Chelan County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Chelan County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1899, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
was created 13 March 1899 from Kittitas and Okanogan counties

County Seat: Wenatchee. See also Towns and Communities in. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Chelan County Courthouse 350 Douglas Street Wenatchee, WA 98801 Phone: 509.667.6380 County Auditor has birth and death records 1900-1907 and marriage records from 1900. City Clerk has burial records. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records.


 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 4. Chelan County (Wenatchee) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com  ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Neighboring Counties
isurrounded by: Douglas | King | Kittitas | Okanogan | Skagit | Snohomish

Business and Commerce

 * Professional License Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)


 * Miscellaneous papers regarding state census 1902-1953 Part of the Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Federal 1910
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Church Records

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

Court Records

 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 4. Chelan County (Wenatchee) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Election Records

 * 1923-1923 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

American Indian
The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan Counties, including a small portion of Chelan County.

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.

Genealogy

 * "Genealogy Research C" online
 * " Public Records" online
 * "Chelan County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1900-2008" online
 * "The Burial at 45CH296, Chelan County" online
 * "Riverview Cemetery (Cemetery District No. 4) " online

History

 * A history of central Washington : including the famous Wenatchee, Entiat, Chelan and the Columbia Valleys, with an index and ei (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com  ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)


 * "Chelan County, Alabama (Washington) Facts" online


 * Illustrated History of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan Counties, State of Washington by Richard F. Steele [(Spokane, Wash.): Western Historical Pub. Co., 1904] Commonly known by title History of North Washington. Online at Washington Secretary of State site (Free). This book has numerous errors and its facts should viewed with circumspection.

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. Chelan County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7624.


 * 1803 - Before this time, the (also spelled Wenatchi) lived along the Wenatchee River, which flowed from the Cascades into the Columbia.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
 * 1863 - The first non-Indians to live in the Chelan and Wenatchee valleys were Chinese prospectors looking for gold in the rivers and streams, starting in about this time
 * 1886 - Lake Chelan’s first white settlers were William Sanders and William Dumke. They arrived at the south end of the lake the hard way, from the north.
 * 1899 - March 13, Washington State Legislature created Chelan 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.
 * Land 1888 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys Records at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1974 - 2008, 1900 - 2008 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Military

 * World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Chelan 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.)


 * 1900-1948 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Naturalization Records, 1900-1973 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Naturalization and Citizenship 1900-1948 Part of the Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Facts for declarations of intention1900-1945; Naturalization certificate stubs 1921-1926; correspondence files 1907-1915; depositions 1904-1945; petitions vol 10 1900-1948; proceedings 1907-1915; records  1900-1906; Oath of allegiance applications 1940-1945; Preliminary declarations of intention 1926-1927;  Preliminary petitions for citizenship 1924-1926; Index to naturalization 1925-1928.

Newspapers

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

Obituaries

 * Web: Wenatchee, Washington, Obituary Index, 1884-2009 (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Probate Records

 * Probate Records 1888-1930. Part of Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections.  (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Public Records

 * Chelan Postmaster Index. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)


 * Public Records 1923. Part of Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections.  (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Cashmere Municipal Government Special Election Poll Book and Tally Sheet 1 1923 and Mothers' pensions 1913-1937.

School Records

 * School Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes School Census Records 1914-1925.

Birth

 * Birth Returns, 1900-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Birth Records 1899-1926. Part of: Washington, County  Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Birth and death returns, 1899-1905; Birth certificate applications and orders (delayed) 1888-1926

Marriage

 * Washington State Digital Archives has a database for Marriage Records.This database is an index to marriage records filed with the Auditor in, from 1900 to 1920. The records contained within this index include Marriage Returns (1900-1910) and Marriage Certificates (1911-1920).


 * Marriage Records, 1900-2008 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Marriage Records1900-2004 Part of: Washington, County Records, 1856-2009. Part of  FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Index to affidavits 1999; Index to certificates 1900-1983; Index to licenses direct and reverse 1900-1983; Index to licenses 1900-1907 and 1974-1983; Affidavits 1900-2001;  Application returns 1939-1945; Certificates 1900-1970; Returns 1900-1939.

Death

 * Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * Death Returns 1895 - 1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Death Records. Part of: County  Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images.
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Birth and death returns vol 1 1899-1905; Coroner's record 1905-1930

Websites

 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Chelan WA (Free)
 * Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
 * The Chelan County WAGenWeb Project (Free), a member of The WAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project (Free) for Chelan County. (Mirror site)
 * 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:


 * 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.

Family History Centers

 * Chelan Washington Family History Center 195 Manson Hwy, Chelan, WA 98816 United States Location Map

Libraries

 * North Central Regional Library


 * The public libraries in Chelan 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.


 * Cashmere Community Library, 300 Woodring, Cashmere 98815 Phone: (509) 782-3314


 * Online Resources: Heritage Quest


 * Unique Collections:


 * Chelan Community Library, 417 S Bradley St, Chelan 98816 Phone: (509) 682-5131


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Entiat Community Library, 14138 Kinzel St, Entiat 98822 Phone: (509) 784-1517


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Leavenworth Community Library, 700 Hwy 2, Leavenworth 98826 Phone: (509) 548-7923


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Manson Community Library,, Manson 98831 Phone: (509) 687-3420


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Peshastin Community Library, 8396 Main St, Peshastin 98847 Phone: (509) 548-7821


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * North Central Regional Library, 16 N Columbia St, Wenatchee 98801 Phone: (509) 663-1117


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Wenatchee Public Library, 310 Douglas St, Wenatchee 98801 Phone: (509) 662-5021


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

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