Franklin County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Franklin County  Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1882, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Franklin County, Washington was created 28 November 1882 from Whitman.

County Seat:: Pasco. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes
See Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Adams | Benton | Columbia | Grant | Walla Walla | Whitman

Topics
Below are resources used for family history and genealogy, with dates, value of records, and how to access them for. Internet links may contain names, images, or more information for the county. .

Cemeteries

 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * See Washington Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
 * Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.


 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

Court Records
Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Washington Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate
 * Power of Attorney Records 1989-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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

Guardianship
Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Washington Court Records.

History Timeline
Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wilma, David. Franklin County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7452.


 * Before white settlers came to the area now known as Franklin County, the region’s Native Americans fished for salmon.
 * 1805 - arrived at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers.
 * 1805 plus a few years - David Thompson, of the, arrived here and claimed the land for Great Britain.
 * 1850s - After the end of the Indian Wars of the 1850s, settlers felt it was safe to move into the Columbia Basin.
 * 1879 - Travelers began settling near the site of modern-day Pasco.
 * 1883-November 28 - The Washington Territorial Legislature created Franklin county.

Land and Property

 * Land Records 1989 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys Records 1884-1998 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1989-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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

Naturalization and Citizenship
Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

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.


 * 1890-1906 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Naturalization Records, 1874-1974 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)


 * Tri City Herald (Pasco, Washington) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com  ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Obituaries
Also check:


 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties

Postmaster Indexes

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Probate Records

 * 1890-1930 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

School Records

 * 1912-1925 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * 1877-1927 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Marriage

 * Marriages from 25 Aug 1892 to 24 Oct 1906 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * 1884-2003 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Marriage Records, 1889-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Divorce
Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Washington Vital Records for excellent information.

Death

 * 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.

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:
 * Franklin County WAGenWeb (Free)
 * Tri-City Genealogical Society (TCGS) has online data for Benton and Franklin Counties. (Free)
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project (free) for Franklin County. (Mirror site)
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Franklin WA (Free)
 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

Archives, Libraries, etc.
Resources for 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.

Courthouse
Franklin County Auditor has birth, death and burial records 1891-1910, marriage records from 1891; land records. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1891.

Family History Centers

 * Basin City Washington Family History Center
 * Columbia Basin Washington Family History Centerr
 * Pasco Washington Family History Center

Libraries

 * Basin City Library, 50-A N. Canal Blvd., Basin City 99343 Phone: (509) 269-4201


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Connell Library, 118 N. Columbia, Connell 99326 Phone: (509) 234-4971


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Merrills Corner Library, 5240 Eltopia West, Eltopia 99330 Phone: (509) 297-4341


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Kahlotus Library, 255 Weston, Kahlotus 99335 Phone: (509) 282-3493


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Pasco Library, 1320 W. Hopkins, Pasco 99301 Phone: (509) 545-1019


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:

Museums

 * The Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology (CREHST) is a museum and science center created to tell the dynamic story of the Columbia Basin and surrounding region." It features an excellent exhibit and materials available on the Hanford project and the huge influx of people to support it starting in the 1940's and continuing through today. Two collections of interest specifically to genealogists are their photos collections (indexes for Marlin's Columbia Photography, North Light Studio and Wendland Studio) and their collection of General Electric Company newsletters. Both these collections contain information on residents of Franklin County.

Societies

 * The Tri-City Genealogical Society has an extensive collection of local and regional resources as well as references for other areas. Check their resources page for an updated list of their holdings. They also provide genealogical help at the Mid-Columbia Library, have online resources, and conduct local research for a small fee.

Towns and Communities
See a list of towns and communities in Franklin County per Wikipedia.