Adams County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Adams 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)
Adams County was created 28 November 1883 from Whitman County

County Seat: Ritzville. See also Towns and Communities in.

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse
Adams County Courthouse 210 W Broadway Avenue Ritzville, WA 99169-1860 Phone: (509) 659–3257 County Auditor has birth and death records to 1907 and marriage records. County Clerk has divorce and probate records. County assessor has land records

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by:Franklin | Grant | Lincoln | Whitman

Named for John Adams, 2nd President of the United States. Originally mostly cattle ranching, the big wheat crop shifted the agriculture from cattle to wheat farming in 1897.

Topics for
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Cemeteries

 * Tombstone inscriptions of Adams County, Washington (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Listings for Adams County Cemeteries can be found at the following websites:
 * Bess Hampton Memorial Gardens, Othello
 * Adams Cemetery, Othello
 * Lind Cemetery, Lind


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

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Territorial: 1885,1887, and 1889

Church Records

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

Lutheran

 * Records of Emanuel Lutheran Church, Adams County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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
 * Power of Attorney Records 1988 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 1. Adams County (Ritzville) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Election Records

 * 1880-1940 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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

 * "Adams County -- Thumbnail History" online
 * "Adams County, Alabama (Washington) Facts" online
 * "Illustrated history of the Big Bend country" online
 * "Introduction to Washington State" online
 * "Adams County History" 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. Adams County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7835.
 * The land that would later make up Adams County was part of the territory of the Palouse tribe.
 * 1863 - January - 20 - Washington Territorial Legislature creates Stevens County.
 * 1869 - George Lucas, an Irish emigrant, was Adams County's first permanent white settler. He established a way-station at Cow Creek along the road to
 * 1871 - November - 29 - Washington Territorial Legislature creates Whitman County (out of Stevens).
 * 1880 - James G. Bennett harvested a small wheat crop near Ritzville.
 * 1881 - May - The began laying track through Adams County.
 * 1883 - November - 28 - Washington Territorial Legislature creates Adams and Franklin counties (out of Whitman).
 * 18843 - Brothers Ben and Sam Hutchinson built a cabin on lower Crab Creek.
 * 1889 - November - 11 - Washington becomes a state.
 * 1897 - Adams County bumper wheat crop spurs shift from cattle ranching.
 * 1901 - The first homesteaders arrived.
 * 1928-1931 - During a severe drought that resulted in dustbowl conditions, many people left the area.
 * 1942 - was completed in 1942 and by 1950 construction on the  reached the Othello area, bringing the water of the Columbia River to irrigate Adams County's dry land in 1952.

Land and Property

 * 1895-1920 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)


 * 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 Records 1988 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * Plats and Surveys 1988-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1988 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.

Military

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

Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.


 * 1890-1945 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Certificates of Naturalization 1906 - 1945 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Naturalization Records, 1903-1956 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Declarations of Intent, 1890-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Orders of Naturalization, 1890-1906 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

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


 * | Adams County news
 * [ |Washington State journal and Adams County news]

Obituaries
Also check:

Probate Records

 * 1885-1959 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

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

School Records

 * 1909-1926 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * Washington State Digital Archives has a database of Adams County Birth Records. This database contains the names of people who were born in Adams County from 1893-1907, 1910-1915, (several delayed birth returns: 1942). Their names were transcribed from the Adams County Birth Returns. For FHL entries, 1892-1907, click
 * 1894-1942 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Births 1894 - 1907, 1910 - 1915 Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Marriage

 * Marriages from 12 Jun 1884 to 12 May 1892 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.
 * 1915-1995 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004(If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click '''Sea
 * Marriage Certificates, 1947-1948 Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Marriage Records, 1884-2012 at Washington 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 Recordsfor excellent information.


 * Archives, Libraries, etc.

Death
This database contains names of people who died in Adams County from 1893-1907; 1910, 1913. For FHL entries, 1891-1907, 1929, click.
 * 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 and occupation.
 * Death Return 1893-1907; 1907; 1910, 1913 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * In 1891, a law was passed requiring the county auditors to keep a register of all births and deaths in their counties (prior to 1891 births and deaths were not regularly recorded in Washington). By 1907, it was recognized that a state-wide register was needed, so in 1907 a law was passed which required the State Board of Health to centralize all records of births and deaths within the state. at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:
 * County WAGenWeb Project (free), a member of WAGenWeb Project.
 * USGenWeb Archives Project (free) for Adams 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:
 * Web Sites at RootsWeb - Adams WA (free)
 * Linkpendium (free)
 * CyndisList (free)

Major catalogs to offline genealogical records:

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.

See these headings for details: Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Museums·Other Repositories·Societies


 * Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 1. Adams County (Ritzville)  (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com  ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Family History Centers

 * Othello Washington Family History Center 1200 Rainier St., Othello, WA 99344-1130 Location Map

Libraries

 * Othello Library, 101 E. Main Street, Othello 99344 Phone: (509) 488-9683
 * Online Resources: Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, and others.
 * Unique Collections:
 * Ritzville Public Library, 302 W Main, Ritzville 99169 Phone: (509) 659-1222
 * Online Resources: (None seen Oct, 2013)
 * Unique Collections:

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