Lewis County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Lewis County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1845, when the county was formed.

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for Meriwether Lewis. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Parent County(s)
Lewis County, Washington was created 21 December 1845 from Vancouver District, (later Clark County). Lewis was an original county in the Oregon Territory.

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

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Lewis County Courthouse 351 NW North Street Chehalis, WA 98532 Phone 360.748.9121 Courthouse Website Lewis County District Court District Court Website Lewis County Auditor Auditor Website Records from 1848 to the present County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and marriage records from 1850. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1870’s.


 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 21. Lewis County (Chehalis) on Ancestry ($)

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

Business and Commerce

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


 * Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free); and Ancestry ($)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1847 • 1850  •  1851 •  1857 •  1871  •  1883 •  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.)

Assembly of God
 * They do not have records, nor do they send records to a central repository.

Catholic Church
 * Old records had been sent to the Archdiocese in Seattle.
 * Local churches have only current records but that because the persons are still living, all local records are private and not for the public.
 * Anyone researching would have to contact the archdiocese. There is a fee.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Chehalis

Lutheran
 * Records of the America Lutheran Church, Alpha, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

'''List of Churches and Church Parishes

 * FamilySearch Places


 * Contact local churches for possible records.

Court Records

 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 21. Lewis County (Chehalis) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * Power of Attorney Records 1968 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Lewis Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)
 * The court procedure of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of Washington Territory. The index has many abstracts that provide names and what is happening in disputes, settlements in civil and criminal cases as well as probate, equity and admiralty cases.

Directories

 * "Lewis County, Washington Online Historical Directories" online

American Indian

 * 1911 - 1919 at FamilySearch — images

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

Maps and Gazetteers

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

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

 * "Lewis County, Washington Facts" online
 * "Lewis County Resources and Links " online

Online County Histories


 * A history of Winlock, Washington (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

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. Lewis County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7449.


 * Native Americans calling themselves Chehalis and Meshall lived along the banks of the Chehalis River.
 * 1818-1846 - The United States and Great Britain jointly occupied Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.
 * 1838 - The Hudson's Bay Company established the Puget Sound Agricultural Company.
 * 1838 - Late, Cowlitz Farms, a part of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, represented the first white settlement in the future Lewis County.
 * 1845 - December 21, The Oregon Territorial Legislature delineated Lewis County.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1855 - February, Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens convinced coastal tribes to sign the Quinault Treaty with the U.S. government.

Land and Property

 * Part of:"Washington County Land Records, 1850-1954" FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * NOTE: These are labeled as direct (grantor/seller) and indirect (grantee/buyer) indexes, yet several include copies of the deed books. After selecting the years you need, explore various images to determine if the deeds are included.


 * Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Mining claims index 1880-1920.


 * Items at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)
 * Recorded Land Records 1974 to the present
 * Recorded Plats 1974 - present
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1968-2012

Military

 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — index
 * Recorded Military Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * , part of Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * Included in this collection: Application &amp; oaths (Repatriation) 1937-1965 no 1-26; Certificate of citizenship 1903-1906; Citizenship papers 1874-1896; Declaration of intention (Invalid) Depositions 1884-1921; Declaration of intention 1887-1972; Depositions 1907-1963; Card index 1930-1979; Certificate receipts 1907-1927; Index 1888-1962; Notices of application for citizenship 1909-1924; Petition records 1886-1947.


 * Naturalization Records, 1853-1971 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Lewis County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * Daily Hub at Washington Digital Newspapers
 * Daily Chronicle (Centralia, Washington) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * Chehalis Bee-Nugget (Chehalis, Washington) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * Centralia Chronicle Advertiser (Centralia, Washington) ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * Centralia Chronicle (Centralia, Washington) ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Probate Records

 * at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free indexes and images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Public Records

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

School Records

 * Washington, County School Records at FamilySearch - School Census, browsable images
 * The school census from 1907 and older have just an age for each student as well as their parents or guardians. Starting in 1908, the actual birthdate for each student is listed.
 * The districts are listed by a number that was assigned to them by ESD 113 (The governing body for Lewis County and surrounding counties). If you don't know what school district the parents were in, it can be hard to decide where you need to look.

Birth

 * — index and images


 * Birth Returns, 1891-1894 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Birth Register, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 - Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1847-2012 - Marriage Records, 1847-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * 1855–2008 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1914-1950, part of Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)


 * 1847-1900 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * Includes:Marriage applications 1939-1991; Marriage certificates 1847-1900; Marriage register 1891-1938; Marriage returns 1914-1968.


 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index

Divorce
Online Records
 * 1969 - 2014 at FamilySearch — index
 * Part of "County Divorce Records, 1880-1924" FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Death

 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index
 * Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Death records (transcription) 1891-1906; Death register 1891-1906.

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

 * Centralia Washington Family History Center
 * Elma Washington Family History Center
 * Morton Washington Family History Center
 * Olympia Washington Family History Center
 * South Hill Washington Family History Center


 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Timberland Regional Library - Lewis County
 * Branches and Locations
 * Genealogy, History & Culture, Reference Database Results
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)
 * Individual Library Branches:


 * Centralia Timberland Library 110 S Silver Street Centralia WA, 98531-4218 360-736-0183 Centralia Branch Website
 * A selection of Veterans' History Project DVDs on local veterans (contact library for details)
 * Polk Directories for Pacific and Lewis Counties, and Centralia and Chehalis from 1912 to present
 * A selection of individual family histories and histories about the Wobbly War (contact library for details)
 * A selection of individual family histories and histories about the founding of Centralia (contact library for details)
 * The Chronicle (county-wide newspaper) from 1887 to 2010 on microfilm.


 * Chehalis Timberland Library 400 N. Market Boulevard Chehalis, WA, 98532-0419 (360)748-3301 Chehalis Branch Website
 * They have an uncatalogued collection of local historical and family photos which they will hand search upon request without charge.


 * Salkum Timberland Library 2480 US-12 Salkum, WA, 98582 360-985-2148 Salkum Branch Website
 * They have local history maps as well as Lewis County and local historical reference materials.
 * No city directories.


 * Morton Timberland Library 701 Airport Way Morton, WA, 98356 360-496-5022 Morton Branch Website
 * They have local history resources.
 * No city directories


 * Packwood Timberland Library 109 W. Main Street Packwood, WA, 98361-0589 360-494-5111 Packwood Branch Website
 * They have a link through the Timberland Library website for doing your family genealogy in the Packwood area.
 * No city directories


 * Toledo Timberland Library 241 Cowlitz Street Toledo, WA, 98591 360-864-4247 Toledo Branch Website
 * They have a room at the library dedicated to the history of Toledo and some Lewis County history.


 * Winlock Timberland Library 322 NE First Street Winlock, WA, 98596-0428 360-785-3461 Winlock Branch Website
 * They have some reference materials on Winlock and Lewis County.

Museums

 * Lewis County Historical Museum 599 NW Front Way Chehalis, WA 98532 (360) 748-0831 Website
 * Churches available at the historical museum -
 * History of St. Mary's Church-Centralia. 1910 - 2011
 * History of St. Mary's Church - Centralia. 1910-1986
 * Pe Ell Methodist
 * Sy. Mary's Parish celebrating 10 years
 * First Baptist Church 1883-1983
 * Local Church Ministries
 * Sacred Heart church- Morton
 * Lewis County Catholic church History
 * Historical Directory-St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, St. Mary's
 * Methodist Westminster Presbyterian Church
 * History of Westminster Presbyterian 1940
 * Early Churches of Washington
 * Adna Evangelical Church
 * Funeral Homes:
 * Boone, Brown, Sticklin
 * Mortuary Records 1895-1920
 * Sticklin funeral Records 1895-1904
 * Sticklin Funeral Records 1904-1908
 * Schools:
 * Adna 1918-1992
 * Twin Oaks 1911-1928
 * Brier Hill 1920-1933
 * Evaline 2883-1983 (2books)
 * Knob 1860-1939
 * Centralia College 1925-1975
 * Greenhill - The Lewis County History Museum has a binder titled: GREENHILL SCHOOL – “The new leaf 1936 State training school,” “The new leaf 1950,” and a leaflet of the "History of Washington state Human resources of 1853-1932.” The two New Leaf pamphlets were written by boys at the school.
 * Name of the schoolhouse (Schools in Washington state)
 * Lewis County School Review
 * Early Schools of the Washington Territory 1935
 * School annuals starting from 1908 -2010

Societies
Lewis County Genealogical Society PO Box 782 Chehalis, WA 98532 E-mail: [mailto:emailofsociety wa.lcgs@hotmail.com] 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