Gilliam County, Oregon Genealogy

Guide to Gilliam County, Oregon ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Description
Gilliam County was named for Cornelius Gilliam, who commanded the forces of the provisional government of Oregon after the Whitman Massacre. The county is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1885.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes
17 Feb 1899: Parts were taken to form Wheeler County.

For animated maps illustrating Oregon County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oregon County Boundary Maps" (1843-1975) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator

The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Defunct Post Offices

 * Ajax: Ajax is a locality about 16 miles airline northwest of Condon, between Ferry and Devils canyons. It supported a post office at one time, but now there is not much in the place. The office operated intermittently from 1888 to 1921. There is a story to the effect that a cowboy named Gardner volunteered to carry the mail for the new office, without pay, and that he suggested it be named after the steamer Ajax. Gardner had come to Oregon from California on that ship and had a sentimental interest in the name.

Neighboring Counties
Morrow | Sherman | Wasco | Wheeler | Klickitat County, Washington State

Trivia Tidbits
Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. &gt; Trivia Tidbits

Cemeteries

 * Oregon Metro
 * Oregon Genealogy Cemeteries

Federal

 * 1890
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930

Church History and Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

County Records

 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Columbia River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1833–1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)

Rivers and Waterways
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. &gt;&gt; Rivers and Waterways

Vital Records
See also How to order Oregon Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oregon Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.

Birth Records

 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (*); Also at: Ancestry
 * 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Delayed Birth Certificates

Marriage Records

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1842-1917 Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1917 at Ancestry - index & images, ($); Also at: 
 * 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — index and images; collection is incomplete.
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
 * Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection

Societies, Libraries and Museums
Gilliam County Historical Museum History Museum OR-19 Condon, OR 97823 Phone: 541-384-4233 Website

Gilliam County Historical Society Highway 19 at Burns Park PO Box 377 Condon, OR 97823 Phone: 503-384-4233

Gilliam County Public Library 134 S Main St Condon, OR 97823 Phone: 541-384-6052 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Boardman Oregon Family History Center
 * The Dalles Oregon Family History Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Oregon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Gilliam County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Gilliam County GenWeb Project part of The ORGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Gilliam County.