Skamania County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Skamania County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1854, when the county was formed.

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for the Cascades Chinook word sk'mániak, meaning "swift waters". The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Parent County(s)
Skamania County, Washington was created 9 March 1854 from Clark and Lewis counties.

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

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Skamania County Courthouse 240 Vancouver Avenue Stevenson, WA 98648-0790 Phone: 509.427.9431 Skamania County Website County Auditor has land records County Clerk has marriage records, divorce, probate and court records from 1856.

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: 1871 • 1885 •  1887
 * 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

 * Power of Attorney Records 2008 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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

Maps and Gazetteers

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

History

 * "Skamania County Heritage" blog about a digital collection of the county.
 * "Skamania County, Washington Facts" online at StateOfUS.com (mis-labeled as Skamania County, Alabama)

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. Skamania County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7811.


 * In what was to become Skamania County, the first residents called themselves Chilluckittequw. American settlers named them Cascades.
 * 1780 - The population of the Chilluckittequw dropped from about 3,000 to a few hundred in the mid-nineteenth century because of diseases acquired from Europeans and Americans.
 * 1805 - The first Americans to visit the future Skamania County were the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
 * 1805 - The Cascades Rapids became the main engine of economy in Skamania County.
 * 1830s - The Chilluckittequw charged tolls and rented their labor to the fur trappers.
 * 1850 - before, The names and dates of arrival of the earliest settlers around the Cascades are obscure. Whites squatted where they liked without any legal title.
 * 1851 - July, Francis Chenoweth built a railroad consisting of one wagon on wood rails pulled by a single mule.
 * 1850s - Americans who crossed the Oregon Trail settled around the rapids.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1854 - March 9, Skamania County was formed.
 * 1855 - Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens secured treaties with many of the Indian tribes in Washington, who ceded their lands to the United States.
 * 1860 - Captain John C. Ainsworth, Simeon G. Reed, and Robert R. Thompson founded the Oregon Steam Navigation Company.
 * 1865 - January, The legislature deleted Skamania County.
 * 1867 - Due to a Legislature repeal, Skamania became a county again

Land and Property

 * Land Records 2008 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts Recorded Agreements and Contracts

Military

 * 1921-1925 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982. at Washington, County Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Included in collections: Declaration of intention 1884-1964; Final record 1893-1906; Final record 1931-1973 vol B no 1-42; Miscellaneous naturalization records 1906-1974; Certificate Receipts 1906-1923; Petition records 1907-1964.


 * Certificate Receipts, 1896-1929 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Declarations of Intent, 1894-1964 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Final Records, 1903 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Petitions, 1907-1973 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Skamania County, Washington 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

 * at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Will records 1872-1921 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Record of wills 1872-1913; Wills 1907-1921.

Public Records

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

Birth

 * — index and images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 - Washington, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1855–2008 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1893-1900 - Marriages from 1 Jan 1893 to 1 Jul 1900 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * 1905-2012 - Marriage Records, 1905-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
 * 1914-2007 - Marriage records 1914-2007 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 applications 1914-2007; Marriage certificates 1905-2005; Marriage returns 1907-1939.

Divorce

 * 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.

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  for ..

Family History Centers

 * Stevenson Washington Family History Center

Libraries

 * North Bonneville Community Library North Bonneville, WA 98639 Phone: 509-427-4439 Website
 * Stevenson Community Library 120 NW Vancouver Avenue Stevenson, WA 98648 Phone: 509-427-5471 Website

Societies
Skamania County Historical Society PO Box 396 Stevenson, WA 98648 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: