Kittitas County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Kittitas 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 the language of the Yakama Nation. According to one source, it "has been said to mean everything from 'white chalk' to 'shale rock' to 'shoal people' to 'land of plenty'". The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Kittitas County Courthouse 205 W 5th Avenue Ellensburg, WA 98926 Phone: 509-962-7531 Kittitas County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907, marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1882. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890s.

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
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. Kittitas County -- Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org Essay 7484.
 * The first inhabitants of the Kittitas Valley were the Psch-wan-wap-pams (stony ground people), also known as the Kittitas band of the Yakama or Upper Yakama.
 * 1814 Fur trader Alexander Ross was one of the earliest non-Indians to describe the Kittitas Valley.
 * 1853-March 2 U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1855-June 9 Yakima Chief Kamiakin and other tribal leaders signed a treaty ceding claim to all 16,920 square miles (10,828,800 acres) of the tribe's lands except a 1,875-square-mile (1,200,000 acre) portion of land to be used for a reservation. The future Kittitas County was part of the ceded land.
 * 1859-April 18 Congress ratified the Treaty of Yakima and President James Buchanan signed the ratification proclamation.
 * 1867 Frederick Ludi (1832-1916) and John Goller (1813-?) (known as Dutch John) became the first non-Indian settlers to the Kittitas area, building a cabin on the site of what is now Ellensburg.
 * 1883-November 24 Territorial Governor William Augustus Newell signed the act creating Kittitas County.
 * 1880s For farmers in the Kittitas Valley, the key to this transformation from wilderness to village was irrigation.
 * 1911 The Kittitas Reclamation District began preliminary surveys and cost analysis for what would become the High Line canal, the Kittitas Valley’s largest irrigation project.

Census Records

 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free); and Ancestry ($)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1885, 1887, 1889


 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only. Select Browse all images, click county

Church Records
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
 * Kittitas Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)
 * The court procedure of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of 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.

Directories

 * 1923-1924 Kittitas County Directory, 1923-1924 at Washington Digital Archives
 * Kittitas County, Washington Online Historical Directories listed by Google.com

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

Funeral Homes
Brookside Funeral Home and Crematory, 101 E 2nd Ave, Ellensburg, WA (509) 925-2902 Adam and Stoves Mortuary Roslyn, Washington See: Roslyn Funeral Home Brown Funeral Chapel, Cle Elum, Washington See: Cotton Chapel Coleman Chapel Cle Elum, Washington See: Cotton Chapel Cotton-Brown Funeral Chapel 1st and Harris St., Cle Elum, Washington P.O. Box 277, Cle Elum, 98922 (509) 674-4445 Cotton Chapel, Inc. Ellensburg, Washington See: Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory Also Known As: Hunnicutt Funeral Home, and Evenson Funeral Home. Evenson Funeral Home Ellensburg, Washington See: Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory Hunnicutt Funeral Home Ellensburg, Washington See: Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory Roslyn Funeral Home #4 Dakota Ave., Roslyn, WA 98941 Stoves Davies Mortuary Roslyn, Washington See: Roslyn Funeral Home Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory 301 E 3rd Ave., Ellensburg, Washington P.O. Box 306, Ellensburg, Washington 98926 (509) 925-3141 Stoves-Davies Funeral Home Roslyn, Washington See: Cotton Chapel

Local Histories
History Resources
 * "Ellensburg Heritage" photos at Ellensburg Public Library

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
World War I
 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1917-1919 David H. Dickson.  An honor roll containing a pictorial record of the gallant and courageous men from Kittitas County, Washington, U.S.A., who served in the Great War 1917-1918-1919. Ellensburg, Washington :, 1920?

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1890-1979 Naturalization Records, 1890-1979 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes: Declarations of intention 1888-1915; 1890-1906; 1915-1928; Naturalization index 1884-1953; 1907-1912; Orders of the court (admitting or denying the petition) 1929-1945; Petition evidence 1907-1924; Petitions for naturalization 1895-1948; Special naturalizations 1937-1946.

Newspapers

 * Kittitas County, Washington Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only

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

School Records
Online School Indexes and Records
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes School census records 1895-1925; and Teacher certificates 1895-1925.

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

Birth

 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 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 & images
 * 1890-1909 Birth Returns, 1890-1909 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Includes: Marriage applications and license index 1939-1985; Marriage certificates 1882-2009; Marriage certificates index 1920-1947; Marriage license applications 1939-2000; Marriage Register 1892-1939; Marriage returns 1891-1947.
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-2005 Marriage Records, 1891-2005 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * 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; Listed as "Birth (L-Z) and Death Returns"
 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1907 Death Records 1891 - 1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * 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

Divorce

 * 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

Family History Centers

 * Ellensburg Washington Family History Center
 * Ephrata Washington Family History Center
 * Quincy Washington Family History Center
 * Royal Washington Family History Center
 * Wahluke Washington Family History Center
 * Wenatchee Washington Family History Center
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library
 * Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Resources for Kittitas County are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.


 * Ellensburg Public Library 209 North Ruby Street Ellensburg, WA 98926 Phone: 509-962-7252 Website
 * Includes Local History Collection and Archives - 7,000 historical photographs


 * Cle Elum (Carpenter Memorial) Library 302 Pennsylvania Avenue Cle Elum, WA 98922 Phone: 509-674-2313 Website
 * Kittitas Public Library 2nd and Pierce Streets Kittitas, WA 98934 Phone: 509-968-0226 Website
 * Roslyn Public Library 201 S. First Street Roslyn, WA 98941 Phone: 509-649-3420 Website

Museums

 * Kittitas County Historical Museum 114 E 3rd Avenue Ellensburg, WA 98926 Website

Societies
Northern Kittitas County Historical Society 302 West 3rd Street Cle Elum, WA 98922 Phone: 509-649-2880 E-mail: [mailto:emailofsociety nkcmuseums@gmail.com] Website

Websites

 * Washington Genealogy
 * USGenWeb Kittitas County
 * Washington State Digital Archives


 * – 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.