Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy

United States Washington Kitsap County [[Image:Template:WAKitsapShipyard]]

Guide to Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1861, when the county was formed.

County QuickStart: Census Birth Marriage Death

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Kitsap County, Washington
Map
Location in the state of Washington
Location of Washington in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 16, 1847
County Seat	Port Orchard
Courthouse
Address	Kitsap County Courthouse 614 Division Street Port Orchard, WA 98366 Phone 360.337.7164 Kitsap County Website

County Overview

Parent County(s)

Kitsap County, Washington was created 16 January 1847.

County Seat: Port Orchard . For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Parent Counties: created 16 Jan 1847 as Slaughter County from Jefferson and King Counties. Renamed 13 July 1857 from Slaughter County.

Neighboring Counties

Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy is surrounded by: Island | Jefferson | King | Mason | Pierce | Snohomish

Boundary Changes

• Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library
  
  

Dates of Major County Records

Note: The dates you see below have not yet been adapted to Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy.

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Land	Probate	Court
1891*	1860*	1891*	1857	1861	1888
* For earlier dates, try... Church | Obituaries | Cemeteries

Topics

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 Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy entries with names, images, or information.

Cemeteries

• K P Cemetery, Port Orchard BillionGraves
• Poulsbo Cemetery, Poulsbo BillionGraves

• Alpha list of cemeteries in the county with links to online transcripts.

Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy cemeteries from state and national resources
Online County-wide Name Searches	Published Grave Transcripts	Lists of Cemeteries (Several will also link to names)
FindAGrave (Add a name to the search)	FamilySearch Library Click Cemeteries. Press space bar to select town	FindAGrave
WA State Archives - Digital Collections Click any cemetery for search window, select county, enter name(s).	WorldCat	Interment.net
Billion Graves Switch to "Person Lookup"	Washington Periodicals	Washington State Digital Archives Put county name in Search box
		Linkpendium
		Billion Graves
		USGenWeb Tombstone Project
		Genealogy Trails
See Washington Cemeteries for details about these and other sites.

Census

• See Washington Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
• See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
• Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.

• 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.

• Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) for Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy are listed in the FamilySearch catalog. (Press space bar to select town.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Bremerton
• Port Orchard

Lutheran

• Records of Port Madison Lutheran Church, Winslow, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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 Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy may include biographies, history of churches, schools, local government with names of officials, military information, and more. See Washington Local Histories.

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. Kitsap County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7864.

• The first residents of the land and islands between Puget Sound and Hood Canal were called Suquamish.
• 1792 May - British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver mapped Puget Sound .
• 1850 - The big trigger to white settlement on the Kitsap Peninsula came with the California Gold Rush.
• 1855 - Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens persuaded the tribes to sign the Point No Point and Point Elliott treaties, in which they ceded their lands to the United States.
• 1857 July 13 - Slaughter County was officially formed and Port Madison became the county seat. Voters changed the name to Kitsap County.
• 1880s - The United States government chose Port Orchard as the site of a repair facility to help support naval operations in the Pacific Ocean.

Land and Property

• County Land Records, 1850-1954 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Maps

This map highlights the county within the state of Washington. The map soon will have inter-active links.

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Naturalization Records, 1850-1982 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

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.)

Washington State Digital Archives has digitized various types of naturalization-related records, including declarations of intentions, delayed birth files, naturalization affidavits, notifications of application for admission to US citizenship, orders fixing naturalization terms, petitions and records, petitions, receipts for certificates of citizenship, record of final decrees of citizenship and record of petitions dockets. Depending on the county, records range from 1854-1988.

Newspapers

Finding More Washington Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Kitsap 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)

• Port Orchard Independent

• The Kitsap Sun

• The Bainbridge Review

• Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy Newspapers (Sortable by towns, years, and titles)

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.

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. .

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 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
• Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

Archives, Libraries, etc.

Resources for Kitsap 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 Kitsap County, Washington Genealogy. When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

Courthouse

Kitsap County Courthouse
614 Division Street
Port Orchard, WA 98366
Phone 360.337.7164

County Auditor has birth records 1891-1907, death record
1892-1907 and marriage records from 1892.
County Clerk has divorce and court records from 1888, probate and
adoption records from 1861 and land records from 1857.

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

• Bremerton Washington Family History Center
• Poulsbo Washington Family History Center

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.

Bainbridge Island Library, 1270 Madison N., Bainbridge Island 98110 Phone: (206) 842-4162

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton 98310 Phone: (360) 405-9158

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Bremerton Library, 612 5th St., Bremerton 98337 Phone: (360) 377-3955

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Kingston Library, 11212 Ne State Hwy 104, Kingston 98346 Phone: (360) 297-3330

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Little Boston Library, 31980 Little Boston Rd. Ne, Kingston 98346 Phone: (360) 297-2670

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Manchester Library, 8067 E. Main St., Manchester 98353 Phone: (360) 871-3921

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Port Orchard Library, 87 Sidney St., Port Orchard 98366 Phone: (360) 876-2224

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Poulsbo Library, 700 Ne Lincoln St., Poulsbo 98370 Phone: (360) 779-2915

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Silverdale Library, 3450 Nw Carlton St., Silverdale 98383 Phone: (360) 692-2997

Online Resources:

Unique Collections:

Societies

Puget Sound Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1931
Port Orchard, WA 98366-0805
(360)874-8813
www.pusogensoc.org

Towns and Communities

See a list of towns and communities in Kitsap County per Wikipedia.