Mason County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Mason 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 Charles H. Mason, the first Secretary of Washington Territory. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Mason County Courthouse 419 N 4th St Shelton, WA 98584 Phone 360-472-9670 County Website

County Auditor has marriage records from 1892, death records 1891-1906 and land records from 1850’s. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records.

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

 * The Coast Salish peoples who made their homes along the watershed of upper Hood Canal called themselves Tuanook (also Twana Twanoh, and Skokomish Twana) or "Big River People."
 * 1792 George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy mapped Hood or Hood’s Canal.
 * 1853 March, Major Hugh A. Goldsborough took up a donation land claim in the Cota Valley near present-day Shelton.
 * 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * For the first settlers, the dense stands of fir, hemlock, spruce, and cedar represented a barrier to settlement.
 * These same forests later became a boom to the area.


 * 1854 April 15, Sawamish County was created.
 * 1864 The name of the county was changed to Mason County.
 * 1893 The Panic of 1893 was the most severe economic crisis in the nation’s history and many logging and milling operations shut down.
 * 1900s early, Mason County grew as immigrants flooded into the logging camps and mill towns.

Census Records

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1857,1871,1879,1880,1881,1883,1885,1887,1889
 * State-funded:1892


 * The 1860 census records of Sawamish County, Washington Territory renamed Mason County in 1864.
 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)

Church Records
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Shelton

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
 * 1853-1889 Mason 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.
 * 1985 Power of Attorney Records 1985 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Directories

 * 1911-1924 R. L. Polk & Co., Thurston and Mason Counties Directory, 1911-1924 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * Online Historical Directories listed by Google.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indians
 * 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

Funeral Homes

 * 1890-1931 Mason County Death and Funeral Cards, 1890-1931 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 ] at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Locations of mining claims
 * 1850-1854 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes: Deed Record indexes AND Deeds. (Mis-labeled as only deed record indexes)
 * 1985-2023 Mason County Auditor, Recorded Land Records, 1985-2023 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection
 * 1885-2023 Mason County Auditor, Plats and Surveys, 1885-2023 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection
 * 1985-2023 Mason County Auditor, Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1985-2023 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection

Local Histories

 * A brief history of Shelton, Washington
 * 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.
 * "Mason County, Washington Facts" at StateofUS.com

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

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
 * 1890-1929 Mason County Clerk, Naturalization Records, 1890-1929 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Newspapers

 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1889-1891 Allyn Times - full-text digital issues in Google News Archive
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Mason County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only

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

Periodicals

 * Washington Periodicals

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1832-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only

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

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 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
 * 1891-1894 Mason County Health, Birth Returns, 1891-1894 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1891-1907 Mason County Auditor, Birth Records, 1891-1907 at Washinton State Archives - index and images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes Marriage certificates 1951-2002.
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1857-2022 Mason County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1857-2022 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

Death

 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1890-1931 Mason County Death and Funeral Cards, 1890-1931 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1891-1905 Mason County Auditor, Death Records, 1891-1905 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 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

 * 1852-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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

 * Poulsbo Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Shelton Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Silverdale Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Tacoma Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Vashon Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Kitsap Regional Library - an affiliate library
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library
 * The Seattle Public Library - an affiliate library

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


 * Timberland Public Libraries - Mason County - William G. Reed Public Library

Societies
Mason County Historical Society 427 W Railroad Ave Shelton, WA 98584 (360) 426-1020 Website

Websites

 * WAGenWeb for Mason County
 * Mason County Washington Genealogy Research, Free Contains information for researching genealogy in Mason County WA, Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
 * USGW Archives
 * 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.