Douglas County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Douglas County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1883, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Douglas County, Washington was created 28 November 1883 from Lincoln County. .

County Seat: Waterville. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes
Lincoln County was created from Spokane County four days prior to the creation of Douglas County. Prior records would be held at Spokane County for 1879 to 1883, and Stevens County for 1860 to 1879. Stevens County holds the Spokane County commissioner and earliest land records.

See Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Chelan | Grant | Kittitas | Okanogan

Topics
Below are resources used for family history and genealogy, with dates, value of records, and how to access them for. Internet links may contain names, images, or more information for the county.

Cemeteries

 * Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Census

 * See Washington Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
 * Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.


 * 1890 Veterans
 * 1900
 * 1910
 * 1920
 * 1930
 * 1940
 * Federal or territorial census indexes by local societies and individuals: 1885, 1887, 1892, and 1910

Church Records

 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for are listed in the . (Press space bar to select town.)

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. Douglas County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7961.


 * The, a Salishan people, inhabited much of the area that would become Douglas County.
 * Chinese immigrants placer-mined for gold along the banks of the Columbia River beginning in the 1860s
 * 1875 - Indians from the Methow River attacked these Chinese miners, killing an unknown number of miners and driving many others away from their mining operations.
 * 1877 - Phillip McEntee, a member of a surveying party that was determining the boundary line between the United States and British Columbia, traveled through the future Douglas County.
 * 1881 - McEntee returned to the area and settled near present-day Coulee City (now part of Grant County) and began a cattle ranching operation. He was one of the first permanent non-Indian residents of the region.
 * 1883 - November - 28 - Douglas County was carved out of Lincoln County.

Land and Property

 * County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Maps



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

Military

 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Douglas and other counties. Key (at end of the list) explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. Free.

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.)


 * 1888-1945 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Naturalization Records, 1891-1973 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

Obituaries
Also check:


 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties

Public Records

 * Prior to 1965 Part of: County Records, Prior to 1965 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

School Records

 * 1893-1925 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * Washington State Digital Archives has a database of Douglas County Birth Records. This database contains the names of people who were born in Douglas County from June 1891 – August 1913. The names were taken from the Douglas County Register of Births.
 * Birth Returns, 1891-1907, 1911 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * 1891-1943 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Marriage

 * Marriages from 10 Dec 1877 to 22 Nov 1900 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * Marriage Records, 1884-1975 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * 1884-1975 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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.

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.
 * Death Returns 1891 - 1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * 1891-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
 * WAGenWeb
 * Current Collections at Washington State Digital Archives (Free) Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in November, 2013.
 * Historical Collections at FamilySearch.org. (Free) Click "Last Updated." Collections through October 2013 have been posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page.

Sites that search the Internet for records online:


 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Douglas WA (Free)
 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records: Catalogs refer to books, microfilm, manuscripts, and/or Internet images and indexes for various topics.


 * for (Select topics. Add comma to select towns.)
 * WorldCat To find libraries near you that have items of interest, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
 * See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

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.

Courthouse
Douglas County Courthouse 213 South Rainier Waterville, WA 98858 Phone: 509.745.8529 County Auditor has marriage records from 1907 burial records to 1909, land records to 1925, marriage, death, divorce, probate and court records.

Libraries
Online Resources: The public libraries in Douglas County are part of North Central Regional Library. Their Research and Homework Center includes Heritage Quest. Library cards and passwords may be required for access.


 * Bridgeport Community Library, 1206 Columbia St, Bridgeport 98813 Phone: (509) 686-7281


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:


 * East Wenatchee Community Library, 271 9th St Ne, East Wenatchee 98802 Phone: (509) 886-7404


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:


 * Waterville Community Library, 105 N Chelan, Waterville 98858 Phone: (509) 745-8354


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:

Towns and Communities
See a list of towns and communities in DouglasCounty per Wikipedia.