Douglas County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Douglas County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1883, when the county was formed.

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for American statesman Stephen A. Douglas. The County is located in the northcentral area of the state.

Parent County(s)
Douglas County, Washington was created 28 November 1883 from Lincoln County. .

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

Boundary Changes
Lincoln County was created from Spokane County four days prior to the creation of Douglas County. Prior records would be held at Spokane County for 1879 to 1883, and Stevens County for 1860 to 1879. Stevens County holds the Spokane County commissioner and earliest land records.

See Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

For animated maps illustrating Washington County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Washington County Boundary Maps" (1843-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Chelan | Grant | Kittitas | Okanogan

Courthouse
Douglas County Courthouse 213 South Rainier Waterville, WA 98858 Phone: 509.745.8529 County Auditor has marriage records from 1907 burial records to 1909, land records to 1925, marriage, death, divorce, probate and court records.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Census

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * Douglas Frontier JusticePart of "Frontier Justice": Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1888 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no 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.

American Indian

 * 1911 - 1919 at FamilySearch — images

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.

Gazetteers

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

History

 * Douglas County, Washington Facts at StateofUS (mis-labeled as Douglas County, Alabama)


 * Illustrated history of the Big Bend country by Western Historical Publishing Company [(Spokane, Wash.) Western Historical Pub. Co., 1904] at Washington History

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 Paula Becker. Douglas County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7961.


 * The, a Salishan people, inhabited much of the area that would become Douglas County.
 * 1860s - Chinese immigrants placer-mined for gold along the banks of the Columbia River.
 * 1875 - Indians from the Methow River attacked these Chinese miners, killing an unknown number of miners and driving many others away from their mining operations.
 * 1877 - Phillip McEntee, a member of a surveying party that was determining the boundary line between the United States and British Columbia, traveled through the future Douglas County.
 * 1881 - McEntee returned to the area and settled near present-day Coulee City (now part of Grant County) and began a cattle ranching operation. He was one of the first permanent non-Indian residents of the region.
 * 1883 - November 28, Douglas County was carved out of Lincoln 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.

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Family Maps of Douglas County, Washington (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Military

 * at FamilySearch — index
 * 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."

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * , Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Citizenship petitions granted 1930-1945; Records 1891-1906; Declarations of Intention certificates 1888-1895; Declarations of intent 1891-1945; Certificate stubs A-Z 1892-1945; Correspondence 1889-1945; Proceedings memorandum 1906-1916; Notices of admission to citizenship 1907-1915; Petition and record 1906-1945.


 * Naturalization Records, 1891-1973 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Douglas County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)


 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Public Records

 * Douglas Postmaster Index. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

School Records

 * Part of: 'Washington County Records, 1856-2009at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Birth

 * Birth Returns, 1891-1907, 1911 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Delayed births 1941-1943
 * — index and images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1855–2008 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1877-1900 - Marriages from 10 Dec 1877 to 22 Nov 1900 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.


 * 1884-1975 Marriage Records, 1884-1975 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * 1884-1975 Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)


 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Marriage certificates 1892-1975; certificates and returns 1900-1946; license applications 1939-1970; licenses 1884-1899; returns and license applications 1939-1970.

Divorce
Online Records
 * 1969 - 2014 at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index
 * at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Death Returns 1891 - 1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

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.

Family History Centers

 * Brewster Washington Family History Center
 * Chelan Washington Family History Center
 * Coulee Dam Washington Family History Center
 * Davenport Washington Family History Center
 * Ephrata Washington Family History Center
 * Quincy Washington Family History Center
 * Wenatchee Washington Family History Center


 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library
 * The Seattle Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Online Resources: The public libraries in Douglas County are part of North Central Regional Library. Their Research and Homework Center includes Heritage Quest. Library cards and passwords may be required for access.


 * Bridgeport Community Library 1206 Columbia Street Bridgeport, WA 98813 Phone: 509-686-7281
 * East Wenatchee Community Library 271 9th St NE East Wenatchee, WA 98802 Phone: 509-886-7404
 * Waterville Community Library 107 W. Locust Street Waterville, WA 98858 Phone: 509-745-8354

Societies
Douglas County Washington Historical Ssociety 113 East Locust Street Waterville, Washington, 98858 509-745-8800 Website

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties