Linn County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Description
Linn County was named for Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American settlement of the Oregon Country. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Linn County Courthouse 300 SW Fourth Avenue Albany, OR 97321 Phone: 541-967-3845 Linn County Website
 * County Clerk has marriage records from 1850, divorce, probate, and court records from 1854 and military enumeration from 1905.
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

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:

 Defunct Post Offices


 * Abberdeen: Established 13 June 1892 with Mary Flaugher as postmaster. The office closed 24 April 1894 and business turned over to Lacomb post office. May have been named for Aberdeen, Michigan, where the Flaughers came from.
 * Alford: a station on the Southern Pacific line between Halsey and Harrisburg. It bears the name of Thomas Alford, a pioneer of 1850, upon whose donation land claim it is situated. The station was originally known as Muddy, on account of Muddy Creek, which flows nearby. The name appears in the Oregonian as early as Nov. 7, 1857. A post office was established in this locality in Feb. 1874, with the name Muddy Station. It was in service about a year. Liverpool was the name of a post office that served the area 8n 1877-79. The name of railroad station was changed from Muddy to Alford some time after 1900.

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

 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

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
 Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War I
 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers
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 and 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

Vital Records
The FamilySearch Library has copies of some county records as following: Linn County records of deaths 1903-1915, 1915-1947 (the cover title of this one is "Register of Physicians, Midwives and Undertakers", death certificates 1903-1947, coroner's inquest 1909-1960, index 1909-1960 at FamilySearch Catalog.

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
 * 1903-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1849-1884;1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
 * 1885-1896 Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection

Death

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Lebanon Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Salem Oregon East FamilySearch Center
 * Salem Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Sweet Home Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Oregon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Linn Libraries of Oregon 8 Libraries Listed Website

Museums
Linn County Historical Museum PO Box 607 101 Park Ave Brownsville, OR 97327 Telephone: 541-466-3390 E-mail:[mailto:lchm@co.linn.or.us lchm@co.linn.or.us] Website Website Willamette Heritage Center 1313 Mill St SW Suite 200 Salem, OR 97301 Telephone: 503-585-7012 Website

Societies
Linn Genealogical Society PO Box 1222 300 SW 4th Ave Albany, OR 97321 Telephone: 541-791-1618 Email:[mailto:linngensociety@outlook.com linngensociety@outlook.com] Website

Websites

 * Linn County GenWeb part of OR GenWeb
 * USGenWeb 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.