Wasco County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Description
Wasco County was named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who lived on the south side of the Columbia River. The county is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wasco County Courthouse 511 Washigton Street The Dalles, Or 97058 Phone: 541-506-2700 Wasco County Website
 * County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1854.
 * Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1854.
 * 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:

History Timeline

 * 11 January 1854 Wasco county was created from Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Lane, Linn and Marion Counties . Named for the Wasco (or Wascopam), a Chinook tribe on the south side. (Ore. Terr. Special Laws 1853, 5th reg. sess., pp. 26-27),
 * 14 January 1857 Gained very small area near the head of Eagle Creek and Bradford's Island from Multnomah [change too small to map]. (Ore. Terr. Laws 1856-1857, 8th reg. sess., pp. 78-79)
 * 14 February 1859: Lost to Washington Territory when the United States created the state of Oregon from Oregon Territory. (U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 33[1859], secs. 1-2/pp. 383-384 Ore. Laws 1860, 1st reg. sess., pp. 28-30) '''
 * 22 September 1862 Lost to creation of Baker. (Ore. Laws 1862, 2nd reg. sess., p. 112)
 * 27 September 1862 Lost to creation of Umatilla. (Ore. Laws 1862, 2nd reg. sess., p. 91) '''
 * 14 October 1864 Lost to creation of Grant. (Ore. Laws 1864, 3rd reg. sess., p. 43)
 * 24 October 1874 Lost to creation of Lake. (Ore. Laws 1874, 8th reg. sess., pp. 38-41)
 * 24 October 1882 Lost to creation of Crook. (Ore. Special Laws 1882, 12th reg. sess., p. 178) '''
 * 16 February 1885 Lost to creation of Morrow. (Ore. Special Laws 1885, 13th reg. sess., pp. 239-243)
 * 25 February 1885 Lost to creation of Gilliam. Creation left a small strip of Wasco County along the southeastern line of Gilliam which remained until...
 * 20 February 1891 Gained by Gilliam County. (Ore. Special Laws 1885, 13th reg. sess., p. 404)
 * 25 February 1889 Lost to creation of Sherman. (Ore. Laws 1889, gen., 15th reg. sess., p. 82) '''
 * 19 February 1891 Lost more land to Sherman. (Ore. Laws 1891, gen., 16th reg. sess., pp. 68-69) '''
 * 20 February 1891 Lost to Gilliam. The gain was a small strip that was inadvertently separated from Wasco County when Gilliam County was created on 25 February 1885. (Ore. Laws 1891, gen., 16th reg. sess., p. 76) '''
 * 25 February 1895 Boundary with Multnomah adjusted within Section 22 of Township 2 North, Range 7 East [change too small to map]. (Ore. Laws 1895, 18th reg. sess., p. 88) '''
 * 23 June 1908 Lost to creation of Hood River. (Ore. Laws 1909, gen., 25th reg. sess., ch. 5/pp. 39-43)
 * 25 February 1925 Boundaries redefined [no change]. (Ore. Laws 1925, gen., 33rd reg. sess., ch. 108/p. 164) '''
 * 13 September 1967 Redefined to substitute "boundary of the state" for middle of the main channel of the Columbia River.
 * 19 June 1967 Approved by the Governor.
 * 13 September 1967 Became effective. (no change). (Ore. Laws 1967, 54th reg. sess., ch. 421/pp. 930-931)

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

 * 1854 Clerk Circuit Court has Divorce, Probate and Court Records, from 1854.
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1854+ County Clerk has land records from 1854.

Oregon, Wasco County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Wasco County for European and African American settlers included:
 * Columbia River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * Barlow Road 1846 from The Dalles to Oregon City

 Rivers and Waterways 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 & images

 World War I
 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & 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 & 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
Many early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

 Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:
 * Oregon, Wasco County Records (FamilySearch HIstorical Records)

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

Marriage

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1849-1884;1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
 * Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection
 * 1854+ County Clerk has marriage records from 1854.

Death

 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1864-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864-1968 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * The Dalles Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Hood River Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library

Libraries
The Dalles-Wasco County Public Library 722 Court St The Dalles OR 97058 541-296-2815 Website

Societies
Wasco County Historical Society 300 W 13th St The Dalles, OR 97058 541-296-1867 Website

Websites

 * Wasco County GenWeb, part of OR GenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Oregon, Waco County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records


 * – 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.