Skagit County, Washington Genealogy

United States

Washington

Skagit County

Guide to Skagit County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1883, when the county was formed.

Avalanche aftermath, Skagit County, Washington

County QuickStart: Census Birth Marriage Divorce Death Cemeteries

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Skagit County, Washington
Map
Location in the state of Washington
Location of Washington in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	November 28, 1883
County Seat	Mount Vernon
Courthouse
Address	Skagit County Courthouse 700 South 2nd Street PO Box 837 Mount Vernon, WA 98273 Phone: 360.336.9440 Skagit County Website

County Overview

Description

The County was named for the Skagit Indian tribe, which has been indigenous to the area prior to European-American settlement. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Formation

• Skagit County, Washington was created 28 November 1883 from Whatcom.

County Seat: Mount Vernon . For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse

Skagit County Courthouse
700 South 2nd Street
PO Box 837
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Phone: 360.336.9440
Skagit County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907, marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1872.
County Clerk has divorce, probate county records from 1870.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in Skagit County, Washington Genealogy.

Dates of Major County Records

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1892	1874	1890	1889	1877	1874	1850
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Topics for Skagit County, Washington Genealogy

The topics or headings on this page describe records that are used for genealogy and family history. They include links to web sites with indexes, images, or information about the county.

 

Biography

Biographical information is often found in state and local histories or genealogies. See also Washington Biography.

 

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
FindAGrave	Family History Library	FindAGrave
Tombstone Project	WorldCat	Interment.net
Billion Graves (name)	Washington Periodicals	WA State Digital Archives
WAGenWeb Archives		Linkpendium
Billion Graves		Genealogy Trails
		FamilySearch Places
See Washington Cemeteries for more information.

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information. Tombstones, sextons (caretakers) records, and burial records each have slightly different information. See Washington Cemeteries.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	8,747	—
1900	14,272	63.2%
1910	29,241	104.9%
1920	33,373	14.1%
1930	35,142	5.3%
1940	37,650	7.1%
1950	43,273	14.9%
1960	51,350	18.7%
1970	52,381	2.0%
1980	64,138	22.4%
1990	79,555	24.0%
2000	102,979	29.4%
2010	116,901	13.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Federal Census Contents
Names, ages, birthplaces	1850–1940
Birthplaces of parents	1880–1940
Relationships	1880–1940
Family and Neighbors	All years
Immigration year	1900–1930
Citizenship	1910–1940

Censuses 1) Give names, ages, and more about the family; 2) Pinpoint the area to find other records; and 3) Provide clues for further research.

• Washington online census links to FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest and others.
  • Federal Censuses:
    • 1940 • 1930 • 1920 • 1910 • 1900
    • 1890 Veterans Schedule
    • 1880 • 1870 • 1860 • 1850
  • Territorial and State-funded Censuses:
    • 1847–1898

• Statewide printed indexes of federal censuses

• Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
  • Federal: 1910
  • Territorial: 1885 • 1887 • 1889
  • These were indexed by local societies and individuals.

• Census Enumerator Cards, 1944 at Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • Genealogical information: cards in alphabetical order with name, age, exact address, occupation, enumerator's signature and date card was completed.
  • Includes: Anacortes, Burlington, La Conner, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley.

• School census records 1888-1948 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

The information church records provide depends upon the church practices and the record keepers. Records may include names, ages, and dates of events such as baptism, marriage, or burial. See Washington Church Records.

• Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for Skagit County, Washington Genealogy are listed in the FamilySearch catalog. (Press space bar to select town.)

Lutheran

• Records of Burlington Lutheran Church, Burlington, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

Your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can clarify family relationships, places of residence, occupations, and family history. See Washington Court Records for courts used through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce  · Guardianship  · Land  · Naturalization · Probate

• Skagit 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 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.

 

 

Ethnic, Political or Religious Groups

 

American Indian

• 1911 - 1919 - Washington, Applications for Enrollment and Adoption of Washington Indians, 1911-1919 at FamilySearch — 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

 

Maps and Gazetteers

 

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

Many local libraries and societies have collections of family genealogies. County histories or biographies often include brief genealogies of the featured persons. 

Guardianship

Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the District courts. See Washington Court Records.

History

Local histories for Skagit County, Washington Genealogy may include biographies, history of churches, schools, local government with names of officials, military information, and more. See Washington Local Histories.

• "Skagit County, Washington Facts" at StateOfUS.com (mis-labeled as Skagit County, Alabama Facts)

• History of the Puget Sound Country, Volume 1, Volume 2 by William Farrand Prosser [New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company, 1903] online at Washington History

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 Janet Oakley. Skagit County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 5663.

