Franklin County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Franklin County  Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1882, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Franklin County, Washington was created 28 November 1882 from Whitman.

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

Boundary Changes
See Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Adams | Benton | Columbia | Grant | Walla Walla | Whitman

Courthouse
Franklin County Auditor has birth, death and burial records 1891-1910, marriage records from 1891; land records. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1891.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1885 • 1887
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

Court Records

 * Power of Attorney Records 1989-2013 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)


 * Franklin Frontier Justice Part of "Frontier Justice": Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1888 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)
 * Includes court actions arising from criminal accusations, estate (probate) and property disputes, debt collections, and other matters brought to the court.
 * The names in the index often reveal a “who’s who” of Washington Territory, but in a greater sense the abstract sheds light on the affairs, disputes, settlements, crimes, and forms of justice that touched nearly every inhabitant of territorial Washington.

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

 * "Benton, Franklin and Klickitat Counties Directory – 1911-1912, 1915-1916"


 * "1887 Franklin County"


 * "Franklin County, Alabama (Washington) Facts"


 * "Franklin CountyWa GenWeb"


 * "Illustrated history of the Big Bend country" by Western Historical Publishing Company [(Spokane, Wash.) Western Historical Pub. Co., 1904]

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. Franklin County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7452.


 * Before white settlers came to the area now known as Franklin County, the region’s Native Americans fished for salmon.
 * 1805 - arrived at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers.
 * 1805 plus a few years - David Thompson, of the, arrived here and claimed the land for Great Britain.
 * 1850s - After the end of the Indian Wars of the 1850s, settlers felt it was safe to move into the Columbia Basin.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1879 - Travelers began settling near the site of modern-day Pasco.
 * 1883-November 28, The Washington Territorial Legislature created Franklin county.

Land and Property

 * Land Records 1989 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Plats and Surveys Records 1884-1998 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * Recorded Agreements and Contracts 1989-2013 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.)

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.


 * Naturalization and citizenship 1890-1906 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Declarations of intention, petition evidence 1874-1945; Naturalization cards 1907-1945; Petitions for naturalization 1907-1929; Petition evidence 1907-1929, Petitions for naturalization 1907-1929.


 * Naturalization Records, 1874-1974 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Newspapers

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


 * Tri City Herald (Pasco, Washington) (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Probate Records

 * 1890-1930 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Public Records

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

School Records

 * 1912-1925 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth

 * 1877-1927 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Marriage

 * Marriages from 25 Aug 1892 to 24 Oct 1906 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.


 * 1884-2003 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Marriage Records, 1889-2013 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 Records for excellent information.

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.

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records:


 * Franklin County WAGenWeb (Free)
 * Tri-City Genealogical Society (TCGS) has online data for Benton and Franklin Counties. (Free)
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project (free) for Franklin 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 - Franklin 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

 * Basin City Washington Family History Center 160 Bailie Blvd, Mesa, WA 99343 United States Location on Map


 * Columbia Basin Washington Family History Center Almota Rd, Colfax, WA 99111 United States Location Map


 * Pasco Washington Family History Center2004 N 24th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301 United States Location Map

Libraries

 * Basin City Library, 50-A N. Canal Blvd., Basin City 99343 Phone: (509) 269-4201


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Connell Library, 118 N. Columbia, Connell 99326 Phone: (509) 234-4971


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Merrills Corner Library, 5240 Eltopia West, Eltopia 99330 Phone: (509) 297-4341


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Kahlotus Library, 255 Weston, Kahlotus 99335 Phone: (509) 282-3493


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:


 * Pasco Library, 1320 W. Hopkins, Pasco 99301 Phone: (509) 545-1019


 * Online Resources: Ancestry library Edition, Heritage Quest and others
 * Unique Collections:

Museums

 * The Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology (CREHST) is a museum and science center created to tell the dynamic story of the Columbia Basin and surrounding region." It features an excellent exhibit and materials available on the Hanford project and the huge influx of people to support it starting in the 1940's and continuing through today. Two collections of interest specifically to genealogists are their photos collections (indexes for Marlin's Columbia Photography, North Light Studio and Wendland Studio) and their collection of General Electric Company newsletters. Both these collections contain information on residents of Franklin County.

Societies

 * The Tri-City Genealogical Society has an extensive collection of local and regional resources as well as references for other areas. Check their resources page for an updated list of their holdings. They also provide genealogical help at the Mid-Columbia Library, have online resources, and conduct local research for a small fee.

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