Okanogan County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Okanogan County 

Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1888, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Okanogan County, Washington was created 2 February 1888 from Stevens County.

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

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Okanogan County Courthouse 149 3rd N; PO Box 72 Okanogan, WA 98840 Phone 509–422–7275

According to Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America'', 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Okanogan County, Washington page 733, ; :''


 * County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1908, marriage and land records from 1891, and patents from 1892.
 * County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1896.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Neighboring Counties
Below are resources used for family history and genealogy, with dates, value of records, and how to access them for. Internet links may contain names, images, or more information for the county.

See also Towns and Communities in.

Business Records and Commerce

 * Professional License Records 1998 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Cemeteries

 * Combined list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts. (Sortable by town and cemetery name)

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910 federal census
 * 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.)

Court Records

 * Power of Attorney 1998 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

American Indian
The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan Counties.

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.

History

 * "Okanogan County, WashingtonBiographical Sketches" online
 * "Boom Towns Tales & Historic People" online
 * "Welcome to Okanogan County, Washington" online
 * "Digital History of Okanogan County, Washington" online
 * "Letter from Okanogan County" 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. Okanogan County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7608.


 * Prior to 1805 - For at least several hundred years prior to contact with Europeans, the indigenous peoples of the Okanogan consisted of three major bands of a group called the Northern Okanogans or Sinkaiek, the Tokoratums, the Kartars, and the Konkonelps.
 * 1782-1783 - A smallpox epidemic may have cost the lives of a third to a half of the people in the Okanogan.
 * 1805 - William Clark of the (Lewis and Clark expedition) Corps of Discovery was the first to map the Okanogan River.
 * 1811 July - David Thompson was the first European to visit the Okanogan River.
 * 1811 - David Stuart and Alexander Ross built a log cabin at the mouth of the Okanogan River and called it.
 * 1814 - Fort Okanogan was taken over by the.
 * 1821 - Fort Okanogan was sold to the.
 * 1855-May - Territorial Governor Issac Stevens signed the.
 * 1858 - Gold strikes in New Caledonia in British Columbia attracted prospectors from California to the aea.
 * 1859 - The Army established at Mill Creek in the Colville Valley.
 * 1858-1861 - Surveyors from the Royal Engineers and the U.S. Army established a boundary between Canada and the U.S.A.
 * 1871 - Congress authorized the president to establish reservations by executive order.
 * 1872 - Pres. Ulysses Grant created the.
 * 1886 - Colville Indian Reservation was reduced in size to its current size making possible non Indian settlement.
 * 1888 - Feb 2 - Okanogan County came into being.
 * 1888 - was the first county seat of Okanogan County.
 * 1888 - The county seat was moved to.
 * 1893 - Repeal of the / ended the mining boom in Okanogan County.
 * 1890-1900 - The population nearly tripled
 * 1900-1910 - The population nearly tripled again.
 * 1906 - The first rail service came into Okanogan County.
 * 1914 - Okanogan became the county seat of Okanogan County.
 * 1934-1942 - A big spurt to the economy of the county and the state of Washington was the construction of.

Land and Property
The County Recorder's Office has deeds, mining claims, copies of county plat maps and records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.


 * Land Records 1993-present at Washington State Digital Archives, indexes and images (free)
 * Plats and Survey Records1993 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Maps

 * Map from HomeTownLocator

Military

 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Okanogan and other counties. Key (at end of the list) explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. (Free)
 * Military Separation and discharge records (no dates mentioned) at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Naturalization Records 1890 - 1968 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Newspapers

 * Newspapers Sortable by towns, years, and titles

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

Probate Records

 * 1888-1903 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records
Public Records were created by local authorities and include items valuable for genealogy which don't easily fit in other topics.
 * Okanogan County Auditor, Miscellaneous Recordings 1998-2012 (Free index, with images of non-sensitive items) Includes a variety of records, such as child support liens, community property agreements, and an occasional will.
 * Okanogan Postmaster Index A-L • Postmaster Index L-Z. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

Schools
School records vary from yearbooks, class photos, and more. School censuses were taken to plan and fill educational needs, and include names and birth dates of the children, residences, and the names of the parents or guardians.

Birth

 * 1884-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse)
 * Okanogan County Auditor, Birth Returns, 1891-1913 ("O" surnames only) at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Marriage
Marriages were kept in the counties from 1866 until 1968, when the state took over collecting marriage records. Marriage records usually include the residences of the bride and groom.

Marriage records come in many forms. Affidavits, for example, are given by persons who personally know the couple and affirm there are no legal reasons they should not be married.


 * Marriage affidavits 1888-1985 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free to browse images)
 * The affidavits start on image 31. Images 10-30 are an index to the groom.
 * Marriage Records, 1998-2013 Okanogan County Auditor, at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free, index only)

Divorce
Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Washington Vital Records for more information.

Death
In 1891, coroners, physicians, and midwives were to report births and deaths (called "returns" to the county auditor. Many went unrecorded. In 1907, the State Center for Health Statistics assumed this responsibility.

Death returns may include name, date, location and cause of death, place of birth, and parents' names and places of birth.


 * Death Index,1907 -1960 (statewide, can select the county) at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free, no images)

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images:


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

Sites that search the Internet for records:


 * Linkpendium (free)
 * 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

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.

See also Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Museums·Other Repositories·Societies

Family History Centers

 * Brewster Washington Family History Center 410 SW first St., Brewster, WA Location Map
 * Coulee Dam Washington Family History Center 806 Spruce St., Coulee Dam WA Location Map
 * Omak Washington Family History Center Engh and Keller Rd, Omak WA 98841
 * Oroville Washington Family History Center Highway 97 N, Oroville, WA Location Map

Libraries

 * Online Resources: The public libraries in Okanogan County are part of North Central Regional Library. Their Research and Homework Center includes Heritage Quest. Library cards and passwords may be required for access.


 * Brewster Community Library, 108 S Third Brewster 98812 (509) 689-4046
 * Unique Collections:


 * Okanogan Library, 228 Pine Okanogan 98840 (509) 422-2609
 * Unique Collections:


 * Omak Community Library, 30 S Ash Omak 98841 (509) 826-1820
 * Unique Collections:


 * Oroville Community Library, 1276 Main St Oroville 98844 (509) 476-2662
 * Unique Collections:


 * Pateros Community Library, 174 Pateros Mall Pateros 98846 (509) 923-2298
 * Unique Collections:


 * Tonasket Community Library, 209 S Whitcomb Tonasket 98855 (509)486-2366
 * Unique Collections:


 * Twisp Community Library, 201 N Methow Valley Hwy Twisp 98856 (509) 997-4681
 * Unique Collections:


 * Winthrop Community Library, 509 State Rt 20 Winthrop 98862 (509) 996-2685
 * Unique Collections:

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

Indian Reservation

The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan Counties