Thurston County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Thurston 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 Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territory's first delegate to Congress. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Thurston County Courthouse 2000 Lakeridge Dr SW Olympia, WA 98502 Phone: 360-786-5560 County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and marriage records from 1891. County Clerk has divorce probate and court records.

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

History Timeline

 * Native Americans had been residents of southern Puget Sound long before the first documented white settlers passed through in 1792
 * 1792-May The first documented exploration of Puget Sound was headed by British captain George Vancouver.
 * 1820s White explorers next visited the area when scouts of the British-owned Hudson’s Bay Company passed through.
 * 1833-April The Hudson’s Bay Company subsequently established Fort Nisqually.
 * 1845-October Michael Simmons settled near Tumwater Falls and established the first American settlement in what would become the state of Washington.
 * 1852-January 12 The Oregon Territorial Legislature carved Thurston county out of Lewis County.
 * 1853-March 2 U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1854-December Governor Isaac Stevens and 62 leaders of major Indian tribes in western Washington met at Medicine Creek (now McAllister Creek) in Thurston County and signed what became known as the Medicine Creek Treaty.

Biographies

 * Early history of Thurston County, Washington together with biographies and reminiscences of those identified with pioneer days online at:, ancestry.com ($)

Census Records

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1871, 1875, 1877, 1878,1879, 1880, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1889
 * State-funded:1892


 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)

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
 * At FamilySearch Library:
 * (Microfilm)
 * (Microfilm)
 * (Microfilm)


 * Power of Attorney Records 1973 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Thurston 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

 * (Microfilm)
 * (Microfiche and book at FamilySearch Library)
 * (Books at FamilySearch Library)

Emigration and Immigration

 * United States Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indians
 * Indians of the United States and Their Records
 * Online Native American Indian Genealogy Records &amp; Databases
 * 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

Funeral Homes
Funeral Homes
 * US Funerals Online
 * USA Funeral Homes Online
 * American Funeral Homes

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes General index grantee 1854-1919; General index grantor 1854-1981
 * 1900-2012 Land Records, 1900-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1855-2012 Plats and Surveys Records, 1855-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1979-Present Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1979-Present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * Washington Territory donation land claims at FamilySearch Library

Local Histories

 * Publications at FamilySearch Library:
 * at FamilySearch Library
 * at FamilySearch Library
 * at FamilySearch Library


 * Thurston County History, People and Places online photo history by Thurston County Historic Commission.
 * Thumbnail History of Thurston County, Washington online at HistoryLink.org
 * Thurston County, Washington online at Wikipedia.
 * History of the Puget Sound country, Volume 1 ,Volume 2 by William Farrand Prosser [New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company, 1903] online at Washington History
 * "Tenino" by May Webster Jackson [1923-1943?] online at Washington History
 * Early history of Thurston County, Washington: together with biographies and reminiscences of those identified with pioneer day online at Ancestry.com.
 * Olympia by Hazard Stevens [Boston: Stevens, 1891] at Washington History

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records

 * Some military records for this county have been digitized at the Washington State Digital Archives.

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

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1833-1929
 * 1834-1974
 * 1849-1853, 1906-1974 Naturalization Records, 1849-1853, 1906-1974 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1850-1974
 * 1850-1982 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Included in this collection: Declaration of Intention 1833-1980; Naturalization Journal 1891-1905; Petition Records 1889-1929.
 * 1850-1974
 * 1850-1982 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Included in this collection: Declaration of Intention 1833-1980; Naturalization Journal 1891-1905; Petition Records 1889-1929.

Newspapers

 * Nisqually Valley News
 * The Olympian
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Thurston County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * publication at FamilySearch Library.

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only

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
 * 1832-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1963 at the FamilySearch Library
 * 1859-1961 at the FamilySearch Library

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

 * 1871-1921 Department of Health, Delayed Birth Records at Washington State Archives - index and images; includes some earlier and later dates
 * 1873-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907
 * 1891-1907 Birth Register, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection
 * 1891-1907 Birth Returns, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection

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; Includes Marriage affidavits 1866-1935; applications 1950-2013; certificates 1951-2012; returns 1891-1938; Register of marriage statistics 1891-1947.
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1950
 * 1927-1950 Marriage Certificates, 1927-1950 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection
 * 1968-1997 Department of Health, Marriage Certificates, 1968-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1969-2022 Department of Health, Marriage Index, 1969-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1970-2012 Marriage Records, 1970-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection

Death

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907
 * 1891-1907 Death Register, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1907-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1907-1997 Department of Health, Death Certificates, July 1, 1907-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-2020 Department of Health, Death Index, 1907-1960; 1965-2020 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1915-1928 Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Fatal Accident Cards, 1915-1928 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1919-1921 Department of Health, Fetal Death Records, 1919-1921 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Divorce

 * 1852-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1889-1952 at the FamilySearch Library.
 * 1968-1997 Department of Health, Divorce Certificates, 1968-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1969-2017 Department of Health, Divorce Index, 1969-2017 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Family History Centers

 * Elma Washington Family History Center
 * Olympia Washington Family History Center
 * South Hill Washington Family History Center
 * Sumner Washington Family History Center
 * Tacoma Washington Family History Center
 * Heritage Quest Research Library - an affiliate library
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library
 * Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Resources for Thurston County are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.


 * Timberline Libraries - Thurston County
 * Branches and Locations: Website
 * Genealogy/Data Base Tools: Website
 * Libraries.com: Lists public libraries by state/county~Website

Societies
Olympia Genealogical Society PO Box 1313 Olympia, Washington 98507-1313 E-mail:[mailto:geniebug@comcast.net geniebug@comcast.net] Website Facebook

Websites

 * WAGenWeb Thurston County
 * USGW Archives
 * Washington State Digital Archives
 * Websites at RootsWeb -Thurston WA


 * – 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.