• People have lived in present-day Skagit County and its environs for nearly 10,000 years. They were known as the Coast Salish.
• 1791 - Rosario Strait is on the most western edge of Skagit County. The Spaniard Juan Francisco de Eliza charted it, and named it Canal de Fidalgo.
• 1824 - John Work, a trader with Hudson’s Bay Company, came through the area.
• 1852 - The first Euro-American to live in the county, was Englishman William (Blanket Bill) Jarman with his Coast Salish wife.
• 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
• 1863 - Settlement on the county’s mainland took hold when Michael Sullivan and Samuel Calhoun began diking the marshy flats near present day LaConner.
• 1860s-1870s - New settlements and trading posts appeared on Guemes Island and Samish Island.
• 1883 - November 28, A bill passed in the territorial legislature separated Skagit County from Whatcom County.

Land and Property

Land Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Seller (Grantor)
Seller's Spouse
Buyer (Grantee)
Heirs
Witnesses
Land Description and Dates
Tips -or- Land Contents

Land records (especially deeds) may give the name of a spouse, heirs, and witnesses, who may be relatives or in-laws.

County deeds, mortgages, and leases show transfers from person to person. See also Court Records for actions involving real estate. See Washington Land for government-to-person records.

• 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.

Maps

 

This map highlights the county within the state of Washington. The map soon will have inter-active links.

Migration

Most residents came to Washington from other states or crossed the border from Canada. (See Seattle Passenger Lists for those who came from other countries.) Although few other migration records exist, try:

• Censuses (use birthdates and places of children as clues)

• Land (1st deed may reveal previous residence)

• Death-related records of children may give town or county of birth

• Records of relatives and neighbors

Military

 

• 1921-1925 - Washington, World War I Veteran's Compensation Fund Application Records, 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — index

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 1878-1955. 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 1922-1926; Citizenship record 1896-1906; Concrete census enumerator cards 1944; Declarations of intention 1878-1945; Naturalization card index 1928-1945; Naturalization proceedings and index 1906-1925; Petition and record 1906-1955; Reports of naturalization petitions granted or denied 1930-1945.

Newspapers

Small town newspapers provide historical content and contain obituaries, birth or death notices, legal notices, and community news, such as visits to or from out-of-town relatives. See Washington Newspapers for tips, resources, and details.

Finding More Washington Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Skagit County, Washington Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog. To select a county in Washington, add a comma, slide way down to the county list, then click Search. (Almost every state seems to have a Washington County)

Obituaries

Obituaries may mention birth, marriage, spouse, parents, living family members, education, occupation, and more. See Washington Obituaries for state level collections and United States Obituaries for tips and insights.

See also: Newspapers • Libraries • Societies • Funeral Homes • Obituaries of neighboring counties or of the person's previous residence • Family records.

Also check:

• Newspapers of Skagit County, Washington Genealogy
• Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
• Obituaries of neighboring counties

 

Probate Records

Probate records identify heirs of the decedents, give the (approximate) death dates, and provide specifics about property holdings. The records were kept by the county judge.

These include wills, inheritance records, dockets, and other documents regarding property and estates of individuals who have died. See also Court Records for civil actions involving estates. Also see Washington Probate Records.

• Probate Case Files, 1890-1929. Part of: Washington, County Probate Records, 1853-1929 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Public Records

Public records are documents created by civil authorities that either don't fit comfortably in another topic, or that could fit in several topics.

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

Taxation

Washington tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Washington Taxation.

School Records

 

• School census records 1888-1948 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Vital Records

The county auditors in Washington kept records of birth, marriage, and death. The county clerk has the divorce records - the earliest dates to the present.

Visit the Washington State Department of Health website to order a Washington Birth, Death, Marriage or Divorce Certificate. See Washington Vital Records for details and history of the records. .

Birth

Birth Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Name of Child
Birth Date and Place
Parent's Names
Mother's Maiden Name
Parent's Ages
Parents' State or Country of Birth
Name of Doctor or Midwife

In 1891, coroners, physicians, and midwives were to "return" births and deaths to the county auditor. Many went unrecorded. In 1907, the State Center for Health Statistics assumed this responsibility.

See Washington Online Genealogy Records for indexes.
Also see Washington Birth Records.

• Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965 — index and images
• Birth Records, 1891-1908 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
• Birth Records, 1869-1946 at Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes: Birth and death record index, 1892-1946; Birth certificates, 1869-1907; Births (delayed) 1869-1907; Birth and death record index 1892-1946.

