal Census, 1800-1880, 1900-1930 available on microfilm
    Part of 1790 census is in Montgomery or Prince George’s counties.
    1890 census burned; only mortality schedules available.
     
    Published Indexes to Census Records:

    Name indexes in print: 1800-1870, 1910.
    Census soundex indexes on microfilm: 1880, 1900, and 1920. 
     
    District of Columbia 1850 and 1860 slave schedules
     
    Georgetown, District of Columbia 1850 federal population census (schedule I); and, 1853 directory of residents of Georgetown
     
    Index to the 1820 census of Maryland and Washington, D.C
     
    District of Columbia mortality schedules, 1860, 1870, 1880
    Data about individuals who died during the census year.
     
    Enumeration district maps: 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920
     
    1890 District of Columbia census index: special schedule of the eleventh census (1890) enumerating Union veterans and of Union veterans of the Civil War (this index includes every name listed on the census record)


Other Records

Alexandria County, VA Free Negro Registers 1797-1861
Colonial Maryland Naturalizations 
Compensated Emancipation in the District of Columbia 
District of Columbia Department of Corrections Runaway Slave Book U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Fugitive Slave Cases 1848-1863
1862-1863
District of Columbia Free Negro Registers  1821-1861
District of Columbia Guardianship Index  1802-1928
District of Columbia Indentures of Apprenticeship  1801-1893
District of Columbia Original Land Owners  1791-1800
Proceedings of the Orphans' Court, Washington County 1815-1816, 1818
 
Published Indexes to other records, including slavery & immigration


Biographical Sources

Books

American Biographical Directories: District of Columbia. 1908
920.0753 S614
 
Blue Book of Washington, D.C.
917.53 V658

History of the City of Washington, Its Men and Institutions. 1903.
975.3 Q319h
 
Maryland and District of Columbia Volunteers in the Mexican War.
973.624 W452
 
“Old Residences and Family History in the City Hall Neighborhood.” Records of the Columbia Historical Society, v. 6 (1903), p. 104.
975.306 C 726 V.6
 
Prominent Personages of the Nation's Capital. 1924.
920.0753 W319
 
Social List of Washington [Green Book]. 1932-
917.53 S677
 
Washington Past and Present. 1930-32.
975.3 P964w
 
Who's Who in Washington 1923-1938/9 (sporadically issued)
920.0753 W628

Vertical Files
 
Vertical files collected from Washington-based and other publications on individuals, institutions (such as schools and churches), neighborhoods, and other DC-related information that may be helpful for genealogists. 1905-present, with the strongest period from 1940-present.
 

Directory

Daughters of the American Revolution
1776 D St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
202-628-1776

D.C. Archives
1300 Naylor Ct.
Washington, DC 20001
202-727-1105
Birth Records (1874-1919)
Death Records (1874-1931)
Marriage Records (1811-1990)
Wills (1801-1999)

D.C. Marriage Bureau, D.C. Courthouse
500 Indiana Ave. N.W., Room 5006
Washington, DC
202-879-4840
Marriage Records (1990-present)

D.C. Register of Wills
500 Indiana Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
202-879-4800
Wills (1879-present)

D.C. Vital Records
825 North Capitol St. N.E., First Floor
Washington, DC 20002
202-671-5000
Birth and Death Records (1874-present)
Persons entitled to purchase a vital record include:
   • The registrant
   • An immediate nuclear family member
   • A legal guardian
   • A legal representative
Birth and death records become public after 100 years have elapsed from the date of birth and 50 years have elapsed from the date of death.

LDS Family History Center
10000 Stoneybrook Dr.
Kensington, MD 20895
301-587-0042

Library of Congress
Local History and Genealogy 
Jefferson Building
202-287-1403
Published Genealogies, Genealogical Indexes

National Archives
700 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC
1-86NARA-NARA
Census Records, Military Service and Pension Records, Passenger Arrival Records, Naturalization Records, Freedmen's Bureau records, Slavery Records, Probate Estate case files (1801-1878)

National Genealogical Society
3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300
Arlington, Virginia 22204
703-525-0050

Sumner School Archives
1201 17th St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
202-442-6060
Archives of D.C. Public Schools