Douglas County, Nevada Genealogy
Guide to Douglas County, Nevada ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Contents
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County InformationDescriptionThe county was named for Stephen A. Douglas, famous for his 1860 Presidential campaign debates with Abraham Lincoln.[1] It is located in the northwestern area of the state.[2] County CourthouseDouglas County Courthouse Douglas County, Nevada Record DatesInformation for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
Record LossThere is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. Boundary Changes
Populated PlacesThe following are locations in the county:[6] There are no incorporated towns or cities in Douglas County. The following communities are census-designated places, or un-incorporated communities, meaning population and demographic data is available from the U.S. Census Bureau for each one.
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History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
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The following web site has additional information on Douglas county cemeteries.
- Interment.net Nevada cemetery records by county.
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1870 | 1,215 | — |
| 1880 | 1,581 | 30.1% |
| 1890 | 1,551 | −1.9% |
| 1900 | 1,534 | −1.1% |
| 1910 | 1,895 | 23.5% |
| 1920 | 1,825 | −3.7% |
| 1930 | 1,840 | 0.8% |
| 1940 | 2,056 | 11.7% |
| 1950 | 2,029 | −1.3% |
| 1960 | 3,481 | 71.6% |
| 1970 | 6,882 | 97.7% |
| 1980 | 19,421 | 182.2% |
| 1990 | 27,637 | 42.3% |
| 2000 | 41,259 | 49.3% |
| 2010 | 46,997 | 13.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
The first enumeration for Nevada before it was a state in 1864, was in the 1850 Census in both New Mexico and Utah Territories, but the area had not been divided into counties. Those living there may be in the Utah 1851 Census. For 1860, Nevada was again enumerated in New Mexico and Utah Territories. [8] A partial state census exists for Nevada in 1862 and 1863 and a full state census exists for 1875. [9] See links listed below.
State and Territory Census Records
- 1850 - United States Census, 1850 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; Nevada was included in both the 1850 New Mexico and Utah Territory Censuses.
- 1860 - United States Census, 1860 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index and images; Nevada was included in both the 1860 New Mexico and Utah Territory Censuses.
- 1860 - Nevada, Compiled Census Index, 1860-1910 at Ancestry - ($), index
- 1862-1863 - 1862-1863 Nevada Territory Tax List - Index
- 1875 - Nevada State Census, 1875 at Ancestry.com — ($), index
Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for the state of Nevada starting in 1870. Although, those living in south-eastern Nevada in 1870 may be enumerated in Utah or Arizona because of disputed boundaries with Nevada.[10] For links to Federal Census indexes, see Nevada Census.
Church Records
Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Nevada Church Records.
Court Records
Directories
Online Directories
- 1868-1869 - Nevada Directory 1868-1869 at Ancestry - ($), index only, includes settlers of Nevada
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
The county recorder's office keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.
In the FamilySearch Catalog, land records for Nevada are listed in the Place Search under: NEVADA, Douglas – LAND AND PROPERTY
Online Land Records
- Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
- 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
- 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
For more information see Nevada Land and Property
Local Histories
County histories may include biographies of early settlers and residents, church and school information, and local military regiments at the time of publication.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nevada - shows boundary changes for Nevada Counties
- Historical Maps and Atlases of Nevada - maps and atlases of Nevada
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Douglas County, Nevada Genealogy for emigrant settlers included:
- California Trail 1844 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California[11]
- Carson (River) Trail 1848 (aka Mormon Emigrant Trail) crossed the Forty Mile Desert past the west side of the Carson Sink to pick up the Carson River near Fallon, Nevada up to Hope Valley and Red Lake. The Devil's Ladder then climbed 700 feet (210 m) in half a mile so ropes, chains, and pulleys were required to lift the wagons. Carson Pass was followed by the relatively easy West Pass (Kirkwood, California) and then on to Pollock Pines, Placerville, and Sutter's Fort, California
- Johnson's Cutoff 1850-1851 (aka Placerville Route, Lake Tahoe Route and Day's Route) from Carson City, Nevada past the south end of Lake Tahoe going south and then west to Placerville, California and Sacramento
- Daggett Pass 1850 (aka Georgetown Pack Trail) Carson Valley, Nevada to Johnson's Cutoff near South Lake Tahoe, California
- Walker River-Sonora Road 1852-1854 from the Carson Trail south to the Walker River along the base of the Sierra Nevada until it ascends to Sonora Pass and then down to Strawberry and Sonora, California
- Central Overland Trail 1859-1869 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Carson City, Nevada through central Nevada on a route south of the Humboldt River][12]
Military Records
Online Collections
These collections are unique to Nevada. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Nevada Military Records.
