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Clark County, Washington Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Vancouver
Organized: June 27, 1844
Parent County(s): Original
Neighboring Counties
Cowlitz • Skamania • Columbia (OR) • Multnomah (OR)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Washington, Clark County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Wa-clark.png

Bridge over the Washougal RiverClark County, Washington State

County Information

Description

The county was named for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Clark County Courthouse
1200 Franklin Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone: 564-397-2292
Clark County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1890-1906, marriage records from 1890 and land records from 1850.
County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890.[2] County Recorder's Office has deeds, file mining claims, county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Clark County, Washington Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1890 1890 1890 1890 1890 1890 1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

  • 1890--Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire. [4]

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

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:[8]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Fargher Lake
  • Hall
  • Proebstel
Census-designated places

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline

Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Hanable, William S. Clark County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 5644.

  • For hundreds of years before Western explorers intruded on their shores, the Chinook Indians had lived along the banks of the Columbia River.
  • 1792 The Chinook's first contact with non-Indian people may have occured when the Columbia Rediviva, an American ship captained by Robert Gray (1755-1806), made its way up the river.
  • 1805 November, Lewis and Clark passed through what is now Clark County.
  • 1825 March , The British-owned Hudson's Bay Company opened Fort Vancouver on the future site of the City of Vancouver.
  • 1844 The first American of note in the Fort Vancouver area was Henry Williamson, who laid out his land claim west of the fort.
  • 1845 August 20, Clark County was the first county of Washington. It was created by the provisional government of Oregon Territory, and at that time covered the entire present-day state of Washington.
  • In 1846 Amos Short measured his land claim from a "witness tree" (a tree used by surveyors to establish a corner of a section of land) by carving his initials in a cottonwood that stood near the bank of the Columbia River.
  • 1853-March 2 U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
  • 1890 Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire. [6]

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

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

  • For a good look at the pioneers of Clark County, A book "Clark County Pioneers--A Centennial Salute" is a good place to start. The book contains information on the pioneers of Clark County and their families with many photos of those pioneers. The book has 675 pages plus an index. It has a copyright date of 1989.
  • Clark County Pioneers--Through the turn of the Century. Available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. All Clark County books have a catalog number of 979.786.
Index at RootsWeb

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Clark 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. %±
1850 643 —
1860 2,384 270.8%
1870 3,081 29.2%
1880 5,490 78.2%
1890 11,709 113.3%
1900 13,419 14.6%
1910 26,115 94.6%
1920 32,805 25.6%
1930 40,316 22.9%
1940 49,852 23.7%
1950 85,307 71.1%
1960 93,809 10.0%
1970 128,454 36.9%
1980 192,227 49.6%
1990 238,053 23.8%
2000 345,238 45.0%
2010 425,363 23.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".
Federal: 1910,
Territorial: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1871, 1883, (County) 1883, 1885, and 1887

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

  • 1890 - Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

American Indian

Japanese

Funeral Homes

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 Clark 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

CowlitzSkamaniaMultnomah County, ORColumbia County, ORWA CLARK.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

Early migration routes to and from Clark County for European and African American settlers included:

Military Records

Indian Wars

World War I

World War II

  • National Archives. Select search codes for state and county. These are partial lists. 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.

Other Records

Correctional Institutions

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

  • 1890 - Clark County Courthouse and Jail destroyed by fire on February 25, 1890. Many county records were destroyed, including probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of the Sheriff, Superintendent of Schools and Surveyor's office. The County Auditor's records were safe from fire. [6]
  • 1832-1950 Washington, County Probate Case Files, 1832-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
(A search of this collection did not bring up any Clark County records, Feb, 2014)

School 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.[10]

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 Clark 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 Clark County. For state-wide library facilities, see Washington Archives and Libraries.

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

Libraries
Fort Vancouver Regional Library District
Phone: 360-906-5000
Website

Museums

Societies

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

Clark County Genealogical Society
3205 NE 52nd Street
Vancouver, WA 98663
Phone: 360-750-5668
Email: gensoc@ccgs-wa.org
Website
Facebook

Websites

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

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clark County, Washington," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_County,_Washington, accessed 15/07/2019
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clark 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), Clark 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. ↑ GenDisasters.com - Vancouver, WA Courthouse Fire, Feb 1890 http://www.gendisasters.com/washington/7339/vancouver-wa-courthouse-jail-fire-feb-1890
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  7. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clark County, Washington," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_County,_Washington, accessed 4 March 2019.
  9. ↑ Jim Tompkins, The Oregon Trail 1841-1848 Map VI in Oregon Trail Landmarks. (accessed 18 July 2011).
  10. ↑ Washington State Archives - Digital Archives, Birth Records, About this Collection & Washington State Archives - Digital Archives, Death Records About Death Records
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