Deschutes County, Oregon Genealogy

Guide to Deschutes County, Oregon ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Description
Deschutes County was named for the Deschutes River. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage, burial, divorce, land, probate, military discharge records from 1853 and Naturalization records from 1916.

Deschutes County Government

Historical Facts


Named for Deschutes River. French name was Riviere des Chutes or Riviere aux Chutes, meaning River of the Falls. The waterfall it referred to was Celilo Falls near where the river exits into Columbia River.

Parent County
13 December 1916: Created from Crook County.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Oregon County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oregon County Boundary Maps" (1843-1975) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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:

Defunct Post Offices

 * Alfalfa: Alfalfa is a well-known district, about 15 miles east of Bend, named for the forage crop grown there under irrigation. Alfalfa post office was established Jan. 29, 1912, with Sibyl C. Walker first of several postmasters. The office was closed Dec. 26, 1922, and the business was turned over to Bend.

Neighboring Counties
Crook | Harney | Jefferson | Klamath | Lake | Lane | Linn

Trivia Tidbits
Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. &gt; Trivia Tidbits

Cemeteries

 * Oregon Metro
 * Oregon Genealogy Cemeteries

Church History and Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

County Records
County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Gazetteers

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

Maps

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

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1833–1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)

Rivers and Waterways
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. &gt;&gt; Rivers and Waterways

Vital Records
See also How to order Oregon Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oregon Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.

Birth Records

 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (*); Also at: Ancestry
 * 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Delayed Birth Certificates

Marriage Records

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1842-1917 Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1917 at Ancestry - index & images, ($); Also at: 
 * 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — index and images; collection is incomplete.
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
 * Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection

Societies, Libraries and Museums
Bend Genealogical Society 2200 US-20 Bend, OR 97701 Phone: 541-317-9553 Email: [mailto:bgs@bendbroadband.com bgs@bendbroadband.com] Website

Deschutes County Historical Society 129 NW Idaho Ave Bend, OR 97701 Phone: 541-389-1813 Website Facebook

Deschutes Public Library Administration 507 NW Wall St Bend, OR 97703 Website Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bend Oregon Family History Center
 * Prineville Oregon Family History Center
 * Redmond Oregon Family History Center
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
 * Oregon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Deschutes County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Deschutes County GenWeb Project part of The ORGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Deschutes County.