Oregon Archives and Libraries

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Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a family history center

United States Oregon Archives and Libraries

Many archives and libraries, including societes, have resources such as maps, gazetteers, and other place-finding aids to help you locate information about Oregon. They may have collections of previous research, such as family and local histories and biographies. Many have record-finding aids such as guides to their own collections or inventories of records housed elsewhere in the state.

Wiki Articles on Major Repositories in Oregon

Oregon State Archives · Knight Library · Mark O. Hatfield Library · The Valley Library · Oregon Historical Society · National Archives at Seattle · Family History Library

Archives

• National Archives at Seattle
  6125 Sand Point Way, N.E.
  Seattle, WA 98115-7999
  Telephone: 206-336-5115
  Fax: 206-336-5112
  Website
  Email
  
  

A NEW DATABASE FROM THE STATE ARCHIVES: EARLY OREGONIANS DATABASE ADDED.

Information from the Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno:
The Early Oregonians Database includes information from census, death, probate, and other records to document the people who lived in Oregon before statehood. The project includes people living in Oregon from 1800 to 1860.

Oregon State Archives has a Website which includes entires compiled by examining actual records held by the Archives. The spelling of surnames and other information reflects the original records. There are currently 572,940 entries in the index. Records include births, deaths, marriages, naturalizations, probates, divorce, and many, many, more. Surname and County searches are available.

The foundation of information in the database is based on data extracted from the 1850 and 1860 censuses for Oregon. Volunteers have created profiles of individuals that capture information about their parents, spouses, and birth and death information. When possible additional information from records in the Archives holdings and other published sources have been used to provide more complete or accurate information.

Various records from the Oregon State Archives such as probate records, death certificates, and marriage records were searched to identify individuals who appeared to meet the criteria. As additional features of the database become functional, researchers will be able to view a list of records associated with a particular individual that are part of the Oregon State Archives holdings and request copies.

Despite the fact that large populations of Native Americans lived in the Oregon Country prior to 1840, documentation of those individuals is scant and not readily available. Because of this, Native Americans presented a special challenge. Currently the database includes close to 3,500 individuals of Native American descent. Information on Native Americans that lived into the twentieth century can be problematic as well. Project volunteers are beginning to work on the Indian censuses compiled for the various reservations between 1885 and 1940 with the goal of incorporating more information and individuals in the project over time.

Further review and editing will result in additional entries when evidence supports inclusion in the database. If you have documentation
you would like to contribute to the Early Oregonians Database, contact the Archives staff at Early.Oregonians@state.or.us A more detailed description of the project and an FAQ are available at http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/eo_overview.html and http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/eo_faqs.html

• Archives West
  

Formerly Northwest Digital Archives. Contains listings of archives in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, and Utah.

Societies

• The Oregon Historical Society
  1200 S.W. Park Avenue
  Portland, OR 97205-2483
  Telephone: 503-222-1741
  Fax: 503-221-2035
  Website
  Email

Libraries

• Genealogical Forum of Oregon
  2505 SE 11th Ave., Suite B-18
  Portland, OR 97202
  Telephone: 503-963-1932
  Website
  Online Library Catalog
  Email
  
  

• Oregon State Library
  State Library Building
  250 Winter Street N.E.
  Salem, OR 97310-3950
  Telephone: 503-378-8800
  Fax: 503-585-8059
  Website
  Email
  
  

• University of Oregon
  Knight Library
  1501 Kincaid Street
  Eugene, OR 97403-1299
  Telephone: 541-346-3053
  Fax: 541-346-3485
  Website
  Email

Oregon Online Records

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.