Whitman County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington Whitman County

Guide to Whitman County Washington genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.[[Image:Template:WAWhitmanPalouse]]


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Quick start:

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Whitman County, Washington
Map
Location in the state of Washington
Location of Washington in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	November 29, 1871
County Seat	Colfax
Courthouse
Address	Whitman County Courthouse N 404 Main Street Box 390; Colfax, WA 99111-2031 Phone: 509.397.6240  Whitman County Website

County Overview

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Land	Probate	Court
1875*	1874*	1891*	1874	1878	1861
* For earlier dates, try... Church | Obituaries | Cemeteries

• Parent County: created 29 November 1871 from Stevens
• County Seat: Colfax
• Neighboring Counties: Adams | Asotin | Columbia | Garfield | Franklin | Lincoln | Spokane | Walla Walla | Idaho counties: Benewah | Latah | Nez Perce

Resources

The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to Whitman County, Washington Genealogy entries with names, images, or information.

Cemeteries

Albion Cemetery
Bethel Cemetery
Coleman Cemetery
Colfax Cemetery
Colton Cemetery
Colyar Cemetery
Dusty Cemetery
Eaton Cemetery (Rock Lake Cemetery)
Eden Valley Cemetery
Elberton Cemetery
Ewartsville Cemetery (Lone Pine Cemetery)
Farr Cemetery
Garfield Cemetery
Goldenrod Cemetery, Tekoa
Greenwood Cemetery
Gresham Cemetery
Hatley Cemetery
Hay Cemetery
Holy Rosary Cemetery
Johnson Cemetery
Lone Pine Cemetery
McConnell Cemetery
Mountain View Cemetery (Endicott)
Mountain View Cemetery (Farmington)
Myers Family Cemetery
Oakesdale Cemetery
Old German Methodist Cemetery
Onecho Cemetery
Pine City Cemetery
Pullman I.O.O.F. Cemetery
Riggs Cemetery
Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
Saint Boniface Cemetery
Saint John Cemetery
Selbu Cemetery
Sheahan Cemetery (Old Thornton)
Silver Creek Cemetery
Thornton Cemetery
Uniontown Community Cemetery
Whelan Cemetery
Winona Cemetery
Zion Lutheran Cemetery

Census

• 1880
• 1890 Veterans
• 1900
• 1910
• 1920
• 1930
• 1940

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.

Court Records

Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Washington Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate

Ethnic, Political or Religious Groups

Japanese

World War II Files, 1942-1946

Public Welfare/Social Security Department, (Japanese Internment) Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946 from the Washington State Archives – Digital Archives

Genealogy

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

Guardianship

Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Washington Court Records.

History

Local histories for Whitman County, Washington Genealogy may include biographies, history of churches, schools, local government with names of officials, military information, and more. See Washington Local Histories. Washington State University is located in Pullman.

History Timeline

Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wilma, David. Okanogan County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7608.

Maps

• Family Maps of Whitman County, Washington (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Washington Naturalization and Citizenship for more information.    (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

Newspapers

Finding More Washington Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Whitman County, Washington Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog. To select a county in Washington, add a comma, slide way down to the county list, then click Search. (Almost every state seems to have a Washington County)

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.

Repositories

Courthouse

Whitman County Courthouse
N 404 Main Street Box 390
Colfax, WA 99111-2031
Phone: 509–397–6240

County Clerk has marriage records 1872-1891, probate records from 1870, divorce and court records from 1864, and naturalization records 1862-1942.
County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907 and land records.

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• Colfax Washington Family History Center

Taxation

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

The county auditors in Washington kept records of birth, marriage, and death. The county clerk has the divorce records - the earliest dates to the present.

Visit the Washington State Department of Health website to order a Washington Birth, Death, Marriage or Divorce Certificate. See Washington Vital Records for details and history of the records. .

Birth

• Washington State Digital Archives has a database of Whitman County Birth Records. This database contains the names and birth records of people who were born in Whitman County from 1890 to 1907.
• Births from Whitman County Jan. 1875 to Aug 1907.

Marriage

• 102 marriage entries from 23 Oct 1872 to 13 Dec 1909 are available at the Western States Marriage Index website.

Divorce

Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Washington Vital Records for excellent information.

Death

• Washington State Digital Archives has a database of Whitman County Death Returns containing names of people who died in Whitman County from 1891-1907. For FHL entries, click here
• Washington Death Certificates 1907-1960 A free internet index to the 1907-1960 death certificates can be found at FamilySearch Record Search, no images are available. A transcribed death certificate may contain such information as name of the deceased, date and place of death, age, gender, birth date and birth place, mother’s maiden name and name of spouse, place of residence, occupation and certificate numbers.

Websites

• Family History Library Catalog
• Whitman County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

Archives, Libraries, etc.

Resources for Whitman County, Washington Genealogy are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.

• Check websites and catalogs, such as items in FamilySearch Library (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for Whitman County, Washington Genealogy. When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

Places

Incorporated Cities:

Albion - 615
Colfax - 2,950 (County Seat)
Colton - 380
Endicott - 355
Farmington - 150
Garfield - 550
La Crosse - 380
Lamont - 100
Malden- 225
Oakesdale 440
Palouse - 1,050
Pullman - 28,500 (Largest City)
Rosalia - 715
St. John - 525
Tekoa - 895
Uniontown - 315

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)