Oregon Vital Records

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Vital Records Reference Dates[edit | edit source]

Oregon's vital records start the following years^[1]:

	Births	Marriages	Deaths
Earliest	1871	1842	1862
Statewide Registration	July 1903	1906	July 1903
General Compliance	1903	1906	1903

Oregon Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

1917-1948 Oregon, U.S., County Divorce Records, 1917-1948 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1925-1968 Oregon State Divorces, 1925-1968 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1946-1967 Oregon Divorce Records, 1946-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1991-2008 Oregon Divorce Index, 1991-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
Oregon Divorce Records at Oregon State Archives

Original Records[edit | edit source]

A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Oregon Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

Birth Records[edit | edit source]

Statewide registration of births began in 1903. Some counties and cities kept records earlier than 1903. Most of the records have been given to the State Archive. You can find there collection by contacting them or at the website.

Oregon State Archives
800 Summer St NE
Salem, OR 97310
503-373-0701 ext. 1
Fax: 503-373-0953
reference.archives@state.or.us

State records are not open to the public. Birth records are available only to the registrant's immediate family. In your request, state your relationship to the individual you want information about and your reason.

Delayed Registration of Births[edit | edit source]

Delayed registration of births began in the late 1930s. To obtain these records write to the Oregon State Health Division. The FamilySearch Library has delayed records for some counties. State-wide index is available on microfilm for entire state.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of the records arranged chronological by birth and by county. FS Library films 2363225 (first of 74 films)

Marriage Records[edit | edit source]

Counties began to record marriages soon after they were organized. Some county marriage records date from 1849. Write to the county clerk for information on early records they may have. Beginning in 1906 each county sent copies of the records to the Oregon State Health Division (address above). For records after 1906 you can write to the county clerk or to the state. Records from 1849-1930 are also at the Oregon State Archives (see address in Oregon Archives and Libraries).

Many of the marriages for the state are searchable online at no cost in the Western States Marriage Index.

Gretna Greens. When an Oregon couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like Winnemucca, NV, or Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai, ID.^[2]

Divorce Records[edit | edit source]

Before 1853, divorces were granted by the territorial legislature. These records are now kept at the Oregon State Archives. Divorces that occurred after 1853 were recorded in the circuit court of each county. Records since 1925 may also be obtained from the Oregon State Health Division (address above).

Death Records[edit | edit source]

The Oregon State Hospital maintains an index of unclaimed cremated remains of about 3500 people who died in the Oregon State Hospital, Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, Mid-Columbia Hospital, Dammasch State Hospital, Oregon State Penitentiary, and Fairview Training Center between 1914 and the 1970s. The purpose of the list is so families may claim their members remains.

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1903. The FamilySearch Library has the index to deaths from 1903 to 1970 and has some county birth and death records on microfilm. The original birth and death records are available from the state. The records that are available can be identified at the State Archives Web Site. To request copies for 1903 to the present, write to:

Oregon State Archives
800 Summer St NE
Salem, OR 97310
503-373-0701 ext. 1
Fax: 503-373-0953
reference.archives@state.or.us

The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are provided in their site above.

State records are not open to the public. Birth records are available only to the registrant's immediate family. Death records are available to persons with a “direct and tangible interest.” In your request, state your relationship to the individual you want information about and your reason.

The Oregon State Archives has an index to the state's records of births and deaths from 1903 to 1984. They also have copies of Oregon death records 1903 to the year preceding the current year, some marriage records 1849-1935, and a marriage index 1906-1995 (some years missing). Death certificates are transferred from Center for Health Statistics (CHS) in Portland each year prior to the 50 years rule for public access.

Oregon death index records truncate the spouse's given name to 6 letters. Eg: Valentine is indexed Valent.

Death Record 1903-1947 at FamilySearch

Cause of Death[edit | edit source]

Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Substitute Records[edit | edit source]

Oregon Church Records

Oregon Cemetery Records

Oregon Census

Oregon Newspapers

Oregon Obituaries

Oregon Military Records

Oregon Periodicals

Tips[edit | edit source]

Information listed on vitial records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the informaiton found on the record.
If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of chifrstening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths.
Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be uaavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Oregon to locate records filed by the State and then search thename of the county to locate records kept by the county,

Guide to Vital Records[edit | edit source]

More information about the history and availability of vital records is in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Oregon. ^[3]

References[edit | edit source]

↑ Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 553-54, 563-64. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27rb 2004.
↑ Arlene H. Eakle, "Have you searched and searched for a marriage without finding it?" in Arlene H Eakle's Genealogy Blog at http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress/2007/02/19/have-you-searched-and-searched-for-the-marriage-without-finding-it/ (accessed 8 January 2011).
↑ Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Oregon (Portland, Oregon: Historical Records Survey, 1942). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Film 1036701 item 4; Fiche 6051198; Book 979.5 V2h.

[rdb4-1] Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 553-54, 563-64. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27rb 2004.

[Eakle1-2] Arlene H. Eakle, "Have you searched and searched for a marriage without finding it?" in Arlene H Eakle's Genealogy Blog at http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress/2007/02/19/have-you-searched-and-searched-for-the-marriage-without-finding-it/ (accessed 8 January 2011).

[3] Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Oregon (Portland, Oregon: Historical Records Survey, 1942). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Film 1036701 item 4; Fiche 6051198; Book 979.5 V2h.

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