Washoe County, Nevada Genealogy

United States

Nevada

Washoe County

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

Nevada Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Reno Organized: November 25, 1861 Parent County(s): Original county Neighboring Counties Carson City (Independent City) • Humboldt • Pershing • Churchill • Storey • Placer • Nevada • Sierra • Lassen • Modoc See county maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named after the Washoe people who originally inhabited the area. It is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Washoe County Courthouse
75 Court Street
PO Box 11130
Reno, NV 89520
Phone: 775-328-3260
Washoe County Website

County Health Department has birth, death and burial records from 1900.
County Clerk has divorce, probate, court and naturalization records from 1862.
County Recorder has land records from 1862 and marriage records from 1871.

Washoe County, Nevada 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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1900	1871	1900	1862	1862	1862	1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1911. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Parent County: created 25 November 1861 as an original county County Seat: Reno Nevada Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Nevada Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Nevada 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:

Cities
Reno (county seat)	Sparks
Unincorporated communities
Anderson Antelope Valley Arrowcreek Bartley Ranch Beulah Border Town Bronco Buffalo Ranch Caughlin Ranch Copperfield Damonte Ranch Deep Hole Diessner Dodge Flanigan Franktown Galena Glendale Grand View Terrace	Heinz Hidden Valley Hot Springs Huffaker Jumbo Lawton Mayberry-Highland Park McCarran (partly in Storey County) Mira Loma Montreux Mustang New Washoe City Northeast Reno Northwest Reno Olinghouse Palomino Valley Panther Valley Patrick	Phil Poeville Pleasant Valley Pyramid Raleigh Heights Rancho Haven Red Hawk Red Rock Reederville Saddlehorn Sand Pass Sano Steamboat Springs Upper Pyramid Vya Washoe City Washoe Summit Wedekind Winnemucca Ranch
Census-designated places
Cold Springs Crystal Bay Empire Gerlach Golden Valley	Incline Village Lemmon Valley Mogul Nixon Spanish Springs	Sun Valley Sutcliffe Verdi Wadsworth Washoe Valley

Resources

Bible Records

Listed below are resources for Bible records specific to Washoe County. To find more resources, go to the Nevada Bible Records page.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Washoe County, Nevada online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com NVGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project BillionGraves Interment.net
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	NVGenWeb Findagrave.com BillionGraves Nevada Cemetery Records FamilySearch Places
See Nevada Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	3,091	—
1880	5,664	83.2%
1890	6,437	13.6%
1900	9,141	42.0%
1910	17,434	90.7%
1920	18,627	6.8%
1930	27,158	45.8%
1940	32,476	19.6%
1950	50,205	54.6%
1960	84,743	68.8%
1970	121,068	42.9%
1980	193,623	59.9%
1990	254,667	31.5%
2000	339,486	33.3%
2010	421,407	24.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

The first enumeration for Nevada before it was a state in 1864, was in the 1850 Census in both New Mexico and Utah Territories, but the area had not been divided into counties. Those living there may be in the Utah 1851 Census. For 1860, Nevada was again enumerated in New Mexico and Utah Territories. A partial state census exists for Nevada in 1862 and 1863 and a full state census exists for 1875. See links listed below.

State and Territory Census Records

• 1850 United States Census, 1850 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index & images; Nevada was included in both the 1850 New Mexico and Utah Territory Censuses. - How to Use this Collection
• 1860 United States Census, 1860 at FamilySearch Historical Records — index & images; Nevada was included in both the 1860 New Mexico and Utah Territory Censuses. - How to Use this Collection
• 1860 Nevada, Compiled Census Index, 1860-1910 at Ancestry ($), index
• 1862-1863 1862-1863 Nevada Territory Tax List - Index
• 1875 Nevada State Census, 1875 at Ancestry ($), index

Federal Census Records

Federal Censuses were taken for the state of Nevada starting in 1870. Although, those living in south-eastern Nevada in 1870 may be enumerated in Utah or Arizona because of disputed boundaries with Nevada. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Nevada Census.

Church Records

Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Nevada Church Records.

Church records are usually found in town records rather than on the county level. Search the FamilySearch Catalog - Place Search for the appropriate town in Washoe County.

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Reno
• Sparks

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

The 2nd Judicial District Court, State of Nevada, Washoe County, handles divorce and probate as well as other court matters.

