Asotin County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Asotin County

Guide to Asotin County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.


 * Quick start:
 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

County Overview

 * County Seat: Asotin . For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

County Formation
Asotin County, Washington was created ???.

Boundary Changes
Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Dates of Major County Records

 * Parent County: created 27 October 1883 from Garfield County
 * County Seat: Asotin
 * The name "Asotin" is from the Nez Perce language and means "place of eel" from the abundance of eels caught there.
 * Neighboring Counties: Garfield | Whitman | Nez Perce County, Idaho | Wallowa County, Oregon
 * Boundary Changes: No counties created from Asotin County.

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
Transcriptions of several cemeteries in Asotin County, many with a single burial, are available online at Interment.net. A listing of some additional cemeteries of Asotin County, along with some photographs of headstones, is also available online.

Census

 * 1889
 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940

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. Okanogan County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7608.


 * The Nez Perce tribes lived in Asotin County for many years before Lewis and Clark arrived in 1805.


 * Lewis and Clark passed through the county on their expedition, both outbound to the Pacific Ocean in 1805


 * Captain B. L. E. Bonneville led the next major expedition through Asotin County in February 1834


 * U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory on March 2, 1853.


 * Washington Territorial Legislature creates Walla Walla County on April 25, 1854


 * In the mid-1850s part of what would later become Asotin County (as well as part of adjoining Idaho) became an Indian reservation, resulting in the relocation of a fairly significant number of Native Americans to the future Asotin County


 * Whites made a few tentative settlements in Asotin County during the 1860s. The first settler, Sam Smith, arrived near the confluence of Alpowa Creek and the Snake River on June 10, 1861


 * Severe winter of 1861/1862 devastates Eastern Washington settlers


 * President Abraham Lincoln signs law separating new Idaho Territory from Washington on March 4, 1863.


 * Washington Territorial Legislature creates Columbia County (out of Walla Walla) on November 11, 1875


 * Washington Territorial Legislature creates Garfield County (out of Columbia County) on November 29, 1881


 * Washington Territorial Legislature creates Asotin County (out of Garfield) on October 27, 1883.

Maps



 * Family Maps of Asotin County, Washington (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Naturalization and Citizenship
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.)

Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.

Courthouse
Asotin County Courthouse PO Box 159 Asotin, WA 99402-0159 Phone: (509) 243–4181 County Auditor has birth and marriage records from 1891 and death records 1891-1907. County Clerk has divorce and probate records. County Assessor has land records from 1891.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Marriage

 * Marriages from 3 Feb 1884 to 6 Jun 1907 are available on the Western States Marriage index website.
 * Washington State Digital Archives has a database of Asotin Marriage Records from 1900 to 2003.

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.


 * Archives, Libraries, etc.

Death

 * 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.

Websites

 * The Asotin County WAGenWeb Project, a member of The WAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Asotin County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Asotin County. (Mirror site)
 * Family History Library Catalog for Asotin County.
 * Asotin County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

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.

Places
Cities

Communities