Grays Harbor County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Grays Harbor County, Washington ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for a large estuarine bay near its southwestern corner. On May 7, 1792, Boston fur trader Robert Gray crossed the bar into a bay which he called Bullfinch Harbor, but which later cartographers would label Chehalis Bay, and then Grays Harbor. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Grays Harbor County Courthouse 102 West Broadway Montesano, WA 98563 Phone 360-249-3441 Grays Harbor County

County Clerk has probate, divorce and court records from 1860. County Auditor has marriage records from 1891. County Assessor has land records from 1855. County Health Department has birth and death records.

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

History Timeline

 * The original residents of what would become Chehalis, then Grays Harbor County, were members of the Quinault Tribe.
 * 1787 The largest village in the area was at the mouth of the Quinault River and was so named.
 * 1792 May 7, Boston fur trader Robert Gray crossed the bar into the bay he called Bullfinch Harbor, but which later cartographers would label Chehalis Bay, then Grays Harbor.
 * 1824 Irishman John Work of the Hudson's Bay Company explored the area.
 * Mid 1800s The county’s first permanent white settler was Irishman William O’Leary.
 * 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1907 February 27, Grays Harbor County was founded.
 * Early 1900s Grays Harbor County boomed. Immigrants from all over the world flocked to jobs offering cash wages.
 * 1920s The wood-products industry -- logging, milling, and pulp manufacture -- started a long, slow decline.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Commercial fishing, the lumber industry were major industries historically. Tourism is more recent.
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only

Census Records

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only. Select Browse all images, click county
 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)
 * Federal: 1860,1870, 1880, 1910 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * Territorial: 1871, 1879,1881,1882,1885,1887,1889 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * State-funded: 1892, 1894 at Washington State Archives - index and images

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

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

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1853-1889 Grays Harbor Frontier Justice Part of “Frontier Justice”: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Archives - index only
 * 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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indians
 * 1911-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only. Includes: Includes Mining Claims, 1881-1928
 * 1850-1954 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1978-Present Grays Harbor County Auditor, Plats and Surveys, 1978-Present at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1981-Present Grays Harbor County Auditor, Recorded Land Records, 1981-Present at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1981-Present Grays Harbor County Auditor, Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1981-Present at Washington State Archives - index and images

Local Histories

 * Grays Harbor County, Washington Facts at StateofUS.com

Maps and Gazetteers
The BLM also has Cadastral and other survey information at Oregon and Washington Land Status and Cadastral Record, please note this is separate from the survey dropdown on the main glorecords.blm.gov page.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1885-1907 Military Department, National Guard Enlistment Register, 1885-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Indian Wars
 * 1855-1856 Military Department, Indian War Muster Rolls, 1855-1856 at Washington State Archives - index and images

World War I
 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War II

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1982 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1884-1971 Grays Harbor County Clerk, Declarations of Intention, 1884-1971 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Newspapers

 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Grays Harbor County, Washington Newspapers - List of known newspapers for the county, including town and years published for each newspaper

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1981-2013 Power of Attorney Records, 1981 - 2013 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Voting Records
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Periodicals

 * Washington Periodicals

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes Record of wills 1884-1929 and Index to wills 1860-1930.

School Records

 * 1916-1932 Grays Harbor Historical School Districts, Registers and Censuses, 1916-1932 at Washington State Archives - index and 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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes Birth register 1891-1930 and Birth returns index 1891-1907. These records were filed under Chehalis, now Grays Harbor County.
 * 1852-1963 Washington, Births at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1864-1907 Grays Harbor County Auditor, Birth Records, 1864-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1871-1921 Department of Health, Delayed Birth Records at Washington State Archives - index and images; includes some earlier and later dates
 * 1873-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1890-1907 Aberdeen City Clerk, Birth Register, 1890-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes Index to register of marriages 1893-1920; Marriage certificates 1871-2007; register 1893-1922; returns 1966.
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1871-Present Grays Harbor County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1871-Present at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1968-1997 Department of Health, Marriage Certificates, 1968-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1969-2022 Department of Health, Marriage Index, 1969-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Death

 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes Coroner's record 1905-1937; Death register 1891-1907 and Death returns 1891-1907.
 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907 Grays Harbor County Death Records, 1891-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1907-1997 Department of Health, Death Certificates, July 1, 1907-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-2020 Department of Health, Death Index, 1907-1960; 1965-2020 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1915-1928 Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Fatal Accident Cards, 1915-1928 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1919-1921 Department of Health, Fetal Death Records, 1919-1921 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1919-1921 Aberdeen City Clerk, Birth Register, 1890-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 2003-2010 Grays Harbor County Health Department, Burial Transit Permits at Washington State Archives - index and images

Divorce

 * 1852-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1968-1997 Department of Health, Divorce Certificates, 1968-1997 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1969-2017 Department of Health, Divorce Index, 1969-2017 at Washington State Archives - index and images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Elma Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Federal Way Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Ocean Shores Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Olympia Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Shelton Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Silverdale Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Tacoma Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Vashon Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Kitsap Regional Library - an affiliate library
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library
 * Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Resources for Grays Harbor County are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.
 * Timberland Libraries - Grays Harbor County
 * Grays Harbor County Libraries Branches and Locations Website
 * Genealogy / Data Base Tools Website; Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)

Museums
Aberdeen Museum of History Website Facebook Chehalis Valley Historical Museum 703 W Pioneer Ave Montesano, WA Phone: 360-470-6181 Website Facebook Museum of North Beach 4658 State Route 109 PO Box 321 Moclips, WA 68562 Phone: 360-276-4441 Website Polson Museum 1611 Riverside Avenue PO Box 432 Hoquiam, WA 98550 Phone: 360-533-5862 Email: [mailto:jbl@polsonmuseum.org jbl@polsonmuseum.org] Website

Societies
Grays Harbor Historical Societies Website Grays Harbor Genealogical Society PO Box 916 Aberdeen WA 98520 420 7th Street Hoquiam, WA 98520 E-mail:[mailto:emailofsociety info@graysharborgenealogy.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Grays Harbor County WAGenWeb Project
 * USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Washington State Digital Archives
 * Grays Harbor Resources at Grays Harbor Genealogical Society
 * – 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.