Marion County, Oregon Genealogy

Guide to Marion County, Oregon ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Marion County was named for Francis Marion. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Marion County Courthouse 100 High St. NE Salem, Oregon 97301 Phone: 503-588-5105 Marion County Website
 * County Clerk has marriage records from 1849 and land records from 1850.
 * District Court has divorce, probate and court records.
 * State Archives has wills 1853-1891, Naturalization Records 1849-1975 and assessment rolls 1857-1925.
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

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

 * This is one of four original districts named in July of 1843, Champooick District (later called Champoeg) ranged from the Willamette river on the west to the Continental Divide on the east and south to California.
 * 1845 the districts were renamed counties
 * 1849, the name of Champoeg District was changed to Marion County to honor Revolutionary War hero General Francis Marion.
 * 1847 Marion County was already smaller than when it started, because 28 Dec 1847 the Provisional Legislature created Linn County out of the southern portion of Champoeg, establishing the boundary at the North Fork of the Santiam River.
 * 11 Jan 1854, the Territorial Legislature created Wasco County from the eastern parts of Marion, Linn, Clackamas and Lane Counties. This set the eastern border of Marion County at the Cascade Range, where it remains today.
 * Originally the county had a county court form of government, but as the state judiciary branch of state government grew, there was less need of a county court.
 * 1941 the county court system was stripped of judicial function and the remaining probate and civil cases were transferred to the Circuit Court.
 * 1963 the county changed to a county commissioner form of government.

Cemeteries

 * , search for Marion County in the Place.

Church Records
 Church History and Records (Rural)
 * Early Catholic records.The earliest Catholic church registers have been transcribed and published in a series of seven books.

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records

 * In August of 2010, the building at 555 Court Street NE, known as Courthouse Square was evacuated and declared unsafe for use. All of the county offices in this building were relocated to other places in the county. In the meantime, the county clerk can be contacted for specific information on the files you are requesting.

 Records held at County Courthouse
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * The French-Canadians, Oregon's First Settlers

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. See Rivers and Waterways

Military Records
 Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War I
 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1833-1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)

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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1903-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1849-1884;1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
 * Marriage Index 1885-1896 at FamilySearch - images. Record of affiants reporting the marriages.

Death

 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1864-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864-1968 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Salem Oregon East FamilySearch Center
 * Salem Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Woodburn Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Wilsonville Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Salem Public Library 1400 Broadway ST NE Salem OR 97301 503-588-6315 Website Woodburn Public Library 280 Garfield Street Woodburn, OR 97071 503-982-5262 Website

Societies
Willamette Heritage Center 1313 Mill St. Suite 200 Salem, OR 97301 503-585-7012 ext 257 Website St. Paul Mission Historical Society PO Box 158 St. Paul, OR 97137 E-mail:[mailto:mernst@mtangel.net mernst@mtangel.net] Website Silverton Historical Society 428 South Water St Silverton, OR 97381 503-873-7070 Website

Websites

 * Marion a member of OR GenWeb
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * – 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.