Directories

• 1868-1869 Nevada Directory 1868-1869 at Ancestry ($), index only, includes settlers of Nevada.
• 1913-1981 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($), Index and images, Reno City Directories, various years.
• 1941 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($), Index and images, Reno, Sparks and Washoe County City Directories.
• 1944 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($), Index and images, Gerlach City Directory.
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Emigration and Immigration

• Nevada Emigration and Immigration

Funeral Homes

• 1911-1939 Mortuary death records, O'Brien Rogers Funeral Home, Reno, Washoe County, Nevada, 1911-1939(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• Cremation Society of Nevada - John Sparks in Sparks
• Mountain View Mortuary in Reno
• Simple Cremation in Reno and Sparks
• Truckee Meadows Cremation and Burial in Reno
• Walton's Funerals & Cremations in Reno and Sparks

Land and Property Records

The county recorder's office keeps land records once the land was transferred to private ownership. Abstracts and indexes for these records are generally available at the county courthouse.

In the FamilySearch Catalog, land records for Nevada are listed in the Place Search under: NEVADA, Washoe – LAND AND PROPERTY

The Washoe County Recorder handles land records.

The grantor/grantee index on this website allows searches of public records from 19 November 1991 to the present. Available images are "unofficial" copies only at $1.00 per page.

For official copies or questions about documents prior to 19 November 1991, call the Washoe County Recorder's office at 775-328-3660 or e-mail record@mail.co.washoe.nv.us

Online Land Records

• 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website.
• 1863-1908 U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry - index & images ($).
• Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available.
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

For more information see Nevada Land and Property

Local Histories

County histories may include biographies of early settlers and residents, church and school information, and local military regiments at the time of publication.

• Polk's Reno city, Washoe County and Carson City directory, 1920-1921. R.L Polk & Co. 1920. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• The Sparks Tribune : vital records for Sparks & Washoe, Nevada. 1971. Newspaper clippings June 7, 1967 to June 17, 1971. Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Church and Cemetery Records of Washoe County, Nevada. c1971. By Trinity Episcopal Church (Reno, Nevada). Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Online at: At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Excerpts from Memories of George E. Peckham: Printed by Nevada Historical Society Papers, 1917-1920. c1964. By Nona Parkin. N.p: n.p. At various libraries (WorldCat).
• General History and Resources of Washoe County, Nevada. c1888. By N. A. Hummel. Reno, Nevada : Evening Gazette Job Print. At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Granite Creek: A Nevada Stage Station. By Alan H. Patera. Journal Article: Western places : a chronicle of western settlement - v. 2 (1993) - v. 2, no. 1 (Mar. 1993). At various libraries(WorldCat).
• Hunter's Station, Nevada. By Alan H. Patera. Journal Article: Western places : a chronicle of western settlement - v. 3 (1994-1995) - v. 3, no. 1 (spring 1994). At various libraries(WorldCat).
• Reno, Hub of the Washoe County: An Illustrated History. c1984. By William D. Rowley. Woodland Hills, California : University of Nevada Reno. At various libraries (WorldCat).
• The Saga of the Grosch Brothers. By Louis J. Heizmann. Journal Article: Historical review of Berks County - v. 18 (1952) - v. 18, no. 4 (July/Sept. 1953).
• Sagebrush Chronicles [of] Washoe County. c1971. By David Basso. Reno, Nevada : n.p. At various libraries (WorldCat).

Online County Histories

• Bowers Mansion. c1952. By Gloria Millicent Mapes. Reno, Nevada : Reno Chapter, Daughters of the American Colonists. Online at: FamilySearch Online Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Search FamilySearch Catalog Place Search for Washoe County, Nevada History. See if films are available at a local FamilySearch center. Public libraries may have copies of books or order through Interlibrary Loan.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

• Historical Maps of Nevada
• David Rumsey Collection for Nevada
• Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for Nevada
• Washoe County GIS Home Page
• Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nevada - shows boundary changes for Nevada Counties
• Historical Maps and Atlases of Nevada - maps and atlases of Nevada

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Washoe County, Nevada Genealogy for emigrant settlers included:

• California Trail 1844 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California

• Truckee (River) Trail 1844 followed the Truckee River west past Reno, Nevada to Donner Pass to Emigrant Gap to Sutter's Fort (Sacramento, California). The exact route varied over the years, the most used being the Nevada City Road and Auburn Emigrant Road combination.
• Applegate Trail 1846 (avoided the Forty Mile Desert) by leaving the Humboldt River in Nevada early at present-day Rye Reservoir, Nevada and passing through the Black Rock Desert to Fandango Pass past Goose Lake on to the Lost River and eventually the Willamette Valley in Oregon
• Beckwourth Trail 1850 left the Truckee Trail near present-day Sparks, Nevada going to Oroville and Marysville, California
• Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California

