Jefferson County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Jefferson County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1852, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Jefferson County, Washington was created 22 December 1852 from Thurston.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Clallam | Grays Harbor | Island | Kitsap | Mason

See also Towns and Communities in.

Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse 1820 Jefferson Street; PO Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368-0920 Phone. 360.385.9125 County Clerk has divorce records from 1886, probate records from 1891 and court records from 1890. County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and marriage records from 1853.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Record Loss
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Cemeteries
Washington State Digital Archives has an index to the Brinnon Cemetery located on Church Road in Jefferson County. The index includes burials from 1895 – 2003.

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1910
 * Territorial: 1871, 1875, 1877, 1878, 1879 1881, 1883, 1885, 1887, and 1889
 * State-funded: 1891
 * These were all 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
**The court procedure of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of Washington Territory. The index has many abstracts that provide names and what is happening in disputes, settlements in civil and criminal cases as well as probate, equity and admiralty cases.
 * Jefferson Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)

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 and Family History." online
 * "1891 Jefferson County Census" online
 * "Jefferson County Cemeteries " online

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

 * "1871 Jefferson County"


 * "1889 Jefferson County"


 * History of the Puget Sound country, Volume 1 ,Volume 2 by William Farrand Prosser [New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company, 1903]


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

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. Jefferson County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7472.


 * For thousands of years the only occupants of the Olympic Peninsula were Coast Indians.
 * 1851 - April 24,The first permanent American settlement on the peninsula was Port Townsend.
 * 1852 - December 22, Jefferson County was created by the Oregon Territorial Legislature from a portion of Lewis County.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1800s - mid, White settlers came to the north Olympic Peninsula, but the rugged interior remained unexplored.
 * 1889-1890 - The great land boom was predicated on the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad, linking Port Townsend with the rest of the nation. Due to financial difficulties, the Union Pacific Railroad abandoned the project, causing the boom to collapse in 1891.

Land and Property

 * Land Records 1982 to present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys Records1961 to present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1982-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Military
Some military records for this county have been digitized at the Washington State Digital Archives.

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.)


 * 1855-1973 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * Naturalization Records, 1852-1974 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Includes Declarations of Intention, Petitions for Naturalization, and Final Records filed at the Jefferson County Superior Court

Newspapers

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

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Probate Records

 * 1853-1889 Part of:"County Probate Records, 1853-1929" FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Public Records

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

Birth

 * 1869-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Marriage

 * Marriage Records, 1872-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Marriage Records, 1872-2013 at Washinton State Digital Archives Collection (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

 * 1891-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * 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.

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * USGenWeb Archives
 * 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 - Jefferson 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.

Family History Centers

 * Port Townsend Washington Family History Center 10104 Rhody RD., Chimacum, WA 98325 United States Location Map

Libraries

 * Jefferson County Rural Library District, 620 Cedar Avenue, Port Hadlock 98339  Phone: (360) 385-6544


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Port Townsend Public Library, 1220 Lawrence Street, Port Townsend 98368  Phone: (360) 385-3181


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

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