Clark County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Clark County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1844, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)

 * Clark County, Washington was created 27 June 1844 as an original county in the Oregon Territory and named Vancouver District. Renamed Clark County 3 September 1849

County Seat: Vancouver Parent County: Original county, formerly Vancouver District. 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: Cowlitz | Skamania | Oregon counties: Columbia | Multnomah

Courthouse
Clark County Courthouse 1200 Franklin Street Vancouver, WA 98660 Phone: 360.397.2292 County Auditor has birth and death records 1890-1906, marriage records from 1890 and land records from 1850. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Record Loss
1890--Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire.

Business and Commerce

 * 1891-1920 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Recorded Professional Licenses at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Cemeteries

 * City of Camas Cemetery: Began in 1883: Courtesy of the City of Camas

Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Chapel www.evergreenmemorialgardens.com - (360) 892-6060 City of Vancouver: Park Hill Cemetery (360) 696-8156

The Old City Cemetery - the Old City Cemetery located at the corner of Grand Blvd. and Mill Plain Blvd in Vancouver. The Old City Cemetery is a repository of unique genealogical, historical, religious, cultural and societal information. Many of Clark County’s first pioneers and leaders are buried in this cemetery. The Old City Cemetery use began in 1867. Some of the initial interments were graves that were moved from the Old Post Cemetery on the property of the Vancouver Barracks. CCGS envisions this grant request as the first phase of a longer term effort to restore and rehabilitate the Old City Cemetery. The Historical Promotions grant will provide resources for repair and restoration of stones and markers that have been damaged due to vandalism or through the effects of weather or age. The Old City Cemetery is owned, managed and maintained by the City of Vancouver.

Fishers Cemetery - 1st Cemetery in Vancouver, WA

Listing of those buried there has been done by the USGS - click here

Images of Fishers and the beach along the Columbia River at this historic spot.

Genealogy Archives - Vancouver Cemeteries

Clark County Cemeteries listed in ROOTSWEB

Vancouver Barracks Cemetery

Clark Co Cemetery Records Online - Intermet.net


 * County Farm Cemetery (Marble Mount Cemetery)
 * La Center Cemetery (Mount Zion Cemetery)
 * Old City Cemetery
 * Park Hill Cemetery, Vancouver BillionGraves
 * Sacred Heart Cemetery (Dublin Cemetery)

Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Clark County

Richard Engstrom Clark County Genealogical Society 717 Grand Blvd, Vancouver Phone: 360-750-5668 Email: gensoc@ccgs-wa.org

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1850 • 1860 •  1870 • 1871 •  1883 •  (County) 1883 •  1885 •  1887
 * 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.)

Court Records

 * County Records, 1856-2009. Part of Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Included in this collection: Death register 1891-1907; Marriage applications 1939-1979; Marriage certificates 1889-2000; Marriage register 1891-1914; Mining claims 1891-1920 vol 1; Wills 1897-1929.

Finns

 * Death Certificates of Finns in, 1908-1947 at Genealogia.fi

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.

Funeral Homes
Vancouver Funeral Chapel www.vancouverfuneralhome.com - (360) 693-3633

Genealogy

 * "Family History & Genealogy" online
 * "Genealogy Research in " 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

 * Alley, B. F. History of Clarke County, Washington Territory by B. F. Alley [Portland, Or. : Washington Pub., 1885]


 * For a good look at the pioneers of Clark County, A book "Clark County Pioneers--A Centennial Salute" is a good place to start. The book contains information on the pioneers of Clark County and their families with many photos of those pioneers. The book has 675 pages plus an index. It has a copyright date of 1989.


 * "Clark County Pioneers--Through the turn of the Century". Available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. All Clark County books have a catalog number of 979.786.


 * "Clark County History" online at Columbian.com

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. Clark County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 5644.


 * For hundreds of years before Western explorers intruded on their shores, the Indians had lived along the banks of the Columbia River.
 * 1792 - The Chinook's first contact with non-Indian people may have occured when the Columbia Rediviva, an American ship captained by Robert Gray (1755-1806), made its way up the river.
 * 1805 - November,  passed through what is now Clark County.
 * 1825 - March, The British-owned opened  on the future site of the City of Vancouver.
 * 1844 - The first American of note in the Fort Vancouver area was Henry Williamson, who laid out his land claim west of the fort.
 * 1845 - August 20, Clark County was the first county of Washington. It was created by the provisional government of Oregon Territory, and at that time covered the entire present-day state of Washington.
 * In 1846, Amos Short measured his land claim from a "witness tree" (a tree used by surveyors to establish a corner of a section of land) by carving his initials in a cottonwood that stood near the bank of the Columbia River.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.

