Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Kitsap County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1857, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Kitsap County, Washington was created 16 January 1857 as (Slaughter County) from King and Jefferson. Renamed Kitsap 13 July 1857.

County Seat: Port Orchard. See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Island | Jefferson | King | Mason | Pierce | Snohomish

Courthouse
Kitsap County Courthouse 614 Division Street Port Orchard, WA 98366 Phone 360.337.7164 County Auditor has birth records 1891-1907, death record 1892-1907 and marriage records from 1892. County Clerk has divorce and court records from 1888, probate and adoption records from 1861 and land records from 1857.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Business and Commerce

 * Professional License Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Cemeteries

 * K P Cemetery, Port Orchard BillionGraves
 * Poulsbo Cemetery, Poulsbo BillionGraves

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1857 • 1871 •  1883 • 1885 •  1889
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Church Records

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Bremerton
 * Port Orchard

Lutheran

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

Court Records

 * Power of Attorney Records 1987 and 2006 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Kitsap 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

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

Genealogy

 * "Kitsap County, Washington Public Records" online
 * "Family History & Genealogy" online
 * "1883 Kitsap County Census" online
 * "Kitsap County Auditor, Marriage License Register, 1868-1890" online

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

 * "Kitsap County -- Thumbnail History"


 * History of the Puget Sound country, Volume 1 ,Volume 2 by William Farrand Prosser [New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company, 1903]


 * "Kitsap County, Alabama (Washington) Facts"

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. Kitsap County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7864.


 * The first residents of the land and islands between Puget Sound and Hood Canal were called Suquamish.
 * 1792 - May, British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver mapped Puget Sound.
 * 1850 - The big trigger to white settlement on the Kitsap Peninsula came with the California Gold Rush.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1855 - Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens persuaded the tribes to sign the Point No Point and Point Elliott treaties, in which they ceded their lands to the United States.
 * 1857 - July 13,  Slaughter County was officially formed and Port Madison became the county seat. Voters changed the name to Kitsap County.
 * 1880s - The United States government chose Port Orchard as the site of a repair facility to help support naval operations in the Pacific Ocean.

Land and Property

 * County Land Records, 1850-1954 at Washington, County Land Records, 1850-1954 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Land Records 1986 to 2006 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1987-2006 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982. at Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes two collections: Declaration of intention 1929-1936 vol 7; Naturalization petitions 1910-1911 vol 6.

Included in above collection: Petition records & index, Naturalization certificate receipts, Journal of Citizenship index, Delectation of Intention, and Application of oaths.


 * Naturalization Records, 1906-1910, 1929-1955 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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)


 * Port Orchard Independent


 * The Kitsap Sun


 * The Bainbridge Review

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Public Records

 * Kitsap Postmaster Index A-C.• Postmaster Index C-Z Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

Birth

 * Birth (L-Z) and death returns 1891-1907 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Marriage

 * Web: Kitsap County, Washington, Marriage Index, 1986-2010 (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)


 * Marriage License Application Affidavits, 1905-2005 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Marriage Records, 1860-2006 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.

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.

Family History Centers

 * Bremerton Washington Family History Center 2225 Perry Avenue, Bremerton, Washington 98310 United States Location Map


 * Poulsbo Washington Family History Center2138 Northeast Mesford Road, Poulsbo, WA United States Location Map

Libraries

 * Bainbridge Island Library, 1270 Madison N., Bainbridge Island 98110  Phone: (206) 842-4162


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton 98310  Phone: (360) 405-9158


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Bremerton Library, 612 5th St., Bremerton 98337  Phone: (360) 377-3955


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Kingston Library, 11212 Ne State Hwy 104, Kingston 98346  Phone: (360) 297-3330


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Little Boston Library, 31980 Little Boston Rd. Ne, Kingston 98346  Phone: (360) 297-2670


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Manchester Library, 8067 E. Main St., Manchester 98353  Phone: (360) 871-3921


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Port Orchard Library, 87 Sidney St., Port Orchard 98366  Phone: (360) 876-2224


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Poulsbo Library, 700 Ne Lincoln St., Poulsbo 98370  Phone: (360) 779-2915


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Silverdale Library, 3450 Nw Carlton St., Silverdale 98383  Phone: (360) 692-2997


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

Societies
Puget Sound Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1931 Port Orchard, WA 98366-0805 (360)874-8813 www.pusogensoc.org

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