Clackamas County, Oregon Genealogy
Guide to Clackamas County, Oregon ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Clackamas County, Oregon | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Oregon, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Oregon in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | July 5, 1843 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Oregon City |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Clackamas County Courthouse 719 Main Street Oregon City, OR 97045 Phone: 503.722.2745 Clackamas County Website |
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. The County is located in the northwest area of the state. [1]
Clackamas County, Oregon Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1846 | 1848 | 1902 | 1845 | 1846 | 1844 | 1845 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has marriage and land records 1846.
State Archivist has custody of some old county records.[3]
Records held at the Courthouse[edit | edit source]
- County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Clackamas County Court House as of September/October 2006.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Quick Facts[edit | edit source]
Named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, part of the Chinookan people.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
5 July 1843: Clackamas county was created from the Oregon Territory. [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
11 January 1854: Wasco County set off.
22 December 1854: Multhomah County set off.
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.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Villages | ||
| Hamlets | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Native American communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Hood River | Marion | Multnomah | Wasco | Washington | Yamhill
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| ORGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| ORGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| ORInterment | ||
| ORGravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Oregon Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 1,859 | — |
| 1860 | 3,466 | 86.4% |
| 1870 | 5,993 | 72.9% |
| 1880 | 9,260 | 54.5% |
| 1890 | 15,233 | 64.5% |
| 1900 | 19,658 | 29.0% |
| 1910 | 29,931 | 52.3% |
| 1920 | 37,698 | 25.9% |
| 1930 | 46,205 | 22.6% |
| 1940 | 57,130 | 23.6% |
| 1950 | 86,716 | 51.8% |
| 1960 | 113,038 | 30.4% |
| 1970 | 166,088 | 46.9% |
| 1980 | 241,919 | 45.7% |
| 1990 | 278,850 | 15.3% |
| 2000 | 338,391 | 21.4% |
| 2010 | 375,992 | 11.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church History and Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
History[edit | edit source]
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Maps[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Early migration routes to and from Clackamas County, Oregon Genealogy for European and African American settlers included:
- Willamette River
- Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon[6]
- Applegate Trail 1846 from Winnemucca, Nevada to Oregon City, Oregon
- Barlow Road 1846 from The Dalles to Oregon City
Military History and Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861-1865 Oregon, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1919-1920 Oregon, World War I, County Military Service Records, 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — index
- 1921-1938 Oregon, World War I, Veteran State Aid Applications, 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
Historic Oregon Newspapers as a division of the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program has digitzied more than 644,000 pages of newspapers throughout Oregon. Dates range from 1846-1922 with selected issues continuing through 1973.
Of particular interest to Clackamas researchers:
Clackamas County Record (Oregon City)
Oregon City Courier (Oregon City)
oregon courier (Oregon City)
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1864-1922 - Clackamas County Oregon list of will book testators 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[edit | edit source]
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. >> Rivers and Waterways
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
The Family History Library has copies of some county records as following:
Clackamas County Coroner's Inquest 1859-1883, Certificates of Death 1921-1944
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[edit | edit source]
- 1842-1917 Oregon, Oregon State Archives, Births, 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (*); Also at: Ancestry
- 1860 - 1952 Oregon Births, 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — index
Delayed Birth Certificates
Birth Registers
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 1826-1975 - Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1842-1917 Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1917 at Ancestry - index and images ($); Also at: FamilySearch
- 1849-1884; 1991-2006 Oregon Marriage Index, 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — index and images; collection is incomplete.
- 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
- Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
- Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection
Death Records[edit | edit source]
Societies, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]
Clackamas County Family History Society
PO Box 995
Oregon City 97045
Website
Museum of The Oregon Territory
211 Tumwater Drive
Oregon City, OR 97045
503-655-5574
Website
Facebook Page
End of the Oregon Trail
1726 Washington St
Oregon City, OR 97045
503-357-9336
Website
Stevens-Crawford Heritage House
603 6th St
Oregon City, OR 97045
503-655-2866
Website
Clackamas County Public Libraries
16201 SE McLoughin Blvd
Oak Grove, OR 97267
503-655-8543
135 E Dartmouth ST
Gladstone, OR 97027
503-655-8540
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Beaverton Oregon West Family History Center
- Cedar Mill Oregon West Union Family History Center
- Gresham Oregon Family History Center
- Lake Oswego Oregon Family History Center
- Milwaukie Oregon Family History Center
- Molalla Oregon Family History Center
- Mount Hood Oregon Family History Center
- Newberg Oregon Family History Center
- Oregon City Oregon Family History Center
- Portland Oregon Family History Center
- Tualatin Oregon Family History Center
- Wilsonville Oregon Family History Center
- Woodburn Oregon Family History Center
- The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
- Lake Oswego Public Library - an affiliate library
- Wilsonville Public Library - an affiliate library
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Clackamas County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- The Clackamas County GenWeb Project part of The ORGenWeb Project
- Linkpendium
- The USGenWeb Archives Project
- The USGenWeb Archives Project (backup site)
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Clackamas County
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clackamas, Oregon" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clackamas_County,_Oregon accessed 27 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clackamas County, Oregon . Page 572-574 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 563-564.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clackamas County, Oregon page 572, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ WorldCat 50140092 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.] (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clackamas County, Oregon," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clackamas_County,_Oregon, accessed 13 September 2018.
- ↑ Jim Tompkins, "The Oregon Trail 1841-1848 Map VI" in Oregon Trail Landmarks at
(accessed 18 July 2011).
