Island County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington  Island County   Guide to  genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1853, when the county was formed.

Parent County(s)
Island County, Washington was created 6 January 1853 from Thurston.

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

Boundary Changes

 * Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Jefferson | Kitsap | San Juan | Skagit | Snohomish | Yakima

Courthouse
Island County Courthouse NE 6th &amp; Main St; PO Box 5000 Coupeville, WA 98239-5000 Phone 360.679.7359 County Auditor has birth and death records 1870-1907, marriage records from 1855 land records from 1853. County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in.

Cemeteries
In 1998 Ralph Seefeld and the Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island (GSSWI) set out to record the inscriptions on all the gravestones in the cemeteries of Island County, Washington. These records are now available on the GSSWI website.

http://www.gsswi.org/cemetery/cemeteries.php

Census

 * Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
 * Federal: 1910
 * Territorial: 1870 • 1871 •  1883 •  1885 •  1887 •  1889
 * State-funded: 1892
 * These were indexed by local societies and individuals.


 * Census Records 1904-1908 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.


 * School census records 1898-1932 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Church Records

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

Court Records

 * Island 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)
 * The court procedures 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.

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

 * "Island County Birth Records Index, 1841 - 2000" online
 * "Island County Marriage Records Index, 1867 - 1999" online
 * "Island County Divorce Records Index, 1901 - 1999" online
 * Island Pioneer Cemetery" 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

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

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. Island County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7523.


 * For thousands of years, the only occupants of the Pacific Northwest were Indians
 * 1792 - The area that comprises Island County was first explored by Captain George Vancouver.
 * 1850 - September 27,  Congress passed the Oregon Donation Land Act, granting a "donation" of free land -- 320 acres to each single man and 640 acres to each married couple -- to anyone who had settled on the land before December 1 of that year.
 * 1850 - October 15, Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey was the first man to file a claim, for 640 acres, in Central Whidbey Island.
 * 1853 - January 6 Island County was created by the Oregon Territorial Legislature from a portion of Thurston County.
 * 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes.
 * 1850s - Irish immigrants began to settle in the Oak Harbor area, followed by Dutch immigrants in the 1890s.

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 Records 1890-1974 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Certificates of naturalization 1908-1928; Declarations of intention 1890-1973; Naturalization final record 1894-1905; Naturalization petitions granted 1929-1974 and Petition and record 1908-1930.

1890-1974] at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * [http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/303 Naturalization Records,

Newspapers

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

Obituaries
Also check:


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

Ralph Seefeld, with the help of The Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island has collected virtually all obituaries for Island County residents from local newspapers. These obituaries range from the 1890s through December 2010; however, there are gaps for The Island County Times in the early 1890’s and the South Whidbey Record before 1935 and during 1944. An index to the obituaries is now available on the GSSWI website.

http://www.gsswi.org/obits/searchObits.php

Probate Records

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

Public Records

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

School Records

 * School census records 1898-1932 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Birth

 * Birth Records 1870-1907 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Birth and death returns 1870-1907.


 * Birth Records 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

Marriage

 * Marriage Records, 1855-1994 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
 * County Marriages,1855-2008 at Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * See what genealogical information may be in these records.
 * Includes Applications 1903-2006;  Certificates1855-2007;  Certificates and Returns 1931-1938 Vol 2-3;  Licenses 1869-1947 Vol 1;  Registers 1891-1947 Vol 1; Marriage Returns 1927-1947 Vol 2;  Certificate Index 1858-1859 Vol 1

Death

 * 1870-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
 * Death Records, 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (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
 * 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:


 * Island/ Web Sites at RootsWeb - Island 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

 * Oak Harbor Family History Center 201 NE O'Leary St., Mount Vernon, WA 98274 United States Location Map

Libraries

 * Clinton Library, 4781 Deer Lake Rd, Clinton 98236  Phone: (360) 341-4280


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Coupeville Library, 788 Nw Alexander, Coupeville 98239  Phone: (360) 678-4911


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Freeland Library, 5495 Harbor Ave, Freeland 98249  Phone: (360) 331-7323


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Langley Library, 104 Second St., Langley 98260  Phone: (360) 221-4383


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:


 * Oak Harbor Library, 1000 Se Regatta Drive, Oak Harbor 98277  Phone: (360) 675-5115


 * Online Resources:


 * Unique Collections:

Societies

 * Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island www.gsswi.org
 * Island County Historical Society www.islandhistory.org

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