Walla Walla County, Washington Genealogy

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

County Formation
Walla Walla County, Washington was created 25 April 1854. Was Skamania (discontinued) previously, which was formed from Lewis and Clark counties.

County Seat: Walla Walla. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Benton | Columbia | Franklin | Whitman | Umatilla County, Oregon

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

With the signing of the Treaty of 1818, Great Britain and the United States jointly claimed the Pacific Northwest, including current Walla Walla County.

On August 14, 1848, the Oregon Territory formed, and Clackamas County included current Walla Walla County.

On March 2, 1853, the Washington Territory was formed.

Original Walla Walla County boundaries commenced at a point opposite the mouth of the Deschutes River on the north bank of the Columbia River, thence running north to the 49th parallel, thence along said parallel to the summit of the Rocky Mountains, thence south along the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the 46th degree of parallel, thence west along said 46th parallel to where it crosses the Columbia River, thence along said Columbia River to the place of beginning.

Western Montana, Northern Idaho, and all Eastern Washington counties broke off from Walla Walla County starting with Spokane County in 1860 and finishing with Asotin County in 1883.

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.


 * Tombstone inscriptions of Walla Walla County, Washington. (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

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
 * Federal or territorial census indexes by local societies and individuals: 1885, 1887, and 1910  (Free)


 * Index to the 1880 census of Walla Walla County, Washington Territory (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Church Records

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

LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Walla Walla

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
 * Power of Attorney Records 1994 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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

Genealogy
Note: Community Tree lists Lewis County, from which Skamania (later Walla Walla) County was formed in 1854. Very early residents of the Walla Walla area would be included.

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

 * An illustrated history of Walla Walla County, state of Washington (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)


 * Historic sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, and Umatilla County, Oregon (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

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. Walla Walla County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 8486.


 * Groups that lived in the Walla Walla Valley included the Nez Perce, Cayuses, Umatillas, and Walla Wallas.
 * Among the earliest records of Euro-Americans coming to the Walla Walla Valley are those from the expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
 * 1836 - Presbyterian Missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman arrived in the Walla Walla Valley and established a mission.
 * 1846 - Joint American-British occupation of the Oregon country ended and the Treaty of Oregon established the present international border between Canada and the United States.
 * 1853 - Washington Territory was created out of Oregon Territory and Isaac Stevens was appointed the new territory’s first governor.
 * 1854 April 25 - Walla Walla County is formed.
 * The City of Walla Walla, is one of the oldest cities in the state.
 * 1855 May - Stevens arrived at the future site of the city of Walla Walla to negotiate treaties with the Nez Perce, Yakima, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Cayuse tribes.
 * 1859 - Tthe land east of the Cascades was declared fully open for settlement, a small collection of cabins, shacks, and tents were situated around Steptoe’s fort and five land claims had been located in the surrounding area.
 * 1880 - A gold rush in the early 1860s, followed by a growing agricultural industry, made Walla Walla the largest city in Washington Territory by 1880.

Land and Property

 * Land Records 1994 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys Records 1994 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1994 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Maps



 * Family Maps of Walla Walla County, Washington (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Columbia River
 * York Factory Express 1824 from Fort Vancouver to York Factory, Manitoba, Canada
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

Military

 * Some military records that include this county have been digitized at the Washington State Digital Archives.
 * Fort Walla Walla Museum for military history

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.


 * 1850-1960 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Naturalization Records, 1906-1974 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Adult Applications and Orders of Naturalization, 1898-1906 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Register of Declarations of Intention, 1886-1906 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Register of Minor Applications and Orders of Naturalization, 1890-1904 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

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


 * Walla Walla Union Bulletin (Walla Walla, Washington) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Washington State Library has early Walla Walla newspapers online.

Probate Records

 * 1860-1889 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * 1883-1922 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Birth Records, 1871-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

Marriage

 * 1865-1986 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Marriage Affidavits, 1891-1899, 1917-1939 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
 * Marriage Certificates, 1922-1926 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
 * Marriage Records, 1865-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)


 * Marriages from 22 Feb 1862 to 4 Oct 1910 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index website.

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

 * 1883-1933 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Death Records 1888-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)


 * 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
Sites with online indexes or images of records:
 * WAGenWeb Walla Walla County
 * USGenWeb
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.
 * Web Sites at RootsWeb -Walla Walla WA (Free)

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

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.
 * Northwest Archives 345 Boyer Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 Phone: (509) 527-5111
 * "... curates materials that document the history of Whitman College and the Walla Walla region as well as rare books and other special collections." Digital Collections includes directories as early as 1881, photos of buildings, maps, serendipity

Courthouse
Walla Walla County Courthouse 315 West Main Street PO Box 836; Walla Walla, WA 99362-0259 Phone: 509.527.3221 County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1860.

Family History Centers

 * Walla Walla Washington Family History Center 1821 S 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362 United States

Libraries

 * Whitman College Library 345 Boyer Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 Phone: (509) 527-5111
 * Online Resources: Digital Collections includes directories as early as 1881, photos of buildings, maps, serendipity
 * Unique Collections: Archives "Whitman College and Northwest Archives curates materials that document the history of Whitman College and the Walla Walla region as well as rare books and other special collections"


 * Walla Walla Public Library, 238 E. Alder Street, Walla Walla 99362 Phone: (509) 527-4388
 * Online Resources: Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest Online, History Reference Center, ProQuest, others
 * Unique Collections: Not mentioned on website


 * Burbank Heights Library, 875 Lake Road, Burbank 99323 Phone: (509) 545-6549
 * Online Resources:
 * Unique Collections:


 * Prescott Library, 103 D St., Prescott 99348 Phone: (509) 849-2411
 * Online Resources:
 * Unique Collections:


 * Touchet Community Library, 161 Hanson Road, Touchet 99360 Phone: (509) 394-2329
 * Online Resources:
 * Unique Collections:


 * Waitsburg (Weller) Public Library, 212 Main Street, Waitsburg 99361 Phone: (509) 337-8149
 * Online Resources:
 * Unique Collections:


 * Walla Walla County Rural Library District, 37 Jade Ave., Walla Walla 99362 Phone: (509) 527-3284
 * Online Resources:
 * Unique Collections:

Museums

 * Fort Walla Walla Museum
 * Whitman Mission National Historic Site

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