Grant County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Description
Grant County was named for President Ulysses S. Grant, who served as an army officer in the Oregon Territory, and at the time of the county's creation was a Union general in the American Civil War. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Grant County Courthouse 201 S. Humboldt St. Canyon City, OR 97820 Phone: 541-575-1438 Grant County Courthouse
 * County Clerk has birth and death records 1915-1929, marriage, land and probate records from 1864, military records from 1872, and naturalization records 1907-1913.
 * Clerk Circuit Court has divorce.
 * County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Grant County Court House as of July 2009.

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:

History Timeline
 Historical Named for General Ulysses S. Grant, General of the Union Army at the time.
 * 1862 Gold was discovered in what is now Canyon Creek in 1862, bringing a gold rush into the area.


 * 23 February 1899: Harney County set off.

Biographies

 * An Illustrated history of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney counties: with a brief outline of the early history of the state Oregon (1902)
 * The History of Grant County, Oregon, 1862-1983
 * Index to above
 * U.S. Biographies

Census Records
 Federal  1870 The portion that is now Harney County was not enumerated.
 * Eastern Oregon 1870 U.S. Census: Baker County, Grant County, Umatilla County, Union County
 * United States 1870

 1880 The portion that is now Harney County was not enumerated. This includes what is now Burns, Harney, etc.
 * The Federal census of 1880 for Grant County, Oregon
 * Grant County, Oregon 1880 census
 * United States 1880

 1890 Loss of 1890 Census records

 1900
 * United States 1900

 1910
 * United States 1910
 * United States 1910 Census at Ancestry.com ($)

 1920
 * United States 1920
 * United States 1920 Census at Ancestry.com ($)

 1930
 * United States 1930
 * United States 1930 Census at Ancestry.com ($)

 1940 Open Release to the Public, March/April 2012.

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
 * 1872-1923 Divorce case files, 1872-1923

Directories

 * Baker City (Oregon) city directories, including Grant County

Emigration and Immigration

 * Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 MyHeritage ($).

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

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

 * 1872-1874 Military list for years 1872-1874 as per return of J.W. King, assessor, and military roll, 1887-1898  "Military roll" is on spine of books and printed at the top of each page as a running title, however, there is no military information and only names and precincts are listed. 1900 records also have "State Poll Tax Roll" handwritten across top of pages.

 Civil War
 * 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

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1868-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * Blue Mountain Eagle (Grant County Paper)
 * Newspaper Archives ($)
 * Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * Assessor's plat book, 1872-1898
 * Delinquent tax roll of Grant County, Oregon, 1884-1887

Vital Records
See application for Oregon Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.

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 ($)
 * 1849-1884;1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1865 to 1900& 1900 to 1908 Marriages or Marriage Licenses issued for Grant County, Oregon covering from 1865 to 1900 inclusive and some marriages from 1900 to 1908 (not inclusive)
 * 1900-2000 Grant County, Oregon marriages [1900-2000]
 * Western States Marriage Index
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho

Death

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

Divorce

 * 1872-1923 Divorce case files, 1872-1923

FamilySearch Centers

 * Baker Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Burns Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * John Day Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Oregon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Grant County Library 507 S Canyon Blvd John Day, OR 97845 541-575-1992 Website

Museums
Grant County Historical Society and Museum 101 S Canyon City Blvd Canyon City, OR 97820 541-575-0362 Website

Societies
Grant County Historical Society and Museum 101 S Canyon City Blvd Canyon City, OR 97820 541-575-0362 Website

Websites

 * Grant County GenWeb, part of OR GenWeb
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Grant County Oregon History and Genealogy


 * – 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.