WELCOME

Washington DC Family History Center

(On the lower level on the south side of the Washington DC Stake Center)

Address:	10000 Stoneybrook Drive Kensington, MD 20895 (301) 587-0042	Mail:	PO Box 49 Kensington, MD 20895
Website:	http://www.wdcfhc.org/	Email:	info@wdcfhc.org

The Washington DC Family History Center (FHC) is a branch of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and is open for genealogical research by both church members and the general public. FHCs provide local access to Church microfilmed family history records, family history computer resources, and internet genealogical websites.

There is no charge for using the facility and only nominal charges for use of the copying machines, purchase of some forms, and rental of microfilms or microfiche.

Patrons are responsible for doing their own genealogical research. Our all-volunteer staff is ready to answer questions about the resources available in the FHC and give limited research guidance.

Family Center Rules:
No materials can leave the FHC, including books, microfilm, microfiche or CD-ROMs. Smoking, alcohol and illegal drugs are not permitted anywhere on the premises. Bottled water is available in the FHC but no other food or drink is permitted. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult and must not disturb other patrons.

Website:
Our website address is: http://www.wdcfhc.org. Posted online is information about our library and its resources, our newsletter, Generations, and Saturday classes and conferences.

Newsletter: Our free monthly newsletter, Generations, is sent via email during the first week of each month. It has timely information about activities and events at our FHC as well as research tips and links. To subscribe, please send an email to: info@wdcfhc.org.

Oral History Room:
A unique feature of our FHC is our Oral History Room, which is equipped with state-of-the art audio and digital video technology. This is an easy way to capture and preserve the living history of a family member or loved one. For further information or to schedule the room, please call Jeannette Clawson at 301-762-4101 or email: oralhistoryroom@yahoo.com.

FHC Computer Resources:
Our computers can operate genealogy software: PAF, RootsMagic, Legacy, Family Tree Maker.
All computers have internet access. Only genealogy-related websites are to be accessed.
The FHC offers free access to several fee-based databases: World Vital Records; Footnote.com, Heritage Quest, FamilyLink, Godfrey Memorial Library.
Our computers also have direct links to hundreds of genealogical websites.

Microfilm reader/printers and scanners:
Our FHC has ten microfilm readers and three microfiche readers. We have two microfilm reader/printers, which print hard copies of microfilm pages or save them to a CD or removable drive. In addition, there are two flatbed Epson scanners to scan and edit photographs, slides, photo negatives and documents, and save them to a removable drive or CD. Software programs include: Adobe Photoshop Elements, a software editing program for photos, slides and negatives; and ABBY Reader, which converts digitized documents into text documents.

Additional FHC Resources:
1. Card Catalog - All items in this FHC are found in the card catalog, which lists microfilm, fiche and book presently onsite. Cards are arranged by Locality, Surname, and Subject.
2. Family Group Records Archives (FGRA) - This is the only FHC east of the Mississippi River to have a full set of these microfilms which represent the largest part of the Family History Library’s collection of over 8 million Family Group Sheets. There are roughly 1991 films, arranged alphabetically by the husband’s surname.
3. Books - Shelved by Locality, Subject, or Family Name. Books for each state in the U.S. are arranged alphabetically; each state has a binder containing a Research Outline and other materials. There are books on immigration, church records, census, military, and foreign countries; maps and atlases.
4. Chinese Digital Penpad - allows patrons to write Chinese characters on the computer
5. Other Aids - include research guides, handwriting guides and letter writing guides for foreign countries, magazines.

Order Microfilms and Microfiche from the Salt Lake City Family History Library:

Microfilms	Original Order	4 Week Loan	$5.50 per film
	First Extension	Additional 8 weeks	$5.50 per film
	Second Extension	One-year Loan	$5.50 per film
Microfiche	Original Order	Indefinite	$0.15 for each fiche in set

1. Film and fiche orders must be made and paid for at the FHC. We cannot accept orders by telephone. We accept cash and checks (made payable to: Washington DC FHC). We are not able to process credit or debit cards. Payment must be made at the time the order is submitted. Any refunds will be made by credit memo.
2. Notification of film arrival is by email or telephone.
3. All films and fiche are rented for use in the FHC only. They must remain in the FHC during the entire rental period.
4. All films on one-year loan are audited regularly and any that have not been viewed over the last two years are considered inactive and may be returned to Salt Lake City.
5. Films and fiche that are in the FHC on one-year loan have been cataloged and may be searched by any patron; however, the patron who paid for the rental has priority.

U.S. copyright laws allow you to make a few copies of a portion of copyrighted material only if used for "private study, scholarship, or research." If your purpose is other than this, you must first get permission from the copyright owner; otherwise, you may be held liable for copyright infringement.