Oregon, Polk County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
The collection covers the years 1857 to 1972.

Record Description
This collection includes digital images of records from the Polk County Courthouse in Dallas, Oregon. More records will be added to this collection as images become available.


 * Land (1857-1945)
 * Probate - Wills (1925-1945)
 * Other records (1934-1936)

At present, many other Polk County records can be viewed on microfilm at the Family History Library and family history centers.

County officials began keeping records from the time the county was formed.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts in the Oregon, Polk County Records may contain the following information:




 * Name of deceased
 * Event date
 * Event place
 * Residence
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Names of parents
 * Biographical information about parents such as date and place of birth
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of property or land
 * Occupation

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The approximate date the event occurred
 * The name of the individual or individuals

Identify the record to be searched
From the Record Description list, identify the kind of record you would like to search (land, probate, etc.) and click on the title link to select it.

Find the image
Start searching individual images or pages that you have listed. Compare the information in the records to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the age to calculate the birth date.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment records or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Why the Record Was Created
Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs.

Record Reliability
Facts current at the time of the event are generally reliable.

Related Websites
Polk County Oregon RootsWeb

Related Wiki Articles

 * Oregon Court Records
 * Oregon Land and Property
 * Polk County, Oregon

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for Records Found in This Collection
"Oregon, Polk County Records 1857-1972" digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 29 September 2011). Helen L. Springsteen, October 27, 1926; citing County Records, Probate records, Will records, 1925-1945, Vol. 4, Images 4 &amp; 5; Polk County Clerk, Dallas, Oregon, United States.