Columbia County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Columbia County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1875, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Columbia County, Washington was created 11 November 1875 from Walla Walla County.

County seat: Dayton See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Columbia County Courthouse 341 E Main Street Dayton, WA 99328-1361 Phone: 509.382.4321 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.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Franklin | Garfield | Walla Walla | Whitman | Oregon counties: Umatilla | Wallowa

Cemeteries

 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1883{{•}1885 • 1887 • 1889 • 1892
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

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

 * Historic sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, and Umatilla County, Oregon (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)
 * "Genealogy Research in Columbia County, Washington" online
 * "Columbia County, Alabama (Washington) Facts" online
 * "Family History & Genealogy" online
 * "Japanese Internment Collection Summaries" online

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. Columbia County -- Thumbnail History, Essay 7801.


 * 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.
 * In the late winter of 1834, Captain B. L. E. Bonneville crossed Columbia County on the, surveying the Northwest on behalf of the United States government.
 * 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.
 * Permanent settlement reached Columbia County in 1859, with claims taken up along the Touchet and Tucannon rivers and along Patit Creek.
 * In the fall of 1859, Frederick Schnebley homesteaded at the Dayton site of the former Chase homestead, which had been destroyed in the 1855 Indian attack.
 * Settlers slowly drifted into the county in the 1860s, but in the early 1870s settlement rapidly increased.
 * 1875 - November - 29 - Columbia County officially came into existence.
 * The railroad arrived in Dayton in July 1881.
 * 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.

Land and Property

 * 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.

Military

 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Okanogan and other counties. Key (at end of the list) explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. Free.

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.)


 * 1890-1955 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Journals of Naturalization Orders, 1890-1906 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Naturalization Records, 1908-1953 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Registers of Declarations of Intent, 1890-1941 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

Obituaries
Also check:


 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties

Probate Records

 * 1878-1942 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

 * Columbia Postmaster Index A-M • Postmaster Index M-Z. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

School Records

 * 1912-1932 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * Washington State Digital Archives has a free database of Columbia County Birth Records. This database contains the names of people who were born in Columbia County from June 1891 – August 1913. The names were taken from the Columbia County Register of Births.

Marriage

 * Marriages from 4 Jan 1876 to 2 Nov 1912 are available from the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * 1885-1961 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Marriage Affidavits, 1904-1939 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
 * Marriage Certificate Volumes, 1888-1914 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Marriage Records, 1876-2003 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Probate Marriage Records, 1878-1890 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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
Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * WAGenWeb for Columbia County (Free)
 * USGenWeb Project
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Columbia WA (Free)
 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

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.



See also Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Museums·Other Repositories·Societies

Family History Centers

 * Dayton Washington Family History Center 1114 S 3rd St., Dayton, Wa 99328

Libraries

 * Columbia County Rural Library District, 111 S 3rd St., Dayton 99328 Phone: (509) 382-4131


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest and other genealogical links


 * Unique Collections: Revolutionary War records and Bounty-Land Warrant Application files


 * Dayton Memorial Library, 111 S 3rd St, Dayton 99328 Phone: (509) 382-4131


 * Online Resources: Headstone Images, Whitman County Heritage documents and others.


 * Unique Collections:

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