Mason County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Mason County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1854, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Mason County, Washington was created 13 March 1854 from King and Thurston.

County Seat: Shelton. See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by:Grays Harbor | Jefferson | Kitsap | Pierce | Thurston

Courthouse
Mason County Courthouse 411 N 5th PO Box 340 Shelton, WA 98584 Phone 360–472–9670 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.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Business and Commerce

 * 1891-1934 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Professional License Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Cemeteries

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

Census
Local Libraries or other record holders.
 * The 1860 census records of Sawamish 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)
 * 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
 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1857 • 1871 •  1879 •  1880 •  1881 •  1883 •   •  1885 1887 •  1889
 * State-funded:1892
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

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


 * Shelton

Court Records

 * Power of Attorney Records 1985 - present 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

 * "Mason County, Washington Public Records" online
 * "1889 Mason County Census" online*"1883 Mason County Census" online
 * "Mason County Death and Funeral Cards 1890-1931" online

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

 * A brief history of Shelton, Washington (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * "Mason County, Washington Online Historical Directories" online
 * "1887 Mason County" online
 * "Mason County, Alabama (Washington) Facts" online

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. Mason County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7730.


 * 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

Land and Property

 * County Land Records, 1850-1954 at Washington, County Land Records, 1850-1954 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes name of Grantor, Grantee, date, property description, etc.


 * Land Records 1985 and 2005 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (F
 * Plats and Surveys Records 1885 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1985 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Military
Some military records for this county have been digitized at the Washington State Digital Archives.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982. at Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes name, age, gender, birth place, arrival at port, etc.

Included in above collection: Petition records & index, Naturalization certificate receipts, Journal of Citizenship index, Delectation of Intention, and Application of oaths.

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.)

Newspapers

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


 * Allyn Times - full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1889-1891

Obituaries
Also check:


 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties

Probate Records

 * County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * 1884-1929 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

 * Mason Prior to 1965 Postmaster Index]. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

Birth

 * 1891-1906 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Birth Returns, 1891-1894 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Birth Records, 1891-1907 at Washinton State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Marriage

 * Marriage Records, 1857-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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.


 * County Divorce Records, 1852-1950. Washington, County Divorce Records, 1852-1950 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Names on interested parties, dates, court, county and conditions, etc.

Death

 * 1891-1906 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * County Deaths, 1891-1907. Part of: Washington, County Deaths, 1891-1907 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes death date, place, gender, father and mother's name, burial info, etc. (index & images)


 * Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes: 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
{{WA Websites Intro}

Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * WAGenWeb for Mason 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.
 * Mason/ Web Sites at RootsWeb - Mason WA (Free)

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Mason/ Linkpendium (free)
 * mason/ 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


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

Family History Centers

 * Shelton Washington Family History Center 916 North 12 Street, Shelton, WA 98584 United States Location Map


 * Elma Washington Family History Center 916 North 12 Street, Shelton, WA 98584 United States Location Map

Libraries

 * Timberland Public Libraries - Mason County - William G. Reed Public Library
 * Branches and Locations
 * Genealogy / Data Base Tools
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)

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