Gilliam County, Oregon Genealogy
Guide to Gilliam County, Oregon ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Gilliam County, Oregon | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Oregon, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Oregon in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 17, 1899 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Condon |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Gilliam County Courthouse 221 South Oregon Street Condon, Or 97823 Phone: 541-384-2311 Gilliam County Website |
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Cornelius Gilliam, who commanded the forces of the provisional government of Oregon after the Whitman Massacre. The County is located in the north central area of the state. [1]
County Courthouse
[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has marriage, divorce,
probate, court and land records from 1885.[2]
Gilliam County, Oregon Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1885 | 1912 | 1885 | 1885 | 1885 | 1845 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
17 Feb 1899: Parts were taken to form Wheeler 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[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:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Defunct Post Offices[edit | edit source]
- Ajax: Ajax is a locality about 16 miles airline northwest of Condon, between Ferry and Devils canyons. It supported a post office at one time, but now there is not much in the place. The office operated intermittently from 1888 to 1921. There is a story to the effect that a cowboy named Gardner volunteered to carry the mail for the new office, without pay, and that he suggested it be named after the steamer Ajax. Gardner had come to Oregon from California on that ship and had a sentimental interest in the name. FamilySearch Catalog
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Morrow | Sherman | Wasco | Wheeler | Klickitat County, Washington State
Trivia Tidbits[edit | edit source]
Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. > Trivia Tidbits
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 | ||
| ORGravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Oregon Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1890 | 3,600 | — |
| 1900 | 3,201 | −11.1% |
| 1910 | 3,701 | 15.6% |
| 1920 | 3,960 | 7.0% |
| 1930 | 3,467 | −12.4% |
| 1940 | 2,844 | −18.0% |
| 1950 | 2,817 | −0.9% |
| 1960 | 3,069 | 8.9% |
| 1970 | 2,342 | −23.7% |
| 1980 | 2,057 | −12.2% |
| 1990 | 1,717 | −16.5% |
| 2000 | 1,915 | 11.5% |
| 2010 | 1,871 | −2.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Federal[edit | edit source]
- 1890
- 1900
- 1910
- 1920
- 1930
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 Gilliam County, Oregon Genealogy for European and African American settlers included:
- Columbia River
- Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon[5]
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.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 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]
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]
Gilliam County Historical Museum
History Museum
OR-19
Condon, OR 97823
Telephone: 541-384-4233
Website
Gilliam County Historical Society
Highway 19 at Burns Park
PO Box 377
Condon, Oregon, 97823
Telephone: 503-384-4233
Gilliam County Public Library
134 S Main St
Condon, OR 97823
541-384-6052
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
- The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
- Oregon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Gilliam County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- The Gilliam County GenWeb Project part of The ORGenWeb Project
- Linkpendium
- The USGenWeb Archives Project *The USGenWeb Archives Project (backup site)
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Gilliam County.
Gilliam County Oregon Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Gilliam, Oregon" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilliam_County,_Oregon accessed 27 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Gilliam County, Oregon page 572, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Gilliam 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "GIlliam County, Oregon," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilliam_County,_Oregon, accessed 10 October 2018.
- ↑ Jim Tompkins, "The Oregon Trail 1841-1848 Map VI" in Oregon Trail Landmarks at
(accessed 18 July 2011).
