Yamhill County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Description
Yamhill County was named for probably an explorer's name for a local Native American tribe, the Yamhill, who are part of the North Kalapuyan family. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage records from 1881 and land records from 1853.

Lafayette was a former county seat until 1886.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Oregon, Yamhill County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Quick Facts
Named for a local Native American tribe, the Yamhill, a part of North Kalapuyan family.

Parent County
5 July 1843: Yamhill county was created from the Oregon Territory.

Boundary Changes
22 December 1845: Polk County set off.

15 December 1853: Tillamook County set off.

For animated maps illustrating Oregon County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oregon County Boundary Maps" (1843-1975) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Clackamas | Marion | Polk | Tillamook | Washington

Trivia Tidbits
Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. &gt; Trivia Tidbits

Census

 * 1845 Territorial Transcription and Index
 * 1849 Territorial Transcription and Index

Church History and Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

County Records

 * 1857-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Deeds and Property
Wiki article describing online FamilySearch Historical collecton is found Oregon. Yamhill County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Gazetteers

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

Maps

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

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images

Additional Records

 * Military enrollment list of Yamhill County, 1871-1902
 * Yamhill County, service discharge records, 1919-1951; index, 1920-2008
 * Jacob Calvin Cooper. The military history of Yamhill County. (1899?)

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

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

Rivers and Waterways
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. &gt; Rivers and Waterways

Vital Records
The FamilySearch Library has copies of some records such as:

Yamhill County record of deaths 1907-1931, index 1903-1944, coroner's reports 1861-1940

See also How to order Oregon Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oregon Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.

Birth Records

 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (*); Also at: Ancestry
 * 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Delayed Birth Certificates

Marriage Records

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1842-1917 Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1917 at Ancestry - index and images ($); Also at: 
 * 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — index and images; collection is incomplete.
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
 * Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection

Societies, Libraries and Museums
Yamhill County Historical Society and Museum 11275 SW Durham Ln McMinnville, OR 97128 Phone: 503-472-2842 Website Facebook

McMinnville Public Library 225 NW Adams St McMinnville, OR 97128 Phone: 503-435-5562 Website Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

 * McMinnville Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Newberg Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Hillsboro Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake Oswego Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Yamhill County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Yamhill GenWeb Project, part of The ORGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives

Oregon, Yamhill County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records