Thurston County, Washington Genealogy

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

County Overview
In August 1848 Congress established Oregon Territory, which included the future state of Washington. By 1850 there were more than 300 non-Indian inhabitants north of the Columbia River, and as the new communities on and near the southern shores of Puget Sound began to grow, so grew the need for a local organized government and a new county. Simmons (in honor of Michael Simmons) was proposed as the name of the new county.

Instead, Thurston was chosen as the new county’s name and Olympia was chosen as the county seat. The Oregon Territorial Legislature carved the new county out of Lewis County on January 12, 1852. The early Thurston County was considerably larger than it is today, covering territory from west of the Cascades to the coast and north to the Canadian border. However, other counties were quickly formed from parts of Thurston County and by 1877 it had been reduced to its present size.

Thurston County’s name came from Samuel R. Thurston (1816-1851), the first delegate to Congress in 1849 from the new Oregon Territory, who had made a name for himself during his brief tenure in office defending the territorial rights of the northern part of Oregon Territory against the claims of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Parent County(s)
Thurston County, Washington was created 12 January 1852.

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

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Grays Harbor | Lewis | Mason | Pierce

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Dates of Major County Records
Note: The dates you see below have not yet been adapted to.

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.

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


 * United States Census 1860
 * United States Census 1870
 * United States Census 1880
 * United States Cenus 1890 Veterans
 * United States Cenus 1900
 * United States Cenus 1910
 * United States Census 1920
 * United States Cenus 1930
 * United States Census 1920
 * United States Cenus 1930

Church Records

 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)


 * United States Church Records
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * USGenWeb Church Records Project
 * Search at Church Directory of the United States
 * Search at Net Ministries
 * Search at USA Church
 * Yellowbook Business, People Search, Reverse lookup
 * Google "church and your county name"

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



Emigration and Immigration

 * United States Emigration and Immigration

American Indians

 * Indians of the Untied States and Their Records
 * Online Native American Indian Genealogy Records &amp; Databases

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

Genealogy

 * Thurston County Washington Genealogy and Family History Resources

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

 * Thurston County History, People and Places
 * Thumbnail History of Thurston County, Washington
 * Thurston County, Washington - Wikipedia
 * Thruston County, Washington - USGen Web project
 * Thumbnail History of Thurston County, Washington
 * Thurston County, Washington - Wikipedia
 * Thruston County, Washington - USGen Web project

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. Thurston County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7979.


 * Native Americans had been residents of southern Puget Sound long before the first documented white settlers passed through in 1792
 * 1792 May - The first documented exploration of Puget Sound was headed by British captain George Vancouver.
 * 1820s - White explorers next visited the area when scouts of the British-owned Hudson’s Bay Company passed through.
 * 1833 April - The Hudson’s Bay Company subsequently established Fort Nisqually.
 * 1845 October - Michael Simmons settled near Tumwater Falls and established the first American settlement in what would become the state of Washington.
 * 1852 January 12 - The Oregon Territorial Legislature carved Thurston county out of Lewis County.
 * 1853 March 2 - President Millard Fillmor ecreated the Territory of Washington.
 * 1854 December - Governor Isaac Stevens and 62 leaders of major Indian tribes in western Washington met at Medicine Creek (now McAllister Creek) in Thurston County and signed what became known as the Medicine Creek Treaty.

Land and Property

 * County Land Records, 1850-1954 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)



Maps
Area map and other information from 1895: http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/WA/

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Naturalization 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

 * The Olympian
 * Nisqually Valley News
 * Nisqually Valley News


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

Obituaries

 * Washington State Cemetery and Obituary Resources
 * Thurston County, Washington Obituaries

Funeral Homes

 * US Funerals Online
 * USA Funeral Homes Online
 * American Funeral Homes
 * Funeral Homes INFO

Probate Records

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



Marriage

 * County Marriages, 1855-2008 FamilySearch Historicl Collections (free)

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.



Divorce

 * County Divorce Records, 1852-1950FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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.



Websites

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


 * FamilySearch Catalog

Following is list of sites where you might find county-specific information that you could add to your county page, as well as general links you might wish to include as further research resources.


 * United States
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * Google
 * Wee Monster Genealogy Webpages
 * Linkpendium
 * ProGenealogist~part of this site is free~
 * Cyndislist
 * US GenWeb
 * Genealogy Links
 * State Archives
 * Genealogylinks.net
 * The Online Books Page, Click on Books Online, click on Subjects at the bottom of the page.
 * One Step ~ Stephen P. Morse
 * Olive Tree Genealogy
 * Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books ~ In the search widow type in a subject or surname.
 * FamilyHistory 101
 * FamilySearch
 * Ancestry.com ~pay for site~ free patron use in most Family History Centers
 * Footnote.com ~pay for site~ free patron use in most Family History Centers
 * Heritagequest.com ~pay for site~ free patron use in most Family History Centers

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
Thurston County Courthouse 2000 Lakeridge Dr SW; Olympia, WA 98502 Phone: 360.786.5438 County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and marriage records from 1891. County Clerk has divorce probate and court records.

Many civil records have been digitized and are available through the Thurston County Clerk's Office: http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/clerk/citizens%20guide.html

FamilySearch Centers

 * Olympia Washington Family History Center

Libraries
Local Libraries:


 * Olympia Timberland Library
 * United States Archives and Libraries
 * Libraries.com~Lists public libraries by state/county~
 * Family History Centers
 * WorldCat Library Catalog
 * Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
 * Nathional Archives and Records Administration

Societies

 * http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~waogs/ Olympia Genealogical Society
 * List of other Washington State Genealogical Societies

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