Spokane County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Spokane 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 Spokane tribe. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Spokane County Courthouse 1116 W. Broadway Spokane, WA 99260 Phone: 509-477-5790 Spokane County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records, 1890-1907, marriage records from 1890 and land records County clerk has divorce, probates, and court records.

The Spokane County Courthouse was completed in 1895, see history of building.

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

 * 1810 British fur trader and explorer David Thompson of the North West Company sent two men, Jaco Finlay and Finan McDonald, to establish a trading house in the territory of the Spokanes.
 * 1840s-1850s The trickle of white settlers into the area became more persistent, ultimately leading to increased conflict with the indigenous population.
 * 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1858 A group of Spokanes and Coeur d’Alenes surprised U.S. troops under the command of Colonel Edward Steptoe.
 * 1858 In retaliation, the Army dispatched Colonel George Wright, who came north from Fort Walla Walla.
 * 1858 Wright met with tribal representatives under the pretense of seeking peace but instead captured the warrior Qualchan.
 * 1858 Wright’s campaign effectively ended resistance among the Plateau tribes and opened the region to further American settlement and development.
 * 1858 January 29, Spokane County (extinct) was created by legislative act four times. Twice it was not organized by the agents appointed for that purpose.
 * 1859 January 18, An act named new commissioners for the proposed new county all to hold office till the next election. No location for a county seat was specified.
 * 1860 January, The geopolitical entity known as Spokane County came into existence. County seat was temporarily located “on the land claim of Dr. Bates.” in the Colville valley.
 * 1864 January 19, Spokane County (extinct) dissolved, lost all territory to Stevens County.
 * 1870s Spokane became the hub for the mining, timber, and railroad industries of the Inland Northwest.
 * 1881 Spokane County boomed during the 1880s with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
 * Three bands of Spokane Indians -- Upper, Middle and Lower -- called the Spokane River watershed home at the time of first contact with European and American explorers.

Biographies

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only

Cemeteries
Spokane Cemeteries
 * Fairmount Memorial Association
 * Ewanida Rail Records

Census Records

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1880 census, Spokane County, Washington Territory. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1885, 1887


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

Church Records
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Dishman
 * Spokane
 * Spokane Central
 * Spokane N.

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
 * 1880-present Spokane County Courthouse has Superior Court Records from 1880 to present. Criminal cases, divorces, probates, and other civil cases. Adoption records sealed by court order.
 * 1973-present Power of Attorney Records 1973 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 32. Spokane County
 * Spokane 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

 * 1889-1893 Spokane, Washington Directories, 1889-93
 * 1957 Spokane, Washington, City Directory, 1957 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indians
 * 1911-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 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

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images) Includes Order appointing guardian 1911 Dec-1927; Record of bonds 1880 Apr-1892; Record of bonds and oaths 1890-1895.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * The Spokane County Auditor has indexed all the land records for Spokane County and the index is online . The index also contains other records recorded in the auditors office. The original records are at the Eastern Washington State Archives at Cheney. Computer copies are available at the courthouse for a dollar a page.
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Includes Assessment rolls 1886; Assessment tax rolls 1886; Delinquent tax rolls 1881-1890.


 * 1890-2022 Spokane County Auditor, Plats and Surveys, 1880-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1960-2023 Spokane County Auditor, Recorded Land Records, 1960-2023 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1973-Present Spokane County Auditor, Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1973-Present at Washington State Archives - index and images

Local Histories

 * "History Resources" online at SpokaneLibrary.org
 * An Illustrated History Of Spokane County, State Of Washington"by Rev. Jonathan Edwards [(San Francisco?) W. H. Lever, 1900] online at Washington History (Free)
 * Also available at Google Books (Free) and on ancestry.com ($)
 * Three Cities Of Washington; Origin Of Their Names... by Edmond Stephen Meany [Seattle: Washington University State Historical Society, 1917?] Online as Washington History (Free)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Family Maps of Spokane County, Washington (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Military Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Discharge papers recorded at Spokane County Auditors Office These are indexed in with the land records in the auditors office. They told me no charge to relatives for copies.

World War I

 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * "Spokane County WWI Soldiers"

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1850-1907 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * 1879-1909 Naturalization Records, 1879-1909, 1912 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1885-1906 Certificates of Naturalization, 1885-1906 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1890-1907 Register of Declarations of Intent, 1890-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.

Newspapers

 * Spokesman Review
 * Spokane Daily Chronicle
 * Spokane Valley Herald
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Spokane County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Obituaries
Also check:
 * Spokesman Review – obituaries 2005 to present
 * Obituaries from the Spokesman Review newspaper have been indexed by the Spokane Public Library. Search by name. Results include name/date/newspaper/page number needed to obtain the obituary. Contact the library at [mailto:telref@spokanelibrary.org telref@spokanelibrary.org] for an image of the actual obituary. The obituaries are complete from January 1, 2008, with additional obituaries added from requests. To find date of death search the Washington State Digital Archives.

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1856-2009 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images) Includes Attorney's register 1920-1934; Medical Register 1891-1981.
 * 1869-1913 The Stevens County Commissioner Minutes, 1860-1913 (includes period when called Spokane County) available at Washington State Digital Archives with PDF extractions for Book A, Book B, and partial for Book C.

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
 * 1856-2009 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. Images; Includes Certificate of will 1912-1928 Probate bonds 1933-1951; Probate records 1911-1951Real property rolls 1893-1897; and Record of probate claims 1917-1920.
 * Courthouse has probate files from 1880 to present.

School Records
Online School Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1856-2009 Part of: Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * 1910-1932

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

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1856-2009 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Personal property assessment rolls 1893; Personal tax rolls 1892 and Tax rolls 1888.

Birth

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1852-1963 Washington, Births at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1856-2009 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * 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
 * 1890-1907 Spokane County Auditor, Birth Returns, 1890-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1891-1905 Spokane County Auditor, Register of Births, 1891-1905 at Washington State Archives - index and images

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 applications 1939-2009; Applications and certificates 1930-1939; Certificate index 1880-1889; Certificates 1880-2000; Index 1890-1905; License index 1891-1911; Licenses 1899-1924; Marriage returns (new series) 1927-1947 &amp; 1891-1916; Marriages 1882-1897; Record of marriage licenses 1897-1906.
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1880-1910 Western States Marriage Index
 * 1880-2013 Marriage Records, 1880-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collections
 * 1882-1897 Marriage Licenses, 1882-1897 at Washington State Digital Archives Collections
 * 1939-2010 Marriage Applications, 1939-2010 at Washington State Digital Archives Collections
 * 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

Death

 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1888-1907 Spokane County Auditor, Death Returns, 1888-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1891-1907 Spokane County Auditor, Death Register, 1891-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 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

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Riverside Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Spokane Washington East FamilySearch Center
 * Spokane Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Spokane Washington North FamilySearch Center
 * Spokane Washington West FamilySearch Center
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library

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

Libraries
 * Liberty Lake Municipal Library 23123 East Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019 Phone: 509-232-2510 Website
 * Spokane Public Library (Downtown Branch) 906 W. Main Avenue Spokane, WA 99201 Phone: 509-444-5300 Website Genealogy area Ned M. Barnes Northwest Room

Museums

 * Spokane Valley Heritage Museum 12114 E Sprague Ave Spokane Valley, WA 99206 Phone: 509-922-4570 Website Facebook

Societies
Eastern Washington Genealogical Society PO Box 1826 Spokane, WA 99210-1826 Website Facebook

Websites

 * WAGenWeb for Spokane County
 * US GenWeb Spokane
 * USGW Archives
 * Washington State Digital 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.