Baker County, Oregon Genealogy

''This article is about a northwest Oregon county. For other uses, see Baker.''

United States Oregon  Baker County

County Courthouse
Baker County Government

County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Baker County Court House as of June/July 2010.

Baker County Court is structured differently. Check the County Records Inventory link for addresses for location of records (left column).

This courthouse has the reputation of being the cleanest county record depository in the state of Oregon.


 * Record Loss: Some will books were lost in a county clerk's office fire in 1890s. One early marriage register is missing (covering 1862-1877) (as of 15 August 2012).

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at

Oregon, Baker County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Historical Facts
Named for U.S. Senator Edward Dickinson Baker of Oregon, who was killed at the Battle of Ball's Bluff in the Civil War.

Boundary Changes
22 September 1862: Baker county was created from Wasco County.

14 October 1864: Union County set off.

17 February 1887: Malheur County set off.

1 February 1901: The Panhandle area between the Powder River and the Wallowa Mountains was returned from Union County, forming the northeast corner of Baker County.

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

Biography
An Illustrated history of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney counties ▲  ([Spokane, Washington]: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1902). Heavy on history (prehistoric to time of publication), heavy on biographies of prominent men, but little of genealogies and Also available in other forms:


 * 1) eBook - HeritageQuestonline.com (LAR)
 * 1) eBook - HeritageQuestonline.com (LAR)

Thirty-one years in Baker County: a history of the county from 1861 to 1893; Isaac Hiatt ▲  (Baker, Oregon: Baker County Historical Society and the Powder River Sportsmen's Club, 1970).

Cemeteries (Rural)

 * Baker County, Oregon: reprints of records published in the Oregon Genealogical Society quarterly, volumes 21-22. 1982-1984

Federal

 * 1870 - the area between Baker City, Haines and the Blue Mountains, generally known as Wingville was overlooked and not enumerated.
 * Eastern Oregon 1870 U.S. Census : Baker County, Grant County, Umatilla County, Union County
 * 1880 - the portion that was later be Malheur County, all the places south of Malheur River including what is now Ontario, Vale, Nyssa, Owyhee, etc was not enumerated.
 * 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1900 censuses, the Panhandle of Baker County enumerations can be found in Union County when it was part of Union County.
 * 1870
 * 1880
 * 1890
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930

State

 * 1905

Court Records

 * Widow's pension applications and ledger, Baker County, Oregon, 1913-1936 (Baker County Court, State of Oregon, 2001)

Directories

 * Eastern Oregon directory, 1899-1900: a complete directory of Umatilla, Union and Baker counties; with the Portland business directory
 * Baker City (Oregon) city directories, 1908-1935
 * Baker (Baker County, Oregon) city directory: including Baker County residents, rural routes, also a buyers' guide and a complete classified business directory, 1959-

Emigration and Immigration

 * Ellis Island Passenger Arrival Records, 1892-1924, listing passengers who stated they are going to Baker County, Oregon

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Snake River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

Genealogy
Biography, History


 * The History of Baker County; Baker County Historical Society, pub. 1986. ▲  ([S.l.]: Baker County Historical Society (OR), 1986) Little of biography and local history, more of family genealogies.
 * Centennial pioneer families of Baker County, 1976

History
Also see: Biography, Genealogy

Maps

 * Hometown Locator for Baker County

Pensions
Court records for the widows pensions

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

Taxation

 * Baker County, [Oregon], assessment tax rolls, 1892-1897
 * Baker City (Oregon) city directories microfilm 2309792 Item 1 Tax lists are for Baker, Grant and Union counties 1908-1909, listed as last part of the volume.

Vital Records
The Family History Library has copies of some county records as following:

Baker County birth and death records 1916-1929, records of death 1905-1911

Social Security Death Index, begins about 1962 to at least 2 months ago.

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Baker Oregon Family History Center
 * Pine Valley Oregon Family History Center (Halfway)

Web Sites

 * Baker County Trails to the Past
 * The Baker County ORGenWeb Project, a member of The ORGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Baker County
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Baker County (backup site)
 * Webtree.com, listing individuals who born or died in Baker City or County, Oregon. Submitters of gedcoms may add, update or remove contents.
 * Family History Library catalog for Baker County
 * Oregon, Baker County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)