Klickitat County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Klickitat County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1859, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Klickitat County, Washington was created 20 December 1859 from Skamania and Walla Walla.

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

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Klickitat County Courthouse 205 S Columbus Avenue Room 204 Goldendale, WA 98620 Phone 509.773.4559 County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records. County Auditor has marriage records.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Benton, Gilliam, Hood River, Morrow, Sherman, Skamania, Wasco, Yakima

Cemeteries

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

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free) These were indexed by local societies and individuals.
 * • Federal: 1910
 * • Territorial: 1860 •  1870 •  1871 •  1883 •  1885 •  1887 •  1889
 * • State-funded: 1892

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

American Indian
The Yakama Indian Reservation is located primarily in Yakima County, with a small portion in Klickitat County.

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
A county history summary is available at http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&amp;file_id=7800
 * "1885 Klickitat County" online
 * "1889 Klickitat County" online
 * "1892 Klickitat County Census" online
 * "Klickitat County, Washington Facts" online (mislabeled as Alabama)
 * "Klickitat County, Washington Public Records" online
 * "Genealogy Research in Klickitat County, Washington" 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. Klickitat County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7800.


 * The area was once home to the Klickitat and Wishram tribes, both of which ceded the land to the U.S. government
 * The earliest non-Indian settlement in Klickitat County was the Erastus S. Joslyn farm near present-day White Salmon.
 * Many early settlers to the future Klickitat County came east from the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
 * 1859 December 20 - The County of Clickitat (after 1869 spelled Klickitat) was formally organized.
 * Early settlers raised Durham and Shorthorn cattle, selling large herds to supply miners in Idaho and British Columbia.
 * 1870 - The Klickitat Valley's first fruit orchards were planted.

Land and Property

 * Land Records 1984 and 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1988-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Military
Some military records for this county have been digitized at the Washington State Digital Archives.

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.)


 * Naturalization Records, 1889-1961 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

 * 1884-1930 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

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

School Records

 * 1903-1941 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * 1881-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Birth Records, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Marriage

 * Marriages beginning 20 Aug 1867 are available from the Western States Marriage Index website.


 * 1867-1997 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free0
 * Marriage Records, 1867-2013 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 Klicikitat County
 * USGenWeb
 * 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.
 * Klickitat/ Web Sites at RootsWeb - Klickitat WA (Free)

Sites that glean the Internet for records online:


 * 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.

Family History Centers

 * Goldendale Washington Family History Center 33 Miller Rd, Omak, WA 98841

Libraries

 * Ellensburg Public Library, 209 North Ruby Street, Ellensburg 98926 Phone: (509) 962-7252


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Kittitas Public Library, 2nd Pierce Sts, Kittitas 98934 Phone: (509) 968-0226


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Roslyn Public Library, 201 S. First St., Roslyn 98941 Phone: (509) 649-3420


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Goldendale Community Library, 131 West Burgen, Goldendale 98620 Phone: (509) 773-4487


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * White Salmon Valley Community Library, 5 Town Country Square, White Salmon 98672 Phone: (509) 493-1132


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

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

Indian Reservation

The Yakama Indian Reservation is located primarily in Yakima County, with a small portion in Klickitat County.