Chelan County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Chelan County,Washington

Guide to Chelan County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.


 * Quick start:
 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

County Overview

 * Parent County: created 13 March 1899 from Kittitas and Okanogan counties
 * County Seat: Wenatchee
 * "Chelan" derives from a Chelan Indian word meaning "deep water."
 * On 14 Dec 1872, a very powerful earthquake centered near Lake Chelan was felt over 300,000 square miles, extending from Victoria, British Columbia south past Baker City, Oregon, and southwest past Portland, Oregon. There are numerous accounts of the quake in historical books and newspapers. It triggered additional quakes at the Yellowstone National Park. Aftershocks were observed for the next 2 years. Additional information
 * Neighboring Counties: Douglas | King | Kittitas | Okanogan | Skagit | Snohomish
 * Boundary Changes: No new counties created from this county.

Resources
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

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Census

 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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

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 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. Okanogan County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7608.


 * The Wenatchee tribe (also spelled Wenatchi) lived along the Wenatchee River, which flowed from the Cascades into the Columbia.
 * U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory on March 2, 1853.
 * The first non-Indians to live in the Chelan and Wenatchee valleys were Chinese prospectors looking for gold in the rivers and streams, starting in about 1863.
 * Lake Chelan’s first white settlers were William Sanders and William Dumke. They arrived at the south end of the lake the hard way, from the north, in 1886.
 * Washington State Legislature created Chelan County on March 13, 1899

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.)

Courthouse
Chelan County Courthouse 350 Douglas Street Wenatchee, WA 98801 Phone: 509.667.6380 County Auditor has birth and death records 1900-1907 and marriage records from 1900. City Clerk has burial records. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Chelan Washington Family History Center

Marriage

 * Washington State Digital Archives has a database for Marriage Records.This database is an index to marriage records filed with the Auditor in Chelan County, Washington, from 1900 to 1920. The records contained within this index include Marriage Returns (1900-1910) and Marriage Certificates (1911-1920).

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.

Websites

 * The Chelan County WAGenWeb Project, a member of The WAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Chelan County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Chelan County. (Mirror site)
 * Family History Library Catalog for Chelan County.
 * Chelan County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

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.

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