Skamania County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Skamania County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1861, when the county was formed.

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

County Seat: Okanogan. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Clark | Cowlitz | Klickitat | Lewis | Multnomah | Yakima | Hood River County, Oregon

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Topics
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Cemeteries

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

Census

 * See Washington Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
 * Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.


 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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 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.
 * The first Americans to visit the future Skamania County were the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
 * 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.
 * Before 1850, 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.
 * Americans who crossed the Oregon Trail settled around the rapids.
 * 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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1884-1974 Part of: County Records, 1850-1982 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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.)

Newspapers

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

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Postmaster Indexes

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Probate Records

 * County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * 1872-1921 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Marriage

 * Marriage Records, 1905-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
 * Marriages from 1 Jan 1893 to 1 Jul 1900 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.

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 befound 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:


 * 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.
 * Skamania/ Web Sites at RootsWeb - Skamania WA (Free)

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Skamania/ 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


 * Skamania County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Skamania County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

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.

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

Family History Centers

 * Stevenson Washington Family History Center

Libraries

 * North Bonneville Community Library,, North Bonneville 98639 Phone: (509) 427-4439


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Stevenson Community Library, 120 NW Vancouver Avenue, Stevenson 98648 Phone: (509) 427-5471


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

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