San Juan County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  San Juan County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1861, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
San Juan County, Washington was created 31 October 1873.

County Seat: Friday Harbor. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Island | Skagit | Whatcom

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Dates of Major County Records
Note: The dates you see below have not yet been adapted to.

Topics
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.

Cemeteries

 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * See Washington Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
 * Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.


 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

Church Records

 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)

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. San Juan County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7505.


 * For generations, the San Juans, neighboring islands, and portions of Vancouver Island, were home to peoples identified as Northern Straits Salish.
 * 1850 - The British-owned Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) establish the first non-Indian presence on the San Juan islands.
 * 1859 - The first real American challenge to the Hudson's Bay Company.
 * 1871-1872 - Several Spanish expeditions under the general command of Captain Francisco Eliza mapped the San Juans.
 * 1872 - The San Juan islands become an undisputed part of the United States following the "Pig War" boundary dispute with Great Britain.
 * 1873 October 31 - San Juan County was established.
 * 1910-1960 - Population, which had reached 3,600 by 1910, remained stagnant, actually declining to 2,872 in 1960.

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.)

Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

Probate Records

 * County Probate Records, 1853-1929 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * Washington State Digital Archives has a database of San Juan County Birth Records. This database contains the names of people who were born in San Juan County in June 1891 – August 1907. The names were taken from the San Juan County Register of Births.

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 Historical Records. 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

 * San Juan County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * San Juan 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.

Courthouse
San Juan County Courthouse 350 Court Street #7 Friday Harbor, WA 98250-1249 Phone: 360–378–2163 County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records. County Auditor has birth records 1892-1907, death records 1890-1907 and marriage records from 1878.

FamilySearch Centers

 * San Juan Washington Family History Center

Libraries

 * Orcas Island Library District, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound 98245 Phone: (360) 376-4985


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * San Juan Island Library District, 1010 Guard Street, Friday Harbor 98250 Phone: (360) 378-2798


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Lopez Island Library District, 2225 Fisherman Bay Rd, Lopez Island 98261 Phone: (360) 468-2265


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

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