Secretary Wyman with Sons of the American Revolution at Ancestry Day Saturday in Tacoma. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives)

It takes a special event to keep sun-craving Northwesterners indoors on a nice September weekend, but that was the case Saturday as hundreds packed themselves into a large meeting room at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center for Ancestry Day.

The event was co-hosted by Ancestry, the Washington State Historical Society, and the Office of Secretary of State’s Washington State Archives,
Washington State Library and Legacy Washington.

State Archivist Steve Excell addresses the audience during a panel discussion on family history holdings at the State Archives.

Over 700 attendees were treated to workshops, panel discussions and presentations by Ancestry’s genealogy experts and others on Saturday. Secretary of State Kim Wyman gave the welcome address Saturday morning. Wyman noted that her ancestor Nathaniel Dobbs served in the Revolutionary War and was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis after the Battle of Yorktown.

On Friday, about 250 people came to the State Historical Museum in Tacoma for genealogy-related presentations, including one by the State Archives’ Tracy Rebstock on where to look for information (other than birth/marriage/death records) about someone’s family history. The State Library’s Kathryn Devine later discussed how to use old newspapers to find information about one’s ancestors.

The audience listens to a genealogy presentation Friday.