Genealogy Resources

Explore your ancestral roots with help from these resources.

ANCESTRY LIBRARY EDITION

Ancestry Library Edition contains collections with unparalleled coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom. Note: This is only available on computers at a Library location.

DIGITAL PHOTO ARCHIVE

Explore Spokane’s history through historic images of the homes, buildings, streets, Indigenous Peoples, and activities in and around the region. A physical photograph collection is also available with staff assistance.

FAMILYSEARCH

Access FamilySearch genealogical resources. You will not need your library card to login, but you will need to create your own personal FamilySearch account to access the database. Note: Only available on computers at any Library location.

NEWSPAPERS.COM

Search full text and images of a wide variety of historic Washington and Idaho newspapers, along with newspapers in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming.

OBITUARIES

Search a regional directory of obituaries dating back to the early 1900s. This will show you the publication and where to find it at Central Library.

PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS

Discover searchable digital images of Spokane’s historic newspapers, from 1883 to 2009 and the Spokane Chronicle from 1890 to 1992.

YEARBOOKS (SPOKANE HIGH SCHOOLS)

Browse digitized versions of more than 200 hundred Spokane high school yearbooks from the years 1911-1977.

WASHINGTON STATE DEATH CERTIFICATES

Access digital death certificates for all those who died in Washington State from July 1, 1907 – December 31, 1995.