Clallam County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Clallam County  Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1854, when the county was formed.

Neighboring Counties
Clallam County, Washington was created 26 April 1854 from Jefferson County

County Seat: Port Angeles. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes
29 January 1868, Quillehute County was created, but it reverted back to Clallam and Jefferson counties in 1870. Records created in both counties.


 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Jefferson

Topics
Below are resources used for family history and genealogy, with dates, value of records, and how to access them for. Internet links may contain names, images, or more information for the county.

Business and Commerce

 * Professional License Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Cemeteries

 * 1904-1930 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1857 • 1870 • 1871 • 1883 • 1885 •  1887 • 1889
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Church Records
Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for Clallam County, Washington are listed in the FamilySearch catalog. (Press space bar to select town.)

Court Records
Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Washington Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate
 * Power of Attorney Records 1987 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Japanese

 * World War II Files, 1942-1946. Public Welfare/Social Security Department, (Japanese Internment) Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 from the Washington State Archives – Digital Archives.

Guardianship
Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Washington Court Records.

History

 * "Genealogy Research in Clallam County, Washington" online
 * "Clallam County -- Thumbnail History" online
 * "Clallam County Profile" online

History Timeline
Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wilma, David. Clallam County -- Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org, Essay 7576.


 * The county is composed of the traditional lands of the (for whom it is named),, and.
 * It was one of the first parts of Washington contacted by European explorers in the late 1700s, but did not see permanent settlement until after 1850.
 * The explorers brought European diseases that devastated Klallam, Makah, and Quileute populations, as they did all Northwest peoples.
 * Beginning around 1851, the first settlers in the future Clallam County staked claims at New Dungeness.
 * 1853 - March - 2 - U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
 * 1854 - April - 26 - Washington Territorial Legislature creates Clallam County.
 * 1857 - Henry R. Webster and others succeeded in establishing a trading post at Neah Bay.
 * In 1878, Luther and Esther Ford and their children settled 15 miles inland from La Push on the fertile open ground known as Indian Prairie.
 * President Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) created the Quiluete Reservation at La Push by executive order.

Land and Property



 * County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.
 * Land Records 1987 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys 1987 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1987-present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Military

 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Clallam and other counties. Key (at end of the list) explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. Free.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

Obituaries
Also check:


 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Probate Records

 * 1890-1914 Part of:"County Probate Records, 1853-1929" FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth
The names were taken from the Clallam County Register of Births.
 * Birth Returns, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * 1891-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Marriage

 * Marriage Records, 1963-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * County Marriages, 1855-2008 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Divorce
Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Washington Vital Records for excellent information.

Death

 * Washington Death Certificates 1907-1960 A free internet index to the 1907-1960 death certificates can be found at FamilySearch Record Search, no images are available. A transcribed death certificate may contain such information as name of the deceased, date and place of death, age, gender, birth date and birth place, mother’s maiden name and name of spouse, place of residence, occupation and certificate numbers.
 * Death Returns, 1891-1906 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * 1891-1906 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * The Clallam County WAGenWeb Project (Free), a member of The WAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project (Free) for Clallam County. (Mirror site)
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Clallam WA (Free)
 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

Archives, Libraries, etc.
Resources for are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.


 * Check websites and catalogs, such as items in (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for.

Courthouse
Clallam County Courthouse 223 E 4th Street PO Box 863 Port Angeles, WA 98362-3025 Phone: 360.417.2508 County Auditor has marriage and land records. County Clerk has probate records.

Family History Centers
Port Angeles, WA 98362
 * Forks Washington Family History Center 1390 Calawah Way, Forks, WA 98331 United States
 * Port Angeles Washington Family History Center 591 Monroe Rd

Libraries

 * Clallam Bay Public Library, 16990 Hwy 112, Clallam Bay 98326 Phone: (360) 963-2414


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:


 * Forks Public Library, 171 Forks Avenue, Forks 98331 Phone: (360) 374-6424


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:


 * North Olympic Library System, 2210 South Peabody Street, Port Angeles 98362 Phone: (360) 417-8500


 * Online Resources: Public Records


 * Unique Collections:


 * Port Angeles Public Library, 2210 S. Peabody Street, Port Angeles 98362 Phone: (360) 417-8500


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:


 * Sequim Public Library, 630 N. Sequim Avenue, Sequim 98382 Phone: (360) 683-1161


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:

Towns and Communities
See a list of towns and communities in Clallam County per Wikipedia.