FamilySearch Wiki

Columbia County, Washington Genealogy

(Redirected from Columbia County, Washington)


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

County Facts
County seat: Dayton
Organized: 11 November, 1875
Parent County(s): Walla Walla
Neighboring Counties
Franklin • Garfield • Walla Walla • Whitman • Umatilla (OR) • Wallowa (OR)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Washington, Columbia County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Wa-columbia.png

Historic railway depot in Dayton, Columbia County, Washington

County Information

Description

Columbia County was named for the Columbia River and is located in the southeastern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Columbia County Courthouse
341 E Main Street
Dayton, WA 99328-1361
Phone: 509-382-4321
Columbia County Website

County Clerk has divorce records from 1886, probate records from 1891 and court records from 1890.
County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and marriage records from 1853. [2]

Columbia County, Washington Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1891 1876 1891 1891 1864 1891 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
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Covello
  • Huntsville
  • Jackson
  • Long
  • Marengo
  • Turner
Ghost towns
  • Alto
Delaney
Grange City


History Timeline

  • The lower Snake River was home to bands of Palouse and other Sahaptin-speaking people, including Nez Perce, Yakama, Walla Walla, Umatilla, and Wanapum.
  • 1805 October 12-13, Lewis and Clark canoed on the Snake River along the boundary separating Columbia and Whitman counties.
  • 1834 Captain B. L. E. Bonneville crossed Columbia County on the Nez Perce Trail, surveying the Northwest on behalf of the United States government.
  • 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
  • 1855 One of the first white settlers in Columbia County was Henry M. Chase. Chase and another man, P. M. Lafontain, built cabins and possibly a small fort early in 1855 at the site of present day Dayton.
  • 1859 Permanent settlement reached Columbia County with claims taken up along the Touchet and Tucannon rivers and along Patit Creek.
  • 1859 Frederick Schnebley homesteaded at the Dayton site of the former Chase homestead, which had been destroyed in the 1855 Indian attack.
  • 1860s Settlers slowly drifted into the county, but in the early 1870s settlement rapidly increased.
  • 1875 November 29, Columbia County officially came into existence.
  • 1881 July, The railroad arrived in Dayton.
  • 1934 The Blue Mountain Cannery was built in Dayton.
  • 1935 As part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, two Civilian Conservation Camps were established in Columbia 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 Columbia 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. %±
1880 7,103 —
1890 6,709 −5.5%
1900 7,128 6.2%
1910 7,042 −1.2%
1920 6,093 −13.5%
1930 5,325 −12.6%
1940 5,549 4.2%
1950 4,860 −12.4%
1960 4,569 −6.0%
1970 4,439 −2.8%
1980 4,057 −8.6%
1990 4,027 −0.7%
2000 4,064 0.9%
2010 4,078 0.3%
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

The court procedures of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of the 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.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

American Indians

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

  • 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.
  • Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

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

  • Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, and Umatilla County, Oregon, by Frank T. Gilbert. Portland, Oregon : Printing and Lithographing House of A. G. Walling, 1882. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  • An Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington : including Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties, Washington, compiled by Frederic Ambrose Shaver, et. al. [Spokane, Washington] : Western Historical Publishing Company, 1906. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Lyman's History of Old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties, by W.D. Lyman. Chicago, Ill., S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918. Online at: HathiTrust.

Maps and Gazetteers

WhitmanAsotinGarfieldWalla WallaFranklinWallowa County, ORUmatilla County, ORWA COLUMBIA.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. 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

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

Includes: Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (browse images)
Also includes: Clerks files of wills ca 1896-1917; Declarations of intention 1890; 1890-1906; 1890-1941; Estate files 1877-1915; Facts for declarations of intention 1901-1907; Homestead records 1882-1898; Probate case files 1878-1943; Probate fee books 1891-1898; Probate journal 1891-1932; Territorial letters of administration of wills annexed ca 1876-1877.

School Records

Online School Indexes and Records

Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (browse images)

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

Museums

Societies

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

Blue Mountain Heritage Society
PO Box 163
Dayton, WA 99328
Phone: 509-540-9560
Email: bluemountainheritage@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

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

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Columbia County, Washington," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_County,_Washington. accessed 15/07/2019
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ferry 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), Columbia 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, "Columbia County, Washington," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_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
v • d• e
Links to Washington-related articles
Topics
Counties
Extinct Co.
Major
 Repositories
Early Paths
Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Columbia_County,_Washington_Genealogy&oldid=6303847"