For earlier or unrecorded births, search:

• Delayed Birth Certificates often include statements of witnesses to the birth.
• Death Records to learn birth date, place, parents
• Census to learn age, family members, location, etc.
• School Censuses give date of birth and name of parent or guardian
• Cemeteries for birth date or age, maybe birth place
• Obituaries for any of the above and more
• See also Neighboring and Parent counties and How to Find Washington Birth Records.

Marriage

Marriage Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Date of Marriage or License
Names of Bride and Groom
Ages
Birth Places
Residences
Names of Parents
Husband's Occupation
Witnesses
Minister or Officiator

Marriage records include certificates, marriage returns, license applications or affidavits. Counties kept the records until 1968, when the state took over.

See Washington Online Genealogy Records for indexes.
Also see Washington Marriage Records.

• 1801-1962 - Washington, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1855–2008 - Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1884-2000 - Marriage Records, 1884-2000 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)
• 1969-2014 - Washington Marriage Index, 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Birth, Marriage, Death Index 1891-1898;Index to Licenses 1923-1947; Affidavits 1909-1939; Applications Index 1940-1985; Applications 1905-2001; Certificate Index 1884-1923; Licenses 1940-1959; Record Index 1925-1994; Register 1891-1948; Returns 1891-1948.

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.

• 1969-2014 - Washington Divorce Index, 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index

Death

Death Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Name of Deceased
Death Date and Place
Age or Birth Date and Place
Parent's Names
Mother's Maiden Name
Name of Spouse
Residence
Occupation

In 1891, coroners, physicians and midwives were to report (or return) all births and deaths under their supervision to County Auditors. On July 1, 1907, the State took over....

See Washington Online Genealogy Records for indexes.
Also see Washington Death Records.

• Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• Death and Birth records 1869-1946 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 record index 1892-1946; Death certificates 1892.

• Death Returns, 1891-1908 at Washinton State Digital Archives Collection (Free)

 

Websites

Sites with online indexes or images of records
Skagit WAGenWeb	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
USGenWeb	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
Washington State Digital Archives	Free	Includes indexes, some linked to images. Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in December, 2013.
FamilySearch Historical Collections	Free	Search indexes or browse images at FamilySearch.org. Click "Last Updated." Collections through December 2013 have been posted to the appropriate topics for this Wiki page.

Sites that search for links pertaining to Skagit County, Washington Genealogy
Websites at RootsWeb - Skagit WA	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
Linkpendium	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
CyndisList	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
StateofUS.com	Free	"Skagit County, Washington Facts" (mis-labeled "Skagit County, Alabama Facts")

Major catalogs for hard copy collections of Skagit County, Washington Genealogy Books, microfilm, or manuscripts of genealogical records
FamilySearch catalog	Select topics. To select towns, add a comma to the search box.
WorldCat	To find nearby libraries that have specific items, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

Archives, Libraries, etc.

See also a List of Washington Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies  

Resources for Skagit County, Washington Genealogy 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 FamilySearch Library (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for Skagit County, Washington Genealogy. When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Mount Vernon Washington Family History Center 1700 Hazel St., Mount Vernon, WA 98274 United States Location Map

Libraries

Local public libraries—even smaller ones—often have Unique Genealogical Collections that are not online for the area they serve. Many libraries in Washington have an area dedicated to local history and genealogy.

• Anacortes Public Library
  1220 10th Street
  Anacortes, WA 98221
  Phone: 360-293-1910
  Website
• Burlington Public Library
  820 East Washington Avenue
  Burlington, WA 98233
  Phone: 360-755-0760
  Website
• Upper Skagit Library District
  45770 B Main Street
  Concrete, WA 98237
  Phone: 360-853-7939
  Website
• La Conner Regional Library
  614 Morris Street
  La Conner, WA 98257
  Phone: 360-466-3352
  Website
• Mount Vernon City Library
  315 Snoqualmie Street
  Mount Vernon, WA 98273
  Phone: 360-336-6249
  Website
• Sedro-Woolley Public Library
  802 Ball Street
  Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284
  Phone: 360-855-1166
  Website

 

 

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Anacortes Burlington	Mount Vernon	Sedro-Woolley
Towns
Concrete Hamilton	La Conner	Lyman
Unincorporated communities
Allen Avon Birdsview Blanchard Bow Cedardale Day Creek Dewey	Fildalgo Fishtown Gibraltar Guemes Island Hoogdal Milltown Minkler Prairie	Rexville Samish Island Similk Beach Sterling Thornwood Urban Van Horn
Native American communities
Swinomish Indian Reservation	Upper Skagit Indian Reservation	Samish Indian Reservation
Census-designated places
Alger Bay View Big Lake Clear Lake	Conway Edison Lake Cavanaugh	Lake McMurray Marblemount Rockport
Ghost towns
Ehrlich Sauk City	Skagit City	Whitney

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