Pacific County, Washington Genealogy

Guide to Pacific 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 Pacific Ocean. The County is located on the west coast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Pacific County Courthouse 300 Memorial Drive South Bend, WA 98586 Phone: 360-875-9334 County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1905 and marriage records from 1868. County Clerk Clerk has divorce, probate and court records. County Assessor has land records.

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:

History Timeline

 * The Chinook Indians were original inhabitants of the lower Columbia River including the future Pacific County.
 * 1775 Bruno Heceta, aboard the Spanish frigate Santiago, mapped the entrance to the Columbia River
 * 1792 May 11,  Captain Robert Gray of Boston aboard the Columbia Rediviva sailed into the Columbia River as the first European to do so.
 * 1805-November 15 The Lewis and Clark expedition first viewed the Pacific Ocean from the sandy beach of the Long Beach Peninsula.
 * 1843 Englishman James A. Scarborough settled at Chinook Point on the Columbia River.
 * 1840s late, Settlement in the future Pacific County was framed first by nearby Hudson's Bay Co. fur trappers.
 * 1850 pre, The Chinook and the Chehalis were eventually decimated by introduced diseases.
 * 1851 The Oregon Territorial Legislature created Pacific County out of the southwestern corner of Lewis County.
 * 1853-March 2 U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1866-September 22 The Shoalwater Indian Reservation was established by an executive order signed by President Andrew Johnson.

Census Records

 * Census indexes at Washington State Archives
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1883 1885, 1887.


 * 1850-1914 Web: Washington, U.S., Various County Census Records, 1850-1914 at Ancestry (Free)

Church Records
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Raymond

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
 * Pacific Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State 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

 * 1914-1923 R. L. Polk & Co., Lewis and Pacific Counties Directory, 1914-1923 at Washington State Archives - index and images

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

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1854 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1996-2022 Pacific County Auditor, Recorded Land Records, 1996-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1996-2022 Pacific County Auditor, Plats and Surveys, 1996-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1996-2022 Pacific County Auditor, Recorded Agreements and Contracts, 1996-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Local Histories

 * northwest coast, or Three Years Residence in Shoal Water Bay'' by James Gilchrist Swan. [London, Low, son & co.; 1857] online at Hathi Trust.

History Resources
 * "Pacific County, Washington Facts" listed at StateofUS.com (mis-labeled as Pacific County, Alabama)

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records

 * 1885-1907 Military Department, National Guard Enlistment Register, 1885-1907 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Indian Wars
 * 1855-1856 Military Department, Indian War Muster Rolls, 1855-1856 at Washington State Archives - index and images

World War I
 * 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War II

Japanese
 * 1942-1946 Public Welfare/Social Security Department, Evacuee (Japanese) Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 at Washington State Archives - index and images; Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1982 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1872-1970 Pacific County Clerk, Naturalization Records, 1872-1970 at Washington State Archives - index and images

Newspapers

 * 1855-2009 Washington Newspapers, 1855-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Washington Digital Newspaper at Washington State Library
 * Pacific County, Washington Newspapers - List of known newspapers for the county, including town and years published for each newspaper

Other Records
Public Records
 * Prior to 1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1996-2013 Power of Attorney Records, 1996-2013 at Washington State Archives - index & images

Voting Records
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Periodicals

 * Washington Periodicals

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1832-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1852-1963 Washington, Births at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 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
 * 1891-1915 Pacific County Auditor, Birth Register, 1891-1915 at Washington State Archives - index & images

Marriage

 * 1801-1962 Washington, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1803-2010 Washington, County Records, 1803-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1872-1947; 1996-2022 Pacific County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1872-1947; 1996-2022 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 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

 * 1881-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1891-1917 Pacific County Auditor, Death Records, 1891-1917 at Washington State Archives - index and images
 * 1907-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 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

 * 1852-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Astoria Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Centralia Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Elma Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Long Beach Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Longview Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Morton Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Ocean Shores Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Olympia Washington FamilySearch Center
 * Northwest African American Museum - an affiliate library

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

Timberland Libraries - Pacific County
 * Branches and Locations: Website
 * Genealogy/Data Base Tools: Website
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)

Societies
Pacific County Historical Society & Museum PO Box P South Bend, WA 98586 360-875-5224 E-mail: [mailto:emailofsociety museum@willapabay.org] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Pacific County Washington Genealogy Research
 * WAGenWeb for Pacific County
 * USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Washington State 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.