Land and Property
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.


 * 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.


 * Recorded Land Records 1984 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Columbia River
 * York Factory Express 1824 from Fort Vancouver to York Factory, Manitoba, Canada
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * Applegate Trail 1846 from Winnemucca, Nevada to Oregon City, Oregon
 * Barlow Road 1846 from The Dalles to Oregon City

Military

 * County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 - Military petitions 1919. at Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1890-1982 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Okanogan and other counties. Key (at end of the list) explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. Free.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Declarations of Intention, 1890-1982 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Naturalization Records, 1909-1954 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free).


 * County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982. at Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1890-1982] at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes name, age, gender, birth place, arrival at port, etc.
 * Included in this collection: Application & oaths 1939-1965; Declaration on intention 1906-1982; Declaration of intention index 1890-1937; Depositions 1933-1953; Final record 1880-1906; Military petitions 1919; Naturalization certificate receipts 1907-1926; Petition records 1906-1940; Petition records index Miscellaneous naturalization records 1924-1929 vol 5.

Newspapers

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

Newspapers for Vancouver, Washington can be seen at the e-mail address for "The Columbian", [mailto:columbian@newsbank.com columbian@newsbank.com] for the years after 1994. For years prior to 1994, go to the Ft. Vancouver Library.

Probate Records

 * County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950 Part of: Washington, County Probate Records, 1832-1950 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes a name search space, year and place for probate.

Public Records

 * Clark Postmaster Index. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

Birth

 * Birth Register, 1884, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Marriage

 * Marriages from 11 Jun 1840-1 Aug 1903 are available at the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * Marriage Records, 1843-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection (Free)


 * 1900-1914 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Divorce

 * County Divorce Records, 1852-1950. Washington, County Divorce Records, 1852-1950 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Death

 * County Deaths, 1891-1907. Part of: Washington, County Deaths, 1891-1907 statewide search at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, index plus images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 statewide search at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, index plus images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Death Register 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)


 * Death Certificates of Finns in, 1908-1947 at Genealogia.fi

Websites

 * USGenWeb Archives
 * RootsWeb
 * --USGenWeb Project (Free)
 * 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:


 * "Clark County, Washington Facts" online at StateOfUS.com. (Mistakenly labeled Clark County, Alabama)
 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Clark 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.

Family History Centers

 * Clark County Genealogical Society


 * Vancouver Washington West Family History Center 14400 NW 26 Ave. at NW Bliss Road, Vancouver, WA 98685

United States Location Map


 * Vancouver Washington North Family History Center11101 NE 119th St., Vancouver, WA 98682 United States Location Map


 * Vancouver Washington Family History Center 11101 NE 119th St., Vancouver, WA 98684 United States Location Map

Libraries

 * Battle Ground Community Library, 12 West Main Street, Battle Ground 98604 Phone: (360) 687-2322


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Camas Public Library, 625 Ne Fourth Ave., Camas 98607 Phone: (360) 834-4692


 * Online Resources: (None found Oct. 2013)
 * Unique Collections:


 * Ridgefield Community Library, 210 North Main Avenue, Ridgefield 98642 Phone: (360) 887-8281


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Vancouver Mall Community Library, 8700 Ne Vancouver Mall Drive, Vancouver 98662 Phone: (360) 892-8256


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Vancouver Regional Library District, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver 98663 Phone: (360) 695-1561


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Vancouver Community Library, 1007 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver 98663 Phone: (360) 695-1566


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Cascade Park Community Library, 301 Se Hearthwood Blvd, Vancouver 98684 Phone: (360) 256-7782


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Three Creeks Community Library, 800-C Tenney Road, Vancouver 98685 Phone: (360) 571-9696


 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:


 * Washougal Community Library, 1661 C Street, Washougal 98671 Phone: (360) 835-5393
 * Online Resources: Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest, Internet Archive, and others.
 * Unique Collections:

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