
Washington County, Oregon
This Site is part of
The ORGenWeb Project & The USGenWeb® Project
Hello,
My name is Martha and I will be your guide to historical and genealogical resources for
Washington County, Oregon. I do not live in Oregon, I live on the Central Coast of California,
but have ancestors that graced the Oregon Territory.
I am an experienced online researcher and might be able to help you locate
that missing piece of your 'Ancestral Pie'. Contact: Martha

Dedicated to our past County Coordinator:
Donald Leroy Kelly
Arrived on Mar. 25, 1934 ~ Departed on Aug. 3, 2012 and resided in Cornelius, OR.
Table of Contents
History ~ Biographies and Pioneers ~ Maps ~ What's New ~ Queries and Lookups
Vital Records ~ Coroner ~ Mortuary Records ~ Odds
Military ~ Cemeteries ~ Obituaries
Search Washington County

History ~ Biographies and Pioneers ~ Maps ~ What's New ~ Queries and Lookups
Washington County Neighbors: [All in Oregon]
Clackamas ~ Clatsop ~ Columbia ~Multnomah ~ Tillamook ~ Yamhill
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History of Washington County [Wiki]
Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372,[1] making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Washington County" in the United States. Hillsboro is the county seat and largest city,[2][3] while other major cities include Beaverton, Tigard, Cornelius, Banks, Gaston, Sherwood, North Plains, and