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Yakima County, Washington Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Yakima
Organized: January 21, 1865
Parent County(s): Klickitat, Walla Walla
Neighboring Counties
Benton • Grant • King • Kittitas • Klickitat • Lewis • Pierce • Skamania
See County Maps
Courthouse
Washington, Yakima County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Wa-yakima.png

Mt. Adams bathed in afternoon light, Yakima County, Washington

County Information

Description

The county was named for the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Yakima County Courthouse
128 N 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: 509-574-2710
Yakima County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907, marriage records from 1880 and land records.
County clerk has probate, divorce and court records from 1881.[2]

Yakima County, Washington Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1890 1877 1896 1882 1882 1874 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
  • Artesian
  • Ashue
  • Belma
  • Birchfield
  • Blackrock
  • Brownstown
  • Byron
  • Cliffdell
  • Cougar Valley
  • East Selah
  • Emerald
  • Empire
  • Farron
  • Flint
  • Fort Simcoe
  • Fruitvale
  • Givens Corner
  • Goose Prairie
  • Gromore
  • Harwood
  • Holtzinger
  • Jonathan
  • Liberty
  • Lichty
  • Midvale
  • Nass
  • Nile
  • Pinecliff
  • Plainview
  • Pomona
  • Rimrock
  • Sawyer
  • Spitzenberg
  • Venner
  • Waneta
  • Weikel
  • Wenas
  • Wiley City
  • Willy Dick Crossing
  • Yethonat
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places

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

History Timeline

  • 1800s Trappers traversed the country.
  • 1853 March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
  • 1860s The first white settlers were cattle ranchers who recognized that the lush grasslands on the stream banks were excellent places to winter their cattle.
  • 1865 January 21, Yakima County was established.
  • 1870 Settlers began referring to a small village with two stores as Yakima City.
  • 1885 By the end of the year, the population of North Yakima had swelled to 1,200 people.
  • 1885 Paul Schulze, the railroad's land manager, laid out the streets on the rough general plan of his native city, Baden-Baden, Germany. By other accounts, the city was modeled after the plan of Salt Lake City.
  • 1890s North Yakima, along with the rest of the country, hit hard times, largely because of a series of nationwide financial panics.
  • 1898 All signs of commercial stagnation and business depression had completely disappeared" in North Yakima.
  • The city of Yakima occupies what was once the traditional hunting and gathering grounds of the region's tribes, known collectively as the Peoples of the Plateau.

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 Yakima 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. %±
1870 432 —
1880 2,811 550.7%
1890 4,429 57.6%
1900 13,462 204.0%
1910 41,709 209.8%
1920 63,710 52.7%
1930 77,402 21.5%
1940 99,019 27.9%
1950 135,723 37.1%
1960 145,112 6.9%
1970 144,971 −0.1%
1980 172,508 19.0%
1990 188,823 9.5%
2000 222,581 17.9%
2010 243,231 9.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".
Includes School attendance records 1875-1925; School census records 1894-1925.
Federal: 1900, 1910, 1920
Territorial: 1871, 1883, 1885, 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

The court procedure of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of 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
The Yakima Indian Reservation is located primarily in Yakima County, with a small portion in Klickitat County.

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 Yakima 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

King CountyPierce CountyLewis CountySkamania CountyKlickitat CountyBenton CountyGrant CountyKittitas CountyWA YAKIMA.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

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.

  • The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society has a massive collection of obituaries starting from 1860 on, from counties in and around Yakima. They are in the process of putting this collection online. For now, contact the Society at 509-248-1328 or yvgs1901@gmail.com. They have researchers who are willing to do lookups from this collection.

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

School Records

Online School Indexes and 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.[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 Yakima 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 Yakima County. For state-wide library facilities, see Washington Archives and Libraries.

Yakima Valley Libraries
Website
Multiple locations
Yakima Valley College Libraries
Website
Multiple locations

Museums

Societies

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

Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
1901 S 12th Avenue
Union Gap, WA 98903-1256
Phone: 509-248-1328
Email:yvgs1901@gmail.com
Website

Websites

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

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Yakama County, Washington," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakima_County,_Washington. accessed 18/07/2019
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Yakima County, Washington page 734, FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Yakima 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, "Yakima County, Washington," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakima_County,_Washington, accessed 26 March 2019.
  7. ↑ Washington State Archives - Digital Archives, Birth Records, About this Collection & Washington State Archives - Digital Archives, Death Records About Death Records
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