Kittitas County, Washington Genealogy

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

Parent County(s)

 * Kittitas County, Washington was created 24 November 1883.

County Seat: Ellensburg. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Neighboring Counties

 * Neighboring Counties: Chelan | Douglas | Grant | King | Pierce | Yakima

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.)

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. Kittitas County -- Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org Essay 7484.


 * The first inhabitants of the Kittitas Valley were the Psch-wan-wap-pams (stony ground people), also known as the Kittitas band of the Yakama or Upper Yakama.
 * 1814 - Fur trader Alexander Ross was one of the earliest non-Indians to describe the Kittitas Valley.
 * 1853 March 2 - Washington Territory was established.
 * 1855 June 9 - Yakima Chief Kamiakin and other tribal leaders signed a treaty ceding claim to all 16,920 square miles (10,828,800 acres) of the tribe's lands except a 1,875-square-mile (1,200,000 acre) portion of land to be used for a reservation. The future Kittitas County was part of the ceded land.
 * 1859 April 18 - Congress ratified the Treaty of Yakima and President James Buchanan signed the ratification proclamation.
 * 1883 November 24 - Territorial Governor William Augustus Newell signed the act creating Kittitas County.
 * For farmers in the Kittitas Valley, the key to this transformation from wilderness to village was irrigation.
 * 1911 - The Kittitas Reclamation District began preliminary surveys and cost analysis for what would become the High Line canal, the Kittitas Valley’s largest irrigation project.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 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.

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.

Websites

 * Kittitas County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Kittitas 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
Kittitas County Courthouse 205 W 5th Avenue Ellensburg, WA 98926 Phone 509.962.7624 County Auditor has birth and death 1891-1907, marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1882. Coutny Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890’s.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Ellensburg Washington Family History Center

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