District of Columbia Genealogy Research Guide

The best free and official places to find District of Columbia ancestors, from state archives and vital records to newspapers and land records.

Established
1790
State vital records from
1855
Land system
State-land

Start with these

Key record dates

Statewide birth & death registration
1874 (births), 1855 (deaths)
State-level marriage records
1811

No deaths were filed during the Civil War.

Births and deaths: the year District of Columbia began requiring them to be registered with the state. Compliance often took years, and earlier records may be in county, town or church records.

Marriages: the year marriages began to be recorded or indexed at the state level, or in a few states, the year a state law began requiring county marriage licenses. Either way, the original marriage records are usually kept by the county (or town) that issued the license, and most begin well before this date. Start your search there.

Dates are from Family Tree Magazine's vital records chart, with corrections. Laws, compliance and the years a particular office holds can differ, so confirm with the state vital records office. See Finding Ancestors Before Statewide Vital Records.

Newspapers

Land records

District of Columbia is a state-land state. The first land grants came from the colony or state, not the federal government, so start with the state archives or land office. Later sales are in county deed books.

New to land records? Read Land Records: The Paper Trail of Property.

Link directories

Research tip

Most pre-1900 records were kept at the county level. Before searching, confirm which county your ancestor's home was in at the time; boundaries changed often. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows every change.