Clallam County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington Clallam County

Guide to Clallam County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

Historical Facts

 * Parent County: created 26 April 1854 from Jefferson County
 * County Seat: Port Angeles
 * Originally spelled Clalm. Named for the lands of the Klallam (Makah and Quileute tribes.)
 * Includes the Olympic Peninsula, home of the Olympic National Park, the Rain Forest of the Pacific Northwest.
 * Permament settlement by non-Indians occurred after 1850.
 * Port Angeles has been the county seat since 1890 when it was incorporated as a city.
 * Additional history of Clallam County at Washington's HistoryLink.org
 * Neighboring Counties: Jefferson

Boundary Changes

 * 29 January 1868, Quillehute County was created, but it reverted back to Clallam and Jefferson counties in 1870. Records created in both counties.

Resources
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

 * 1860
 * 1870
 * 1880
 * 1889
 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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

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.

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.)

Courthouse
Clallam County Courthouse 223 E 4th Street PO Box 863 Port Angeles, WA 98362-3025 Phone: 360.417.2508 County Auditor has marriage and land records. County Clerk has probate records.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Forks Washington Family History Center
 * Port Angeles Washington Family History Center

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

 * The Clallam County WAGenWeb Project, a member of The WAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Clallam County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Clallam County. (Mirror site)
 * Family History Library Catalog for Clallam County.
 * Clallam County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

Places
Cities

Communities