Benton County, Oregon Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator who advocated American control over the Oregon Country. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1907 marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1850 and military discharge records from 1919.

Records held at County Courthouse

 * County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Benton County Court House as of July 2006.


 * Record Loss:

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Oregon, Benton County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Quick Facts


Named after Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri, who advocated U.S. control over Oregon Country.

Parent County
23 December 1847: from Polk County.

Boundary Changes
20 February 1893: Lincoln County. 28 January 1851: Umpqua County.

For animated maps illustrating Oregon County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oregon County Boundary Maps" (1843-1975) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

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:

Post Offices
 * Alpine: The post office was established in 1912.
 * Alsea: The post office was not established until July 1871, with Thomas Russell postmaster.

Neighboring Counties
Lane | Lincoln | Linn | Polk

Trivia Tidbits
Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. &gt; Trivia Tidbits

Cemeteries

 * Oregon Metro
 * Oregon Genealogy Cemeteries

Census

 * 1850
 * 1853 Territorial Transcription and Index
 * 1854 Territorial Transcription and Index
 * 1860
 * 1870
 * 1880
 * 1890
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930

County Records

 * 1856-1984 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1919-1920 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1921-1938 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1850-1885 - Benton County Oregon list of probate files SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - free


 * 1833 – 1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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

Vital Records
See also How to order Oregon Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oregon Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.

Birth Records

 * 1860 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index

Delayed Birth Certificates

Birth Registers

Marriage Records

 * 1826-1975 - Oregon, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 1) Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
 * 2) Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection

Societies, Libraries and Museums
Benton County Genealogical Society PO Box 1646 Philomath 97370

Benton County Historical Society 1101 Main Street Philomath 97370 Telephone: 541-929-6230 Website

Benton County History Ctr 110 Nw 3rd St Corvallis 97330-4701

Family History Centers

 * Corvallis Oregon Family History Center4141 NW Harrison Blvd. Corvallis OR 97330 United States Location on Map

Websites

 * Benton County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Oregon Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Benton County GenWeb Project, an member of The ORGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Benton County
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Benton County
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Benton County
 * Oregon, Benton County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)