Step-by-Step Oregon Research, 1850-1910
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Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.
What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
- 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History at ThoughtCo.com
- Creating Oral Histories at FamilySearch Wiki
What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.
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Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
- A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
- For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
- Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
- Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.
Example of an indexed census entry:
Example of a digital image of original census, linked to the index entry:
Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
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For more information, see Oregon Census and United States Census.
Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
- Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.
- The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.
- The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.
- Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.
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Example of a death index entry. |
Example of a full original death certificate.
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Example of a Social Security Death Index entry: |
Example of a Social Security Application and Claims Index Entry:
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Example of a cemetery record from FindAGrave. |
Example of an obituary.
CAROLA SUZANNA KENNEDY A private service has been held for Carola Suzanna Kennedy, a former North Portland resident, who died Jan. 23, 1996, in a Hillsboro care center. She was 102. Mrs. Kennedy was born June 26, 1893, in Pendleton. Her maiden name was Martin. She was reared in Pendleton and Portland, and she graduated from Mount Angel Academy. She was a member of the Benedictine Sisters community from 1905 to 1915. Later she was a member of Portland's Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. Survivors include her niece, Betty Clarno of San Diego. Private interment will be in Portland Memorial Mausoleum. Arrangements were by Hennessey, Goetsch & McGee Mortuary. Copyright (c) 1996 Oregonian Publishing Co. |
Death Indexes
- 1898-2008 Oregon, U.S., Death Index, 1898-2008 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1903-1930 Oregon Deaths, 1903 - 1930 at MyHeritage — index($)
- 1903-1947 Oregon Deaths and Burials, 1903-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1903-1998 Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- Online Oregon Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index
- Oregon Historical Records Index at Oregon Secretary of State — index
Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
- Where to Write for Oregon Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov
U.S. Social Security Records
- The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
- The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
- You can search these records online at
- If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.
Obituaries
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Oregon Newspapers and Obituaries at LDS Genealogy — index
- Oregon Obituaries at ObitsArchive.com — index & images ($)
- Oregon Obituaries Help and Genealogy Resources at ObituariesHelp.org — index
- Oregon Obituaries I at GFO (Genealogical Forum of Oregon) — index & images ($)
- Oregon Obituaries II at GFO (Genealogical Forum of Oregon) — index & images ($)
- Online Oregon Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index
Cemeteries
- 1840-1965 Oregon, U.S., Church and Cemetery Records, 1840-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1949-1969 United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- BillionGraves — index & images
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Findmypast ($)
- Cemeteries at OregonGravestones.org — index & images
- FindaGrave — index & images
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
- Online Oregon Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com
- Oregon Cemeteries at I Dream of Genealogy — index
- Oregon Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy — index
- Oregon Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy — index
- Oregon Counties at USGenWeb Tombstones — index
- Oregon Death Records and Oregon Cemetery Records at Interment.net — index
For more information, see Oregon Obituaries and Oregon Cemeteries.
Study any new information in these records for clues leading to more census searches.
Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.
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Example of county birth indexes. |
Example of an indexed county marriage entry.
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Online Records
Births:
- 1842-1917 Oregon, Oregon State Archives, Births, 1842-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1868-1929 Oregon Births and Christenings, 1868-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($), Findmypast ($), MyHeritage ($)
- Oregon Historical Records Index at Oregon Secretary of State — index
Marriages:
- 1849-1952 Oregon Marriage Records, 1849-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1849-2006 Oregon Marriage Index, 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1851-1975 Oregon, County Marriages, 1851-1975 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
- 1853-1935 Oregon Marriages, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- Oregon Historical Records Index at Oregon Secretary of State — index
- United States Marriages, Oregon at Findmypast — index & images ($)
Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Oregon Counties.
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Oregon, see How to Find Oregon Birth Records, How to Find Oregon Marriage Records, and How to Find Oregon Death Records.
Step 5: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records.
- An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
- Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
- Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.
Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.
Indexes
- 1840-1965 Oregon, U.S., Church and Cemetery Records, 1840-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1853-1874 Oregon, Church Records, 1853-1874 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1853-1935 Oregon Marriages, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1868-1929 Oregon Births and Christenings, 1868-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($), Findmypast ($), MyHeritage ($)
- 1903-1947 Oregon Deaths and Burials, 1903-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1903-1998 Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
Lutheran
- 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Presbyterian
- 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1838-1878 Church Records, 1838-1878(*) Presbyterian Church (Oregon) and Marcus Whitman at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Roman Catholic
- The Mantle of Elias : The Story of Fathers Blanchet and Demers in Early Oregon, by Nichols, M. Leona. Portland, Oregon: Binfords and Mort, 1941. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: Ancestry — index & images ($)
For help with church records kept in Oregon, see Oregon Church Records.
