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Personal record
files date from 1890 to 1984, and contain
records of individuals who work for the City of Seattle.
They document personal actions like appointments, oaths
of office, applications, examinations and resignations.
Some of the files contain a single document,
and some contain multiple pages of correspondence and reports.
But every file will usually
contain basic information like the individual's name,
appointment date, position title, and department.
A file with an applicant statement
form will have lots of personal information
like place,
and date of birth, and parents' birth place, marital status,
previous occupation, military service, nationality,
and how long the applicant has lived in Seattle.
There's also a spot
for signatures of people who vouched for the applicant
and recommended them for the position,
making these forms in particular, rich resources
for family history research.
The job titles represented in
the collection are also interesting and reflect
the needs of the city during the time.
Many are for what you might expect, for
example: desk clerk, librarian, or a police officer.
Others you'll find include
poisoner, trapper, assistant milk inspector,
city bacteriologist, assistant herder,
book finder, and quarantine officer, just to name a few.
So if you're researching someone who worked for the city
sometime between 1890 and 1904, be sure to let us know.
Just email archives@seattle.gov if you have any questions
about this collection, or others in the archives.