Multnomah County, Oregon Genealogy
Guide to Multnomah County, Oregon ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Multnomah County was named for the Chinookan word for the "lower river", and also after people recorded in the journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Multnomah's, who inhabited the area of Portland, most specifically on Sauvie Island. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse
Multnomah County Courthouse
1200 SW 1st Avenue
Portland, OR 97204-1123
Phone: 971-274-0570
Multnomah County Website
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Multnomah County, Oregon Record Dates
Information 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1864 | 1855 | 1864 | 1854 | 1854 | 1850 | 1845 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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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:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Historic communities | ||
Defunct Post Offices
- Albina: Albina post office was in service from 1876 to 1892.
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
- Mt. Calvary & Gethsemani Catholic Cemeteries, online index.
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 4,150 | — |
| 1870 | 11,510 | 177.3% |
| 1880 | 25,203 | 119.0% |
| 1890 | 74,884 | 197.1% |
| 1900 | 103,167 | 37.8% |
| 1910 | 226,261 | 119.3% |
| 1920 | 275,898 | 21.9% |
| 1930 | 338,241 | 22.6% |
| 1940 | 355,099 | 5.0% |
| 1950 | 471,537 | 32.8% |
| 1960 | 522,813 | 10.9% |
| 1970 | 556,667 | 6.5% |
| 1980 | 562,640 | 1.1% |
| 1990 | 583,887 | 3.8% |
| 2000 | 660,486 | 13.1% |
| 2010 | 735,334 | 11.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
Lutheran
- Records of Central Lutheran Church, Portland, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
- 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Court Records
- County Records Inventory listing Multnomah County records as of October 2006 inventory.
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
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Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Multnomah County for European and African American settlers included:
- Columbia River
- Willamette River
- Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon[5]
- Barlow Road 1846 from The Dalles to Oregon City
Rivers and Waterways
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. See Rivers and Waterways
Military Records
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Oregon, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
World War I
- 1919-1920 Oregon, World War I, County Military Service Records, 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1921-1938 Oregon, World War I, Veteran State Aid Applications, 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
World War II
- 1942-1945 Idaho, Jerome County Historical Society, Minidoka Japanese Relocation Center Mixed Vital Records, 1942-1945 at FamilySearch — index
Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1868-1991 United States, Oregon, Naturalization Records, 1868-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Newspapers
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
- 1800s-Current Oregon, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
Voter Registration Records
- 1908-1958 Oregon, Multnomah County, Voting Registration Records, 1908-1958 at FamilySearch — index
Poor Farm Records
- 1900-1962 Oregon, Multnomah County, Poor Farm Admissions Records, 1900-1962 at FamilySearch — index
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1833-1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Vital Records
Birth
- 1842-1917 Oregon, Oregon State Archives, Births, 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
- 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1860-1952 Oregon Births, 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1903-1918 Oregon, Center for Health Statistics, Birth Records, 1903-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Marriage
The Genealogical Forum of Oregon has placed an index on-line to the following marriage books: Access Codes: FI$
- 1841-1964 Oregon, Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1849-1884;1991-2006 Oregon Marriage Index, 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1826-1975 Oregon, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
- 1906-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1968 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
- 1855-1901 1855-1901 of the Multnomah County Marriage Books
- 1855-1924 Oregon, Multnomah County Marriages at MyHeritage — index ($)
Death
- 1854-1915 Oregon, Center for Health Statistics, Portland, Oregon Deaths, 1854-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1855-1970 Oregon, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1855-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1864-1967 Oregon, Oregon State Archives, Death Records, 1864-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1864-1968 Oregon, U.S., State Deaths, 1864-1968 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1915-1924 Portland, Oregon Deaths, 1915-1924 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
Divorce
- 1841-1964 Oregon, Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Multnomah County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Oregon 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
- Gresham Oregon FamilySearch Center
- Milwaukie Oregon FamilySearch Center
- Portland Oregon FamilySearch Center
- The Genealogical Forum of Oregon - an affiliate library
- Lake Oswego Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Multnomah County. For state-wide library facilities, see Oregon Archives and Libraries.
Multnomah County Library Administration
919 NE 19th Ave Suite 250
Portland OR 97232
503-988-7870
Website
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Multnomah County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Oregon Societies.
Genealogical Forum of Oregon
2505 SE 11th Ave., Suite B-18
Portland, OR 97202
Phone: 503-963-1932
Email: info@gfo.org
Website
Facebook
East County Historical Organization
PO Box 946
Fairview, OR 97024
503-618-0946
Website
Multnomah Historical Association
PO Box 19785
2929 SW Multnomah Blvd
Portland, OR 97219
503-893-5549
Website
David Douglas Historical Society
11300 NE Halsey St
Portland, OR 97220
503-252-2900
Website
Websites
- Multnomah County, OR GenWeb, and OR GenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives
- 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
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Multnomah, Oregon" in https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Multnomah_County,_Oregon_Genealogy accessed 28 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Multnomah County, Oregon page 573, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Multnomah County, Oregon . Page 572-574 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), 563-564.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Multnomah County, Oregon" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multnomah_County,_Oregon, accessed 16 December 2018.
- ↑ Jim Tompkins, "The Oregon Trail 1841-1848 Map VI" in Oregon Trail Landmarks at http://www.oregonpioneers.com/OTMap6.jpg (accessed 18 July 2011).