Washington County, Oregon Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Hillsboro
Organized: September 3, 1849
Parent County(s): Original County
Neighboring Counties
ClackamasClatsopColumbiaMultnomahTillamookYamhill
See County Maps
Courthouse
Oregon, Washington County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Oregon Washington County Map.png

County Information

Description

Washington County was named for George Washington. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state. [1]

County Courthouse

Washington County Courthouse
145 NE 2nd Ave.
Hillsboro, OR 97124-3072
Phone: 503-846-8888
Washington County Website

  • Record Section, Assessment, Taxation has marriage, land and military records from 1850.
  • Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1896, probate records from 1871 and naturalization records from 1906. [2]
  • County Records Inventory lists record collections and locations held.

Washington 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.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1907 1842 1903 1844 1847 1842 1845
*Statewide registration for births and deaths in 1903. General compliance year unknown.

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:[4]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Historic communities

Defunct Post Offices

  • Albion: Albion post office was in service on the extreme north border of the county from March 17, 1902 to Dec. 31, 1908. It was about due south of Vernonia. George M. Holt was the only postmaster. George M. Holt came from Albion, Illinois and he named the office for his old home in the Midwest. FamilySearch Catalog

History Timeline

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

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


Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1850 2,652
1860 2,801 5.6%
1870 4,261 52.1%
1880 7,082 66.2%
1890 11,972 69.0%
1900 14,467 20.8%
1910 21,522 48.8%
1920 26,376 22.6%
1930 30,275 14.8%
1940 39,194 29.5%
1950 61,269 56.3%
1960 92,237 50.5%
1970 157,920 71.2%
1980 245,808 55.7%
1990 311,554 26.7%
2000 445,342 42.9%
2010 529,710 18.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".
  • 1845 Territorial Transcription and Index (under name of Tuality, Twalatain and Twality County)
  • 1849 Territorial Transcription and Index (under name of Twality County)
  • 1850 Territorial Transcription and Index
  • 1853 Territorial Transcription and Index
  • 1856 Territorial Transcription and Index

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

WashingtonMultnomah CountyClackamas CountyYamhill CountyTillamook CountyClatsop CountyColumbia CountyOR WASHINGTON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration

Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. See "Rivers and Waterways"

Military Records

Civil War
Online Civil War Indexes and Records

World War I

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Historic Oregon Newspapers as a division of the Oregon Digital Newspaper Program has digitized more than 644,000 pages of newspapers throughout Oregon. Dates range from 1846-1922 with selected issues continuing through 1973.

Of particular interest to Washington County researchers: The Banner-Courier (Beaverton)
The Owl (Beaverton)
The Argus (Hilsboro)
The Hilsboro Argus (Hilsboro)
Hilsboro Independent (Hilsboro)
Washington County Independent (Hilsboro)

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Vital Records

The FamilySearch Library has copies of some records such as: Washington County coroner's inquest records 1854-1889

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Washington 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

Libraries

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

Washington County Library Services
155 N 1st Ave
Hillsboro OR 97124
Phone: 503-846-8685
Website
Facebook Page

Museums

Five Oaks Musumn
17677 NW Springville Rd
Portland, OR 97229
Phone:503-645-5353
Website
Facebook Page

Societies

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

Washington County Heritage Online
Website
Listing of Partner Institutions
Beaverton Historical Society and History Center
12490 S W First Suite 300
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-430-0160
Website
Facebook Page

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Wikipedia contributors, "Washington, Oregon" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Oregon accessed 29 Nov 2018
  2. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington County, Oregon page 574, 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), Washington 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.
  4. Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Oregon" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Oregon, accessed 20 January 2019.