Skagit County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Skagit County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1861, when the county was formed.

County Formation

 * Skagit County, Washington was created 28 November 1883.

County Seat: Mount Vernon. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Chelan | Island | Okanogan | San Juan | Snohomish | Whatcom

Boundary Changes
Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Dates of Major County Records
Note: The dates you see below have not yet been adapted to.

Topics
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

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

Church Records

 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)

Lutheran

 * Records of Burlington Lutheran Church, Burlington, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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

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. Skagit County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 5663.


 * People have lived in present-day Skagit County and its environs for nearly 10,000 years. They were known as the Coast Salish.
 * 1791 - Rosario Strait is on the most western edge of Skagit County. The Spaniard Juan Francisco de Eliza charted it, and named it Canal de Fidalgo.
 * 1824 - John Work, a trader with Hudson’s Bay Company, came through the area.
 * 1852 - The first Euro-American to live in the county, was Englishman William (Blanket Bill) Jarman with his Coast Salish wife.
 * 1863 - Settlement on the county’s mainland took hold when Michael Sullivan and Samuel Calhoun began diking the marshy flats near present day LaConner.
 * 1860s-1870s - New settlements and trading posts appeared on Guemes Island and Samish Island.
 * 1853 March 2 - Washington Territory formally came into being.
 * 1883 November 28 - A bill passed in the territorial legislature separated Skagit County from Whatcom County.

Land and Property
Land records (especially deeds) often give the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or other clues for further research. They often have other clues for further research, such as witnesses or the other parties who may be relatives or in-laws. See Washington Land and Property for more.


 * County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

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.

Newspapers

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

Probate Records

 * County Probate Records, 1853-1929 FamilySearch Historical Collections (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.

Web Sites

 * Skagit County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Skagit County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

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
Skagit County Courthouse; 700 South 2nd St; PO Box 837 Mount Vernon, WA 98273 Phone. 360.336.9440 County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907, marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1872. County Clerk has divorce, probate county records from 1870.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Mount Vernon Washington Family History Center

Libraries
Local Libraries:

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