Columbia County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Columbia 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 Columbia River. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Columbia County Courthouse 341 E Main Street Dayton, WA 99328-1361 Phone: 509-382-4321 Columbia County Website

County Clerk has divorce records from 1886, probate records from 1891 and court records from 1890. County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and marriage records from 1853.

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

 * The lower Snake River was home to bands of and other Sahaptin-speaking people, including, , , , and.
 * 1805 October 12-13, canoed on the Snake River along the boundary separating Columbia and Whitman counties.
 * 1834 Captain B. L. E. Bonneville crossed Columbia County on the, surveying the Northwest on behalf of the United States government.
 * 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1855 One of the first white settlers in Columbia County was Henry M. Chase. Chase and another man, P. M. Lafontain, built cabins and possibly a small fort early in 1855 at the site of present day Dayton.
 * 1859 Permanent settlement reached Columbia County with claims taken up along the Touchet and Tucannon rivers and along Patit Creek.
 * 1859 Frederick Schnebley homesteaded at the Dayton site of the former Chase homestead, which had been destroyed in the 1855 Indian attack.
 * 1860s Settlers slowly drifted into the county, but in the early 1870s settlement rapidly increased.
 * 1875 November 29, Columbia County officially came into existence.
 * 1881 July, The railroad arrived in Dayton.
 * 1934 The Blue Mountain Cannery was built in Dayton.
 * 1935 As part of Franklin Roosevelt's, two Civilian Conservation Camps were established in Columbia County.

Census Records

 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only. Includes part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (browse images)
 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: and Ancestry ($)
 * 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Columbia County, U.S. Census Bureau

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
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1853-1889 Columbia Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * The court procedures of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of the 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.


 * 1985-2022 Columbia County Superior Court Case Files at Washington State Archives - index and images

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

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946
 * "Japanese Internment Collection Summaries" at Washington University Libraries

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 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.

Local Histories

 * Historic sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, and Umatilla County, Oregon at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, by W.D. Lyman online at Hathi Trust Digital Library.
 * Columbia County, Washington Facts (mislabeled as Columbia County, Alabama) at RAGK

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1885-1907 Military Department, National Guard Enlistment Register, 1885-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Indian Wars
 * 1855-1856 Military Department, Indian War Muster Rolls, 1855-1856 at Washington State Archives - index and images

World War I
 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War II
 * World War II enlistments. Select search codes for state and county. These are partial lists. The NARA website cautions: "This series does not contain records of all World War II Army enlistees."

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only.
 * 1890-1906 Columbia County Clerk, Journals of Naturalization Orders, 1890-1906 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1890-1941 Columbia County Clerk, Registers of Declarations of Intent, 1890-1941 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1908-1953 Columbia County Clerk, Naturalization Records, 1908-1953 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Newspapers

 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Columbia County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only. Includes:

Voting Records
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Periodicals

 * Washington Periodicals

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only.
 * Includes: Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (browse images)
 * Also includes: Clerks files of wills ca 1896-1917; Declarations of intention 1890; 1890-1906; 1890-1941; Estate files 1877-1915; Facts for declarations of intention 1901-1907; Homestead records 1882-1898; Probate case files 1878-1943; Probate fee books 1891-1898; Probate journal 1891-1932; Territorial letters of administration of wills annexed ca 1876-1877.


 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

School Records
Online School Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only. Includes:
 * Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (browse 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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1852-1963 Washington, Births at MyHeritage — index & 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
 * 1891-1906 Columbia County Auditor, Birth Records, 1891-1906 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1876-1912 Western States Marriage Index at BYU Special Collections and Family History
 * 1876-2003 Columbia County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1876-2003 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1878-1890 Columbia County Clerk, Probate Marriage Records, 1878-1890 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1888-1914 Columbia County Auditor, Marriage Certificate Volumes, 1888-1914 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1891-1910 Columbia County Auditor, Register of Marriage Statistics, 1891-1910 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1891-1910 Columbia County Auditor, Register of Marriage Statistics, 1891-1910 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1904-1939 Columbia County Auditor, Marriage Affidavits, 1904-1939 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1904-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only.
 * 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; Includes Marriage affidavits 1904-1961; Marriage certificates 1885-1946; Marriage licenses index-direct 1922-1939; Marriage licenses index-direct 1922-1939; Marriage licenses index-indirect 1922-1939; Marriage returns 1902-1947; Marriage statistics 1891-1910; Register of marriages 1891-1910; Territorial marriage certificates 1876-1890.
 * 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
 * 1891-1906 Columbia County Auditor, Death Records, 1891-1906 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1907-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; 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

 * 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

 * Basin City Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Columbia Basin Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Dayton Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Kennewick Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Pasco Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Richland Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Walla Walla Washington FamilySearch Center

Libraries

 * Check websites and catalogs, such as items in (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for Columbia County
 * Columbia County Rural Library District Dayton Memorial Library 111 S. Third Street Dayton, WA 99328 Phone: 509-382-4131 Website

Societies
Blue Mountain Heritage Society PO Box 163 Dayton, WA 99328 509-540-9560 E-mail: [mailto:emailofsociety bluemountainheritage@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Columbia County Washington Genealogy Research. Free Contains information for researching genealogy in Columbia County WA, Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
 * WAGenWeb for Columbia County
 * USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 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.