To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.
Step 6: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information.
Example of a World War I draft card.
Example of a World War II draft card.
Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- 1917-1918 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1942 United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
For more information and additional collections, see Oregon Military Records.
Step 7: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.
Look for immigrant ancestors in shipping lists and citizenship sources.
Oregon Immigration Records
- 1500-Onward All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry — index & images; includes those with destination of Oregon ($); Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1882-1903 Portland, Oregon, U.S., Chinese Immigrant Landing Records and Applications for Admission, 1882-1903 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1888-1956 Oregon Passenger and Crew Lists, 1888-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1888-1963 Oregon, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1888-1963 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage — index & images; includes those with destination of Oregon ($)
- 1895-1960 U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1895-1964 All U.S., Border Crossings from Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964 at Ancestry - index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Oregon
- 1904-1944 U.S., Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-1944 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1949-1955 Oregon, Portland, Index and Register of Vessels, 1949-1955 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Paper Trail Database at Oregon-California Trails Association — index & images ($)
Cultural Groups
- 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Oregon
- Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($) ; includes those with destination of Oregon
- Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Oregon
- Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Oregon
Passport Records Online
- 1795-1925 United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
Oregon Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records
- 1794-1995 U.S., Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1865-1991 Oregon, U.S., Naturalization Records 1865-1991 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Oregon Historical Records Index at Oregon Secretary of State — index
For more information, see Oregon Emigration and Immigration and Oregon Naturalization and Citizenship.
Step 8: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.
Local Histories
- Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
- Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Oregon; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
FamilySearch Collected Local Histories
- Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
- If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
Biography Collections
- 1700-1999 Oregon, Biographical and Other Index Card File, 1700s-1900s at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1900-1986 Oregon, Biographical Index Card File, 1900-1986 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- County and Town Histories, Oregon at LearnWebSkills — index & images
- Early Oregonians Search at Oregon Secretary of State — index
- Oregon, Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature, by John B. Horner. Corvallis, Oregon: Press of the Gazette-Times, 1919. Online at: HathiTrust
- Oregon Pioneer Biographies at RootsWeb
- Paper Trail Database at Oregon-California Trails Association — index & images ($)
- Pioneer Days of Oregon History at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Statewide Biographies at USGenWeb Archives Project - Oregon — index
- The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912, by Joseph Gaston. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1912. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust; Vol. 4 - HathiTrust
- The Story of Oregon; A History, With Portraits and Biographies, by Julian Hawthorne. New York: American Publishing Co., 1892. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust
For more information, see Oregon Biography.
Step 9: Search for wills and probate packets.
- County probate records include probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
- In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
- Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.
Search these indexes and images for probate records.
- 1849-1963 Oregon, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1849-1963 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1857-1963 Oregon, Yamhill County Records, 1857-1963 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Oregon Historical Records Index at Oregon Secretary of State — index
Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Oregon county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Oregon Counties
For more information, see Oregon Probate Records and United States Probate Records.
Step 10: Search land records online.
These records will give the
- names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
- previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
- the date they obtained the land,
- the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
They can contain clues to
- family members who shared ownership of the land,
- sold or gave land to a child, or
- officially witnessed the sale.
Search for any ancestor's land records.
- See United States Land and Property for more databases and resources.
- 1788-Current U.S. Land Patent Search at Bureau of Land Management — index
- 1800-1955 United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1861-1932 United States, Cancelled, Relinquished, or Rejected Land Entry Case Files, 1861-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1863-1908 U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Oregon Historical Records Index at Oregon Secretary of State — index
- Putting Family History in Its Places at HistoryGeo.com — index & images ($)
- Survey Plats and Field Notes at Bureau of Land Management — index
For more information, see Oregon Land and Property and United States Land and Property.
Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
- County historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
- If you can find the society on the internet, they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, you can hire one of their members to search the collection for you.
- For more information, see Oregon Societies.
The online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the list to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings.
Example of a historical society.
Step 12: Use other FamilySearch tools.
Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Oregon, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Oregon, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Oregon Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Oregon Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Oregon Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Oregon.
This article focused more on Oregon state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Oregon. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.