Okanogan County, Washington Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the Okanagan language place name ukʷnaqín. The name Okanogan (Okanagan) also refers to a part of southern British Columbia. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Okanogan County Courthouse 149 3rd N Okanogan, WA 98840 Phone: 509-422-7170 County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1908, marriage and land records from 1891, and patents from 1892. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1896.

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


 * Boom Town Tales at GhostTownsUSA.com

Indian Reservation

The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan Counties

History Timeline

 * Prior to 1805 - For at least several hundred years prior to contact with Europeans, the indigenous peoples of the Okanogan consisted of three major bands of a group called the Northern Okanogans or Sinkaiek, the Tokoratums, the Kartars, and the Konkonelps.
 * 1782-1783 A smallpox epidemic may have cost the lives of a third to a half of the people in the Okanogan.
 * 1805 William Clark of the (Lewis and Clark expedition) Corps of Discovery was the first to map the Okanogan River.
 * 1811 July, David Thompson was the first European to visit the Okanogan River.
 * 1811 David Stuart and Alexander Ross built a log cabin at the mouth of the Okanogan River and called it.
 * 1814 Fort Okanogan was taken over by the.
 * 1821 Fort Okanogan was sold to the.
 * 1853-March 2 U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1855-May Territorial Governor Issac Stevens signed the.
 * 1858 Gold strikes in New Caledonia in British Columbia attracted prospectors from California to the aea.
 * 1859 The Army established at Mill Creek in the Colville Valley.
 * 1858-1861 Surveyors from the Royal Engineers and the U.S. Army established a boundary between Canada and the U.S.A.
 * 1871 Congress authorized the president to establish reservations by executive order.
 * 1872 Pres. Ulysses Grant created the.
 * 1886 Colville Indian Reservation was reduced in size to its current size making possible non Indian settlement.
 * 1888-Feb 2 Okanogan County came into being.
 * 1888 was the first county seat of Okanogan County.
 * 1888 The county seat was moved to.
 * 1893 Repeal of the / ended the mining boom in Okanogan County.
 * 1890-1900 The population nearly tripled
 * 1900-1910 The population nearly tripled again.
 * 1906 The first rail service came into Okanogan County.
 * 1914 Okanogan became the county seat of Okanogan County.
 * 1934-1942 A big spurt to the economy of the county and the state of Washington was the construction of.

Biographies

 * "Okanogan County, Washington Biographical Sketches" online at Rootsweb.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Professional License Records 1998 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Census Records

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives
 * Federal 1910 federal census


 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only. Select Browse all images, click county

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Okanogan 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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indian The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan Counties.
 * 1911-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & 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.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * The County Recorder's Office has deeds, mining claims, copies of county plat maps and records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.
 * 1993-Present Land Records, 1993-present at Washington State Digital Archives, indexes and images (free)
 * 1993-2012 Plats and Survey Records, 1993-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Local Histories

 * Early Okanogan history by William Compton Brown [Okanogan: Press of the Okanogan Independent, (1911)] online at Washington History
 * Glimpses of pioneer life… Okanogan County [Okanogan: Okanogan Independent, 1924] online at Washington History
 * Illustrated History of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan Counties, State of Washington by Richard F. Steele [(Spokane, Wash.): Western Historical Pub. Co., 1904] Commonly known by title History of North Washington. Online at Washington Secretary of State site (Free).
 * This book has numerous errors and its facts should viewed with circumspection.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records

 * Military Separation and discharge records (no dates mentioned) at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

World War I
 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War II
 * World War II enlistments. Select search codes for state and county. These are partial lists. The NARA website cautions: "This series does not contain records of all World War II Army enlistees."

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes Declarations of intention, petition evidence 1899-1916; Depositions 1915-1922; Petition evidence 1902-1947; Petitions for naturalization 1900-1945.
 * 1890-1968 Naturalization Records, 1890-1968 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Newspapers

 * Okanogan County, Washington Newspapers Sortable by towns, years, and titles
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library

Other Records
Public Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1998-2012 Okanogan County Auditor, Miscellaneous Recordings, 1998-2012; Includes a variety of records, such as child support liens, community property agreements, and an occasional will.
 * 1998-2012 Power of Attorney, 1998-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection

Voting Records
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Periodicals

 * Washington Periodicals

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Includes Probate petitions 1888-1894; Special Naturalization 1944-1953.

School Records
Online School Indexes and Records

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1873-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1913 Okanogan County Auditor, Birth Returns, 1891-1913 ("O" surnames only) at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; The affidavits start on image 31. Images 10-30 are an index to the groom.
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1998-2013 Marriage Records, 1998-2013 Okanogan County Auditor, at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free, index only)

Death

 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1907-1960 Death Index, 1907-1960 (statewide, can select the county) at Washington State Digital Archives Collection
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1907-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Divorce

 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Family History Centers

 * Brewster Washington Family History Center
 * Coulee Dam Washington Family History Center
 * Omak Washington Family History Center
 * Oroville Washington Family History Center
 * Republic Washington Family History Center
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library

Libraries
Resources for Okanogan County 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 Okanogan County.

The public libraries in Okanogan County are part of North Central Regional Library. Their Research and Homework Center includes Heritage Quest. Library cards and passwords may be required for access.
 * Brewster Community Library 108 S Third Brewster Brewster, WA 98812 Phone: 509-689-4046 Website
 * Okanogan Library 228 Pine Okanogan, WA 98840 Phone: 509-422-2609 Website
 * Omak Community Library 30 S Ash Omak, WA 98841 Phone: 509-826-1820 Website
 * Oroville Community Library 1276 Main Street Oroville, WA 98844 Phone: 509-476-2662 Website
 * Pateros Community Library 174 Pateros Mall Pateros, WA 98846 Phone: 509-923-2298 Website
 * Tonasket Community Library 209 S Whitcomb Tonasket, WA 98855 Phone: 509-486-2366 Website
 * Twisp Community Library 201 N Methow Valley Hwy Twisp, WA 98856 Phone: 509-997-4681 Website
 * Winthrop Community Library 509 State, Rt 20 Winthrop, WA 98862 Phone: 509-996-2685 Website

Societies
Okanogan County Historical Society 1410 2nd Avenue North Okanogan, WA 98840-1129 509-422-4272 Website Facebook

Websites

 * WAGenWeb for Okanogan County
 * USGW Archives
 * Websites at RootsWeb - Okanogan WA (Free)

– The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.