Cowlitz County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Cowlitz County, Washington

Guide to Cowlitz County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.


 * Quick start:
 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

County Overview

 * County Seat:: Kelso

County Formation

 * Parent County: created 21 April 1854 from Lewis

Neighboring Counties

 * Neighboring Counties: Clark | Lewis | Skamania | Wahkiakum | Columbia County, Oregon

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.

Cemeteries

 * Whittle and Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock BillionGraves

Census

 * 1860
 * 1870
 * 1880
 * 1883
 * 1885
 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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


 * Kelso

Lutheran

 * Records of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Castle Rock, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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. Cowlitz County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7482.


 * The original inhabitants of the lands drained by the Cowlitz River were variously called The Cawalitz, Cow-a-lidsk, Cowalitsk, Cow-e-lis-kee, Cowelits, Cowlitch, Co-litsick, Kawelitsk, Cowalitsk, Kowlitz, Kowlitz.
 * The first Europeans to visit the county were British seafarers.
 * Permanent settlers arrived from the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Fort Vancouver in 1825.
 * The first white man credited with ascending the Cowlitz River was HBC Factor George Simpson in 1828.
 * The Cowlitz became an important artery for trappers and for communication with Fort Vancouver subposts at Cowlitz Farms and Nisqually Farms.
 * The first American to settle in the future Cowlitz County was Scotsman Peter W. Crawford (1822-1889), who took a Donation Claim on the left bank of the Cowlitz near the mouth of the Coweeman on December 25, 1847.
 * The Washington Territorial Legislature formed Cowlitz County on April 21, 1854.

Naturalization and Citizenship
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.

Marriage

 * Marriages from 9 Nov 1854 to 18 Sep 1887 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website

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

 * Cowlitz County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Cowlitz 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
Cowlitz County Courthouse 207 4th Ave North Kelso, WA 98626-1798 Phone 360.577.3016 County Auditor has marriage record from 1867, death record 1891-1907 and land records. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1874, naturalization and adoption records from 1869.

FamilySearch Centers

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

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