Clark County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Clark County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1844, when the county was formed.

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Parent County(s)

 * Clark County, Washington was created 27 June 1844 as an original county in the Oregon Territory and named Vancouver District. Renamed Clark County 3 September 1849

County Seat: Vancouver Parent County: Original county, formerly Vancouver District. See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

For animated maps illustrating Washington County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Washington County Boundary Maps" (1843-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Cowlitz | Skamania | Oregon counties: Columbia | Multnomah

Courthouse
Clark County Courthouse 1200 Franklin Street Vancouver, WA 98660 Phone: 360.397.2292 County Auditor has birth and death records 1890-1906, marriage records from 1890 and land records from 1850. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Record Loss
1890--Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire.

Biography

 * For a good look at the pioneers of Clark County, A book "Clark County Pioneers--A Centennial Salute" is a good place to start. The book contains information on the pioneers of Clark County and their families with many photos of those pioneers. The book has 675 pages plus an index. It has a copyright date of 1989.


 * Clark County Pioneers--Through the turn of the Century. Available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. All Clark County books have a catalog number of 979.786.
 * Index at RootsWeb

Business and Commerce

 * Mining Claims, 1891-1959
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Recorded Professional Licenses at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Cemeteries

 * Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Chapel Phone: 360-892-6060 Website
 * City of Vancouver: Park Hill Cemetery Phone: 360-696-8156
 * City of Camas Cemetery. Began in 1883. Courtesy of the City of Camas: Website.
 * The Old City Cemetery, located at the corner of Grand Blvd. and Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. Website
 * Fishers Cemetery. First cemetery in Vancouver, WA. Website; USGS list of burials; Images of Fishers and the beach along the Columbia River at this historic spot.
 * Clark County Cemeteries (Rootsweb)
 * Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Clark County (PoliticalGraveyard)

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free); and Ancestry ($)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1850 • 1860 •  1870 • 1871 •  1883 •  (County) 1883 •  1885 •  1887
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1890 - Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire.

American Indian

 * 1911 - 1919 at FamilySearch — images

Finns

 * Death Certificates of Finns in, 1908-1947 at Genealogia.fi

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.

Funeral Homes

 * Vancouver Funeral Chapel Phone (360) 693-3633

Gazetteers

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

History

 * History of Clarke County, Washington Territory by B. F. Alley [Portland, Or. : Washington Pub., 1885] full text at WA Office of the Secretary of State "Washington History"


 * Clark County History articles online at The Columbian [newspaper]

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 Hanable, William S. Clark County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 5644.


 * For hundreds of years before Western explorers intruded on their shores, the Indians had lived along the banks of the Columbia River.
 * 1792 - The Chinook's first contact with non-Indian people may have occured when the Columbia Rediviva, an American ship captained by Robert Gray (1755-1806), made its way up the river.
 * 1805 - November, passed through what is now Clark County.
 * 1825 - March, The British-owned opened  on the future site of the City of Vancouver.
 * 1844 - The first American of note in the Fort Vancouver area was Henry Williamson, who laid out his land claim west of the fort.
 * 1845 - August 20, Clark County was the first county of Washington. It was created by the provisional government of Oregon Territory, and at that time covered the entire present-day state of Washington.
 * In 1846, Amos Short measured his land claim from a "witness tree" (a tree used by surveyors to establish a corner of a section of land) by carving his initials in a cottonwood that stood near the bank of the Columbia River.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1890 - Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire. [6]

Land and Property
County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.


 * 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.


 * Business and Commerce 1891-1920. Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Recorded Land Records 1984 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Maps

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

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
 * Applegate Trail 1846 from Winnemucca, Nevada to Oregon City, Oregon
 * Barlow Road 1846 from The Dalles to Oregon City

Military

 * at FamilySearch — index
 * National Archives. Select search codes for state and county. These are partial lists. The NARA website cautions: "This series does not contain records of all World War II Army enlistees."

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Declarations of Intention, 1890-1982 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Naturalization Records, 1909-1954 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free).


 * County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982. at Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1890-1982] 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 this collection: Application &amp; oaths 1939-1965; Declaration on intention 1906-1982; Declaration of intention index 1890-1937; Depositions 1933-1953; Final record 1880-1906; Military petitions 1919; Naturalization certificate receipts 1907-1926; Petition records 1906-1940; Petition records index Miscellaneous naturalization records 1924-1929 vol 5.

Newspapers

 * Clark County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Newspapers for Vancouver, Washington can be seen at the e-mail address for "The Columbian", [mailto:columbian@newsbank.com columbian@newsbank.com] for the years after 1994. For years prior to 1994, go to the Ft. Vancouver Library.


 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library

Probate Records

 * 1890 - Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire. [6]


 * at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * (A search of this collection did not bring up any Clark County records, Feb, 2014)


 * Wills 1890-1929. Part of: Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Public Records

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

Birth

 * — index and images
 * Birth Register, 1884, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1840-1903 - Marriages from 11 Jun 1840-1 Aug 1903 are available at the Western States Marriage Index website.


 * 1843-2012 Marriage Records, 1843-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)


 * 1855–2008 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1889-2000 Marriage 1889-2000 Part of: Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)


 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index


 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Marriage affidavits index 1900-1913; Marriage applications 1939-1979; certificates 1889-2000; Marriage register 1891-1914.

Divorce
Online Records
 * 1969 - 2014 at FamilySearch — index


 * 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.

Death

 * 1881-1922 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index
 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907 statewide search at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, index plus images)
 * 1891-1907 Death Register 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
 * 1907-1960 statewide search at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, index plus images)
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1908-1947 Death Certificates of Finns in, 1908-1947 edited by Merle A. Reinikka, online at Genealogia.fi

Voting Registers

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

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

 * Cedar Mill Oregon Rock Creek Family History Center
 * St Helens Oregon Family History Center
 * Stevenson Washington Family History Center
 * Vancouver Washington Family History Center
 * Vancouver Washington North Family History Center
 * Vancouver Washington West Family History Center


 * Clark County Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Fort Vancouver Regional Library District -
 * Branches and Locations
 * Genealogy / Database Tools
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)

Societies
Clark County Genealogical Society 3205 NE 52nd Street Vancouver, WA 98663 Phone: 360-750-5668 Email: [mailto:gensoc@ccgs-wa.org gensoc@ccgs-wa.org] Website Facebook

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties