Douglas County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Douglas County

Guide to Douglas County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.


 * Quick start:
 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

County Overview

 * County Seat: Waterville . For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.


 * Parent County: created 28 November 1883 from Lincoln County.

County Formation
Douglas County, Washington was created 28 November 1883.

Boundary Changes
Lincoln County was created from Spokane County four days prior to the creation of Douglas County. Prior records would be held at Spokane County for 1879 to 1883, and Stevens County for 1860 to 1879. Stevens County holds the Spokane County commissioner and earliest land records.

Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties

 * Neighboring Counties: Chelan | Grant | Kittitas | Okanogan

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.

Census

 * 1885
 * 1887
 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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. Douglas County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7961.

Maps



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

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.)

Marriage

 * Marriages from 10 Dec 1877 to 22 Nov 1900 are available 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

 * 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

 * Douglas County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Douglas 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
Douglas County Courthouse 213 South Rainier Waterville, WA 98858 Phone: 509.745.8529 County Auditor has marriage records from 1907 burial records to 1909, land records to 1925, marriage, death, divorce, probate and court records.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

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