Oregon Archives and Libraries

United States Oregon  Archives and Libraries

Many archives and libraries, including societes, have resources such as maps, gazetteers, and other place-finding aids to help you locate information about Oregon. They may have collections of previous research, such as family and local histories and biographies. Many have record-finding aids such as guides to their own collections or inventories of records housed elsewhere in the state.

Archives

 * National Archives—Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle) 6125 Sand Point Way, N.E. Seattle, WA 98115-7999 Telephone: 206-336-5115 Fax: 206-336-5112


 * The Oregon Historical Society 1200 S.W. Park Avenue Portland, OR 97205-2483 Telephone: 503-222-1741 Fax: 503-221-2035 E-mail: [mailto:orhist@ohs.org orhist@ohs.org]


 * A helpful guide to the collection at the Oregon Historical Society Library is Oregon Historical Society Microfilm Guide Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society, 1973;


 * Genealogical Forum of Oregon 2505 SE 11th Ave., Suite B-18 Portland, OR 97202 Telephone: 503-963-1932 Fax: 503-963-1932 E-mail — [mailto:gfoinfo@hotmail.com gfoinfo@hotmail.com]


 * Oregon State Archives 800 Summer Street N.E. Salem, OR 97310 Telephone: 503-373-0701 Fax: 503-373-0953

Oregon State Archives has a Historical Records Index On-line which includes entires compiled by examining actual records held by the Archives. The spelling of surnames and other information reflects the original records. There are currently 572,940 entries in the index. Records include births, deaths, marriages, naturalizations, probates, divorce and many, many, more. Surname and County searches are available.

A NEW DATABASE FROM THE STATE ARCHIVES: EARLY OREGONIANS DATABASE ADDED.

As a legacy to commemorate the sesquicentennial of Oregon’s statehood, the Oregon State Archives announces the launch of the Early Oregonians Database on its website.

This resource uses data from census, death, probate, and other records to help researchers find information and documents about people who lived in Oregon prior to statehood. Volunteers at the Archives have worked on this project for more than five years. The database currently contains over 105,500 entries for individuals who lived in Oregon prior to statehood. Because of limits on available records and documentation, the project can be defined to include people living in Oregon from 1800 to 1860.

The foundation of information in the database is based on data extracted from the 1850 and 1860 censuses for Oregon. Volunteers have created profiles of individuals that capture information about their parents, spouses, and birth and death information. When possible additional information from records in the Archives holdings and other published sources have been used to provide more complete or accurate information.

Various records from the Oregon State Archives such as probate records, death certificates, and marriage records were searched to identify individuals who appeared to meet the criteria. As additional features of the database become functional, researchers will be able to view a list of records associated with a particular individual that are part of the Oregon State Archives holdings and request copies.

Despite the fact that large populations of Native Americans lived in the Oregon Country prior to 1840, documentation of those individuals is scant and not readily available. Because of this, Native Americans presented a special challenge. Currently the database includes close to 3,500 individuals of Native American descent. Information on Native Americans that lived into the twentieth century can be problematic as well. Project volunteers are beginning to work on the Indian censuses compiled for the various reservations between 1885 and 1940 with the goal of incorporating more information and individuals in the project over time.

Further review and editing will result in additional entries when evidence supports inclusion in the database. If you have documentation you would like to contribute to the Early Oregonians Database, contact the Archives staff at Early.Oregonians@state.or.us A more detailed description of the project and an FAQ are available at http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/eo_overview.html and http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/eo_faqs.html

Libraries

 * Oregon State Library State Library Building 250 Winter Street N.E. Salem, OR 97310-3950 Telephone: 503-378-8800 Fax: 503-585-8059 E-mail - [mailto:reference@library.state.or.us reference@library.state.or.us]


 * University of Oregon Knight Library 1501 Kincaid Street Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Telephone: 541-346-3053 Fax: 541-346-3485 E-Mail - [mailto:libref@uoregon.edu libref@uoregon.edu]

Oregon Digital Collections
has statewide online database links which may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.