Civil War
- 1861-1865 - Nevada, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1863-1866 - Nevada Civil War Volunteers, 1863-1866 ($) at Ancestry — index
World War I
World War II
Korea War
- Nevada Military Killed in Action in Korea
- U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Nevada
Vietnam War
- Nevada Military Killed in Action in Vietnam
- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Nevada
- Vietnam Conflict Casualty Lists - Nevada
Other Conflicts
For further information see Nevada Military Records.
Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Records
- 1956-1991 - Nevada, Naturalization Petitions, 1956-1991 at Ancestry - ($), index
Newspapers
For more information, see Nevada Newspapers.
- NewspaperArchive.com ($) has a collection of digitized Reno newspapers going back to 1870. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
Nevada Newspapers Online
- GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Nevada newspapers
- Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nevada newspapers
- Chronicling America - contains images of some Nevada newspapers; searching tips
- Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
Nevada Newspaper Catalogs
- U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Probate records may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. They may include the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. See Nevada Probate Records for additional information.
School Records
Tax Records
Nevada tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records. Most tax records can be obtained from the county treasurer or assessor. For more information, see the wiki page Nevada Taxation. The Family History Library does not have copies of Nevada tax records (as of June 2013).
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
A copy or an extract of most Nevada original records can be purchased from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Nevada Vital Records. For information about restrictions and costs for certificates, see the CDC Where to Write for Vital Records site.
- 1871 - 1992 - Nevada County Birth and Death Records, 1871-1992 at FamilySearch — index and images
Birth
- 1975 - 2012 Nevada Birth Index 1975-2012 at Ancestry ($)
Marriage
- 1809 - 2011 Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011 - Index, incomplete, list of counties included
- 1956 - 2005 Nevada Marriage Index 1956-2005 at Ancestry ($)
Death
Divorce
- 1968 - 2015 Nevada Divorce Records 1968-2015 at Ancestry ($)<.br>
Research Facilities
Archives
Family History Centers
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
Libraries
Douglas County Public Library
1470 Albite Rd
Gardnerville, NV 89410
Telephone;: 775-266-2508
Douglas County Public Library
1625 Library Ln
Minden, NV 89423
Telephone: 775-782-9841
Museums
Societies
Carson Valley Historical Society
Main St
P. O. Box 165
Genoa, Nevada 89411
Telephone: 775-782-4235
Douglas County Historical Society
Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center
1477 U. S. Highway 395 N, Suite B
Gardnerville, Nevada 8941
Telephone: 775-782-2555
Fax: 775-783-8802
E-maildchs@HistoricNV.org
Website
Nevada State Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 20666
Reno, NV 89515-0666
Facebook
Clark County Nevada Genealogy Society
PO Box 1929
Las Vegas, NV 89125-1929
Website
Nevada Historical Society
1650 North Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89503
Telephone: 775-688-1190
Fax: 775-688-2917
Website
Tri-State Genealogical Society
ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, NEVADA
PO Box 21902
Bullhead City, AZ 86439
Website
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) Nevada Genealogy Network
Websites
- Douglas County NVGenWeb Part of the USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides
References
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Douglas County, Nevada Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/nev/douglas/ accessed 3/27/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Douglas County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_County,_Nevada 3/27/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Douglas County, Oregon page 442, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 428.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Douglas County, Nevada," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_County%2C_Nevada accessed 1 November 2016.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses (Bountiful, UT: American Genealogical Lending Library, 1985), page 211.
- ↑ ’'Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 437. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ‘’Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources,’’ 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 2004), 422. Free online version; FHL Book 973 D27rb 2004; WorldCat entry.
- ↑ William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses (Bountiful, UT: American Genealogical Lending Library, 1985), page 212.
- ↑ National Park Service, "California Trail" (map) in California National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/upload/CALImap1-web.pdf (accessed 2 August 2011).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Central Overland Route" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Overland_Route (accessed 4 August 2011).
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