Wahkiakum County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Wahkiakum County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1854 when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Wahkiakum County, Washington was created 24 April 1854 from Cowlitz County.

County Seat: Cathlamet. See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Cowlitz | Lewis | Pacific | Oregon counties: Clatsop | Columbia

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.

Cemeteries

 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1857 •  1871 •  1885 •   1887
 * State-funded: 1892
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Church Records

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

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.

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. Wahkiakum County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 8011.


 * The lower Columbia River, including the future Wahkiakum County, was home to one of the most numerous and richest indigenous populations north of Mexico.
 * 1792 May - American fur trader Robert Gray became the first non-Indian to enter the Columbia River.
 * 1806 - Lewis and Clark's met up surviving Cathlamets from the south bank and crossed the river.
 * For a generation, those who followed Gray and Lewis and Clark to the Columbia came not to settle but to trade, especially for furs.
 * 1854 April 24 - The Washington Territorial Legislature established Wahkiakum County.
 * 1846 - James and Charlotte Birnie and their children became the first pioneers to settle permanently in Wahkiakum County.
 * 1850s - Homesteaders began farming the Elochoman Valley near Cathlamet.
 * 1870s - Scandinavian immigrants began arriving.
 * Until well into the twentieth century, the Columbia River and its tributaries were virtually the only transportation system for Wahkiakum County.

Land and Property

 * 1858-1954 Part of:"County Land Records, 1850-1954" FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1884-1958 Part of: County Records, 1850-1982 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Declarations of Intention, 1891-1951 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Miscellaneous Naturalization Records, 1891-1913 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Petitions for Naturalization, 1891-1961 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (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

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

Probate Records

 * 1877-1921 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * Birth Returns, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

Marriage

 * County Marriages, 1855-2008 FamilySearch Historicl Collections (free)
 * Marriage Affidavits, 1907-1939 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

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.


 * 1890-1950 Part of: County Divorce Records, 1852-1950 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Death

 * County Deaths, 1891-1907 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * 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.
 * Death Returns 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:
 * WAGenWeb Wahkiakum County
 * USGenWeb
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.
 * Wahkiakum/ Web Sites at RootsWeb -Wahkiakum WA (Free)

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

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
Wahkiakum County Courthouse 64 Main Street PO Box 116; Cathlamet, WA 98612 Phone: 360.795.3558 County Auditor has birth records 1891-1907 and marriage records from from 1891. County Clerk has burial, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1868.

Libraries

 * Burbank Heights Library, 875 Lake Road, Burbank 99323 Phone: (509) 545-6549


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Prescott Library, 103 D St., Prescott 99348 Phone: (509) 849-2411


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Touchet Community Library, 161 Hanson Road, Touchet 99360 Phone: (509) 394-2329


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Waitsburg (Weller) Public Library, 212 Main Street, Waitsburg 99361 Phone: (509) 337-8149


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Walla Walla County Rural Library District, 37 Jade Ave., Walla Walla 99362 Phone: (509) 527-3284


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Walla Walla Public Library, 238 E. Alder Street, Walla Walla 99362 Phone: (509) 527-4388


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Cathlamet (Blanche Bradley) Public Library, 100 Main St, Cathlamet 98612 Phone: (360) 795-3254

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