• Central Overland Trail 1859-1869 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Carson City, Nevada through central Nevada on a route south of the Humboldt River]
• Central Pacific Railroad since 1869 from Ogden, Utah to Sacramento, California

Military Records

Online Collections

These collections are unique to Nevada. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Nevada Military Records.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Nevada, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
• 1863-1866 Nevada Civil War Volunteers, 1863-1866 ($) at Ancestry — index

World War I

• Nevada - Soldiers of the Great War
  

World War II

• Nevada Casualties of World War II
  
• 1940-1945 Nevada, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection

Korea War

• Nevada Military Killed in Action in Korea
  
• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Nevada
  

Vietnam War

• Nevada Military Killed in Action in Vietnam
  
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Nevada
  
• Vietnam Conflict Casualty Lists - Nevada
  

Other Conflicts

• Nevadans Killed in Action - Operation Enduring Freedom & Operation Iraqi Freedom

For further information see Nevada Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Please see the Nevada Naturalization and Citizenship page for state-wide information.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1956-1991 Nevada, Naturalization Petitions, 1956-1991 at Ancestry($), index

Newspapers

For more information, see Nevada Newspapers.

• 1875-1932 Nevada Newspapers at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1800s-Current Nevada, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Ancestry.com ($) has digital copies of several Reno Nevada newspapers.
• Chronicling America, contains images of some Nevada newspapers;

searching tips 

• GenealogyBank ($), contains images of Nevada newspapers
• Newspaper Archive ($), contains images of Nevada newspapers
• U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper

Probate Records

Probate records may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. They may include the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. See Nevada Probate Records for additional information.

Online Probate Records

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

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 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

Nevada tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records. Most tax records can be obtained from the county treasurer or assessor. For more information, see the wiki page Nevada Taxation. The FamilySearch Library does not have copies of Nevada tax records (as of June 2013).

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.

A copy or an extract of most Nevada original records can be purchased from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Nevada Vital Records. For information about restrictions and costs for certificates, see the CDC Where to Write for Vital Records site.

Birth

• 1871-1992 Nevada County Birth and Death Records, 1871-1992 at FamilySearch — index & images — How to Use this Collection
• 1975-2012 Nevada Birth Index 1975-2012 at Ancestry ($)
• Washoe County Records at FamilySearch — images.

Marriage

• Nevada, Marriage Index, 1956-2005- How to Use this Collection
• 1809-2011 Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011 - Index, incomplete, list of counties included
• 1956-2005 Nevada Marriage Index 1956-2005 at Ancestry ($)
• The Nevada State Library and Archives has marriage licenses for Washoe County from 1862 to 1872. The original marriage certificate registers are in the county recorder's office.
• Washoe County marriage records online search: Search Marriage Records

Death

• 1871-1992 Nevada County Birth and Death Records, 1871-1992 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection

Divorce

• 1968-2015 Nevada Divorce Records 1968-2015 at Ancestry ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Washoe County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Nevada 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

• Carson City Nevada FamilySearch Center
• Fernley Nevada FamilySearch Center
• Reno Nevada FamilySearch Center
• Silver Springs Nevada FamilySearch Center
• Truckee Meadows Community College - Elizabeth Sturm Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Washoe County Public Libraries
301 South Center Street
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: 775-327-8300
Email: library@washoecounty.us
Website

Museums

Nevada State Museum, Carson City
1650 North Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89503
Phone: 775-688-1190
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Washoe County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Nevada Societies.

Division of Museums and History/Nevada Historical Society
412 E Musser St Suite 2
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-687-7340
Website

Nevada Historical Society
1650 North Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89503
Phone: 775-688-1190
Email: shayeszorn@nevadaculture.org
Website

Nevada Society of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America
1839 Deep Creek Dr
Sparks, NV 89434-1762
Phone: 775-626-2547

Nevada State Genealogical Society
4751 Neil Road
Reno, NV 89515-0666
Website

Sparks Heritage Society
814 Victorian Ave
Sparks, NV 89431

Websites

• Washoe County at Cyndi's List — a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
• Washoe County at Genealogy Trails — volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
• Washoe County at Nevada USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
• Washoe County at Nevada USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
• Washoe County, Nevada at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
• Washoe County, Nevada Genealogy at LDSGenealogy.com - collection of links by state, county, city, and record type
• 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.