Coos County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Description
Coos County was named for a tribe of Native Americans who live in the region. The county is located in the western area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth and death records 1906-1929, marriage records from 1857, land records from 1854, widows’ military pensions 1929-1950 and some school records; State Courts have divorce and probate records.

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

Quick Facts
Named after a tribe of Native Americans who lived in the area.

Little biographic bits associated with the names of non-population localities.

Parent Counties
22 December 1853: Created from Umpqua and Jackson Counties.

Boundary Changes
18 December 1855: Part was taken to form Curry 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:

Post Offices
 * Allegany: This post office was established Mar. 25, 1893, with William Vincamp first postmaster.

Neighboring Counties
Curry | Douglas

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

Lutheran

 * Records of First Norwegian Lutheran Church, North Bend, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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

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.

 Historic Oregon Newspapers  http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/ as a division of the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program has digitzied more than 644,000 pages of newspapers throughout Oregon. Dates range from 1846-1922 with selected issues continuing through 1973.

Of particular interest to Coos county researchers:

The Bandon Recorder Semi-Weekly Bandon Recorder

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
Coos Bay Genealogical Forum PO Box 1067 North Bend, OR 97459 Website

Coos Bay Public Library 525 Anderson Ave Coos Bay, OR 97420 Phone: 541-269-1101 Website Facebook

Coos County History Museum 1210 N Front St Coos Bay, OR 974206 Phone: 541-756-6320 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bandon Oregon Family History Center
 * Coos Bay Oregon Family History Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Oregon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Websites

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