Washington County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Description
Washington County was named for George Washington. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 145 NE 2nd Ave. Hillsboro, OR 97124-3072 Phone: 503-846-8888 Washington County Website
 * Record Section, Assessment, Taxation has marriage, land and military records from 1850.
 * Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1896, probate records from 1871 and naturalization records from 1906.
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

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:

 Defunct Post Offices 
 * Albion: Albion post office was in service on the extreme north border of the county from March 17, 1902 to Dec. 31, 1908. It was about due south of Vernonia. George M. Holt was the only postmaster. George M. Holt came from Albion, Illinois and he named the office for his old home in the Midwest.

Census Records

 * 1845 Territorial Transcription and Index (under name of Tuality, Twalatain and Twality County)
 * 1849 Territorial Transcription and Index (under name of Twality County)
 * 1850 Territorial Transcription and Index
 * 1853 Territorial Transcription and Index
 * 1856 Territorial Transcription and Index

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

 * County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Washington County Court House as of October 2005.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Migration
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. See "Rivers and Waterways"

Military Records
 Civil War Online Civil War Indexes and Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 World War I
 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites. Historic Oregon Newspapers as a division of the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program has digitized more than 644,000 pages of newspapers throughout Oregon. Dates range from 1846-1922 with selected issues continuing through 1973. Of particular interest to Washington County researchers: The Banner-Courier (Beaverton) The Owl (Beaverton) The Argus (Hilsboro) The Hilsboro Argus (Hilsboro) Hilsboro Independent (Hilsboro) Washington County Independent (Hilsboro)

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

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

Vital Records
The FamilySearch Library has copies of some records such as: Washington County coroner's inquest records 1854-1889

Birth

 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1849-1884;1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
 * Marriage Index 1885-1896

Death

 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1864-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864-1968 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Beaverton Oregon West FamilySearch Center
 * Hillsboro Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Portland Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Tualatin Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Wilsonville Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Hillsboro Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake Oswego Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Washington County Library Services 155 N 1st Ave Hillsboro OR 97124 Phone: 503-846-8685 Website Facebook Page

Museums
Five Oaks Musumn 17677 NW Springville Rd Portland, OR 97229 Phone:503-645-5353 Website Facebook Page

Societies
Washington County Heritage Online Website Listing of Partner Institutions Beaverton Historical Society and History Center 12490 S W First Suite 300 Beaverton, OR 97005 503-430-0160 Website Facebook Page

Websites

 * Washington County GenWeb, and OR GenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * – 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.