Union County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Description
Union County was named for the town of Union. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Union County Courthouse 1105 K Ave La Grande, Or 97850 Phone: 541-962-9500 Union County Website
 * County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1875, and naturalization records 1900-1975.
 * Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1854.
 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator.

Defunct Post Offices


 * Alicel: Alicel is a station on the Joseph branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. It is reported when this branch line was built about 1890, Charles Ladd, a local resident, had the station named for his wife, Alcie Ladd. After the death of Mr. Ladd his widow married a Mr. Tucker and subsequently lived in Seattle. Alicel is located in the Grande Ronde Valley. Had a post office from 1890 until 1972. Alicel was platted in 1890.

History Timeline
Named for the city of Union which is located within the boundaries, a county seat at the time of the creation of the county.
 * 11 February 1887: Wallowa County was set off.
 * 1 February 1901: Southeast portion of Union known as the Panhandle was annexed to Baker County by the order of the State Legislature.
 * Union was the former county seat until after 1 February 1901.

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records

 * County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Union County for European and African American settlers included:
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

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

Military Records
 Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

World War I
 * 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & 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 Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1833-1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — 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

Vital Records
Many early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

Birth

 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1876-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1849-1884;1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1885-1896 Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection
 * 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho

Death

 * 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1864-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864-1968 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Elgin Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * La Grande Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Pendleton Oregon FamilySearch Center
 * Cook Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Cook Memorial Library 2006 Fourth St La Grande, OR 97850 541-962-1339 Website

Societies

 * Union County Historical Society 333 S Main St Union 97883 Website

Websites

 * Union County GenWeb, and OR GenWeb
 * USGenWeb 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.