Douglas County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Description
Douglas County was named for Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician who supported Oregon statehood. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage, burial, divorce, land, probate, military discharge and court records from 1853 and naturalization records from 1850.

Quick Facts


Named for U.S. Senator of Illinois.

Parent County
7 January 1852: Created from the part of Umpqua County lying east of Coast Range summit.

Boundary Changes
11 January 1854: Part was taken to form Wasco County.

1856: Camas Valley of Umpqua County was annexed to Douglas County.

1862: Douglas County absorbed the remaining parts of Umpqua County.

1915: Boundary adjustments were made with Jackson and Lane counties.

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.

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

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:

Neighboring Counties
Coos | Curry | Jackson | Josephine | Klamath | Lane

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

Territorial

 * 1853 Territorial Transcription and Index

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

County Records

 * 1850-1983 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection - images
 * 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.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1833–1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index and 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
The Family History Library has copies of some county records as following:

Douglas County coroner inquests, 1896 to 1946

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 ($)
 * 1842-1917 Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1917 at Ancestry - index and images ($); 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 and 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
Douglas County Historical Society 544 Douglas St Roseburg, OR 97470 Phone: 541-672-4386 Website

Genealogical Society of Douglas County 1036 SE Douglas Ave, Room 105B Roseburg, OR 97470 Phone: 541-460-6178 E-mail: [mailto:emailofsociety info@GSDCI.org] Website

Roseburg Public Library 1409 NE Diamond Lake Blvd Roseburg, OR 97470 Phone: 541-492-7050 Website Facebook

Family History Centers

 * Roseburg Oregon Family History Center
 * South Umpqua Oregon Family History Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Oregon Genealogical Society, Inc. - an affiliate library
 * Siuslaw Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

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