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Chelan County, Washington Genealogy

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Guide to Chelan County, Washington ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Wenatchee
Organized: March 13, 1899
Parent County(s): Kittitas, Okanogan
Neighboring Counties
Douglas • King • Kittitas • Okanogan • Skagit • Snohomish
See County Maps
Courthouse
Washington, Chelan County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Wa-chelan.png

The north end of Lake Chelan, Stehekin, Chelan CO., Washington

County Information

Description

The county was named for a Chelan Indian word meaning "deep water," likely a reference to 55-mile (89 km)-long Lake Chelan, which reaches a maximum depth of 1,486 feet (453 m). The county is located in the northcentral area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Chelan County Courthouse
350 Douglas Street
Wenatchee, WA 98801
Phone: 509-667-6600
Chelan County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1900-1907 and marriage records from 1900.
City Clerk has burial records.
County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records. [2]

Chelan County, Washington Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1900 1900 1900 1876 1882 1888 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.

Boundary Changes

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:[6]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
  • Malaga
  • Merritt
  • Monitor
  • Peshastin
  • Plain
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places
  • Chelan Falls
  • Manson
Ghost towns
  • Blewett
  • Moore
  • Winesap


History Timeline

  • 1803 Before this time, the Wenatchi lived along the Wenatchee River, which flowed from the Cascades into the Columbia.
  • 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
  • 1863 The first non-Indians to live in the Chelan and Wenatchee valleys were Chinese prospectors looking for gold in the rivers and streams, starting at about this time.
  • 1886 Lake Chelan’s first white settlers were William Sanders and William Dumke. They arrived at the south end of the lake the hard way, from the north.
  • 1899 March 13, Washington State Legislature created Chelan County.

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Biographical information is often found in Local Histories and in Genealogies (please see those headings). See also Washington Biography.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Chelan County, Washington online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Washington Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

See Washington Census for online censuses, including territorial. For more information, see United States Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1900 3,931 —
1910 15,104 284.2%
1920 20,906 38.4%
1930 31,634 51.3%
1940 34,412 8.8%
1950 39,301 14.2%
1960 40,744 3.7%
1970 41,355 1.5%
1980 45,061 9.0%
1990 52,250 16.0%
2000 66,616 27.5%
2010 72,453 8.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Highly variable in personal information, court records can mention relatives, occupations, or pinpoint residences and dates. See Washington Court Records for the various courts used through the years.

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

American Indians
The Colville Indian Reservation is located in southern Ferry and southern Okanogan Counties, including a small portion of Chelan County.

Japanese

Funeral Homes

  • Funeral Home Records (Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society, (WAGS)). From Jones & Jones Funeral Home, when it merged with Betts Funeral Home of Wenatchee. 27,000 records between the years 1906-2001 for Jones & Jones of Wenatchee, Kuelbs or Braun of Cashmere, Waterville of Waterville and a few from Wards of Leavenworth have been archived and indexed. Records may include only the funeral card with/without parents, etc. Other records may include death certificates, obituaries, gift lists, military records, etc. See WAGS database to search for information on your family members, and options for ordering that information.

Genealogies

Many local libraries and societies have collections of family genealogies. Local histories or biographies often include brief genealogies of the featured persons. See also Washington Compiled Genealogies.

Guardianship

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

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

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

Maps and Gazetteers

SkagitOkanoganDouglasKittitasKingSnohomishWA CHELAN.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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 Records: (1st deed may reveal previous residence)
• Death-related records of children may give town or county of birth
• Records of relatives and neighbors

Military Records

Indian Wars

World War I

World War II

  • World War II enlistments of Chelan County, Washington residents. This is a partial list. The NARA website cautions: "This series does not contain records of all World War II Army enlistees."

Japanese

Naturalization and Citizenship

Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. Note: Until 1922 in the United States, women's citizenship was based on that of their husbands.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

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.

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.

The Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) has an Obituary database that contains an index of over 110,000 obituaries from the Wenatchee Area from 1895 to 2017. These obituaries may be ordered thru WAGS.

Other Records

Public Records

Voting Records

Periodicals

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.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Online School Indexes and Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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.

Vital Records

In 1891, coroners, physicians, and midwives were to "return" births and deaths to the county auditor. Many went unrecorded. On July 1, 1907, the State Center for Health Statistics assumed this responsibility.[7]

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

The county clerk has the divorce records. To order certificates, see Washington State Department of Health.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Chelan County. For state-wide facilities, see Washington Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

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. Listed below are libraries in Chelan County. For state-wide library facilities, see Washington Archives and Libraries.

Resources for Chelan County are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.

Inventory of the county archives of Washington, no. 4. Chelan County (Wenatchee) (If the link does not work, log in to Ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)Website

North Central Regional Library System
Branch: Chelan Public LibraryWebsite
Online Resources: History and GenealogyWebsite

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Chelan County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Washington Societies.

  • Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
    127 S Mission
    Wenatchee, WA
    (509) 888-6246
    Website
Has a genealogical library located in the Annex adjacent to the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. The WAGS library is rich with resources that share the data and history of families of the region.

Websites

Check back often with websites. Local societies and libraries may know of other websites.

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Chelan County, Washington," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelan_County,_Washington. accessed 15/07/2019
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Chelan County, Washington page 732, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Chelan County, Washington . Page 732-735 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 733-734.
  4. ↑ The Evolution of Washington Counties by Newton Carl Abbott, Fred E. Carver, 1979. Published by the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society and Klickitat County Genealogical Society.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Chelan County, Washington," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelan_County,_Washington, accessed 4 March 2019.
  7. ↑ Washington State Archives - Digital Archives, Birth Records, About this Collection & Washington State Archives - Digital Archives, Death Records About Death Records
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