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

Topics
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

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
Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Washington Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate
 * 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

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
 * "Mason County Death Records Index, 1890 - 1931" online
 * "1887 Mason County" online
 * "Mason County Death and Funeral Cards 1890-1931" online
 * "1883 Mason County Census" online
 * "1889 Mason County Census" online
 * "Mason County, Alabama (Washington) Facts" online
 * "Mason County, Washington Public Records" 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.
 * 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.
 * The Panic of 1893 was the most severe economic crisis in the nation’s history and many logging and milling operations shut down.
 * Mason County grew as immigrants flooded into the logging camps and mill towns

Land and Property

 * 1854-1922 Part of:"County Land Records, 1850-1954" FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * 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

 * 1880-1948 Part of:"County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982" FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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.


 * 1890-1914 Part of: County Divorce Records, 1852-1950 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Death

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


 * Washington Death Certificates 1907-1960 A free internet index to the 1907-1960 death certificates can be found at FamilySearch Record Search, no images are available. A transcribed death certificate may contain 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
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.

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.

Family History Centers

 * helton Washington Family History Center 916 North 12 Street, Shelton, WA 98584
 * Elma Washington Family History Center916 North 12 Street, Shelton, WA 98584

Libraries

 * North Mason Timberland Library, 23081 Ne State Rt. 3, Belfair 98528 Phone: (360) 275-3232


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Hoodsport Timberland Library,, Hoodsport 98548 Phone: (360) 877-9339


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * William G. Reed Public Library, 710 W. Alder St., Shelton 98584 Phone: (360) 426-1362


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Hoodsport Timberland Library,, Hoodsport 98548 Phone: (360) 877-9339


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * William G. Reed Public Library, 710 W. Alder St., Shelton 98584 Phone: (360) 426-1362


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

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