Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Chief Kitsap. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Kitsap County Courthouse 614 Division Street Port Orchard, WA 98366 Phone: 360-337-7109 Kitsap County Website

County Auditor has birth records 1891-1907, death records 1892-1907 and marriage records from 1892. County Clerk has divorce and court records from 1888, probate and adoption records from 1861 and land records from 1857.

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:

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. Kitsap County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7864.
 * The first residents of the land and islands between Puget Sound and Hood Canal were called Suquamish.
 * 1792-May British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver mapped Puget Sound.
 * 1850 The big trigger to white settlement on the Kitsap Peninsula came with the California Gold Rush.
 * 1853-March 2 U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1855 Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens persuaded the tribes to sign the Point No Point and Point Elliott treaties, in which they ceded their lands to the United States.
 * 1857-July 13 Slaughter County was officially formed and Port Madison became the county seat. Voters changed the name to Kitsap County.
 * 1880s The United States government chose Port Orchard as the site of a repair facility to help support naval operations in the Pacific Ocean.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Census Records

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1857, 1871,1883,1885,1889.


 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only. Select Browse all images, click county

Church Records
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Bremerton
 * Port Orchard

Lutheran List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1973-2022 Kitsap County Superior Court Case Files at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * Kitsap Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)
 * The court procedure of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of Washington Territory. The index has many abstracts that provide names and what is happening in disputes, settlements in civil and criminal cases as well as probate, equity and admiralty cases

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indian
 * 1911-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1954 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1987-2006; 2014 Kitsap County Auditor, Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1987-2006; 2014 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1987-2014 Kitsap County Auditor, Recorded Land Records, 1987-2014 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1997; 2014 Kitsap County Auditor, Plats and Surveys, 1997; 2014 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Local Histories

 * Kitsap County -- Thumbnail History at HistoryLink.org
 * History of the Puget Sound country, Volume 1, Volume 2 by William Farrand Prosser [New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company, 1903] at Washington History
 * Kitsap County, Washington Facts at StateofUS.com (mis-labeled as Kitsap County, Alabama)

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records

 * 1885-1907 Military Department, National Guard Enlistment Register, 1885-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * Kitsap County Auditor, Recorded Military Records at Washington State Archives - index and images

Indian Wars
 * 1855-1856 Military Department, Indian War Muster Rolls, 1855-1856 at Washington State Archives - index and images

World War I
 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War II

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1982 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1910, 1929-1955 Kitsap County Clerk, Naturalization Records, 1906-1910, 1929-1955 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Newspapers

 * Kitsap County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * Port Orchard Independent
 * The Kitsap Sun
 * The Bainbridge Review
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1987-2006 Power of Attorney Records, 1987-2006 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection

Voting Records
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Periodicals

 * Washington Periodicals

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

 * 1852-1963 Washington, Births at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1871-1921 Department of Health, Delayed Birth Records at Washington State Archives - index and images; includes some earlier and later dates
 * 1873-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907 Kitsap County Auditor, Birth Records at Washington State Archives - index and images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1860-2014 Kitsap County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1860-2014 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1868-1890 Kitsap County Auditor, Marriage License Register, 1868-1890 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1905-1986 Kitsap County Auditor, Marriage License Application Affidavits, 1905-1986 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1968-1997 Department of Health, Marriage Certificates, 1968-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1969-2022 Department of Health, Marriage Index, 1969-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1986-2010 Kitsap County, Washington, Marriage Index, 1986-2010 - index

Death

 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1892-1907 Kitsap County Auditor, Death Records, 1892-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1907-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1907-1997 Department of Health, Death Certificates, July 1, 1907-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-2020 Department of Health, Death Index, 1907-1960; 1965-2020 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1915-1928 Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Fatal Accident Cards, 1915-1928 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1919-1921 Department of Health, Fetal Death Records, 1919-1921 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Divorce

 * 1968-1997 Department of Health, Divorce Certificates, 1968-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1969-2017 Department of Health, Divorce Index, 1969-2017 at Washington State Archives - index and images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Auburn Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Bellevue Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Bellevue Washington South FamilySearch Center
 * Bremerton Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Federal Way Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Issaquah Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Kent Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Kirkland Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Maple Valley Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Newport Washington FamilySearch Center
 * North Bend Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Poulsbo Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Redmond Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Seattle Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Seattle Washington North FamilySearch Center
 * Silverdale Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Tiffany Park Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Vashon Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Woodinville Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library
 * Seattle Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

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

Libraries
 * Kitsap Regional Library 1301 Sylvan Way Bremerton, WA 98310 Phone: 360-405-9158 Website
 * Branches:


 * Bainbridge Island Library 1270 Madison N. Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Phone: 206-842-4162
 * Bremerton Library 612 5th Street Bremerton, WA 98337 Phone: 360-377-3955
 * Kingston Library 11212 NE State Hwy 104 Kingston, WA 98346 Phone: 360-297-3330
 * Little Boston Library 31980 Little Boston Rd. NE Kingston, WA 98346 Phone: 360-297-2670
 * Manchester Library 8067 E. Main Street Manchester, WA 98353 Phone: 360-871-3921
 * Port Orchard Library 87 Sidney Street Port Orchard, WA 98366 Phone: 360-876-2224
 * Poulsbo Library 700 NE Lincoln Street Poulsbo, WA 98370 Phone: 360-779-2915
 * Silverdale Library 3450 NW Carlton Street Silverdale, WA 98383 Phone: 360-692-2997

Societies
Puget Sound Genealogical Society 1301 Sylvan Way Bremerton, WA 98310 Website Kitsap County Historical Society and Museum 280 4th Street Bremerton, WA 98337 Website Facebook

Websites

 * Kitsap County WAGenWeb Project
 * USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Washington State Digital Archives


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.