Clark County, Washington Genealogy

United States &gt; Washington &gt; Clark County

Parent County
1844--Clark County was formed 27 June 1844 as an original county. It was formerly named Vancouver County and then the name was changed to Clark 3 September 1849. County seat: Vancouver

Record Loss
A Jail and Courthouse Burned.

VANCOUVER, Washington, Feb. 25.---this morning the county courthouse and jail were totally destroyed by fire, together with most of the county records. The building was valued at $50,000 and insured for $25,000. The cause of the fire is unknown.

The Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT 27 Feb 1890

The County Auditor's records, which were in the courthouse destroyed by fire at Vancouver, Washington, have been found in good condition.

The Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT 7 Mar 1890

source: gendisasters.com

Neighboring Counties
Cowlitz | Skamania | Oregon counties: Columbia | Multnomah

Census

 * 1849 Territorial Transcription and Index (part of Oregon Census), under the name "Vancouver County"
 * 1850
 * 1860
 * 1870
 * 1880
 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930

Naturalization
Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.

Vital Records

 * Marriages from 11 Jun 1840-1 Aug 1903 are available at the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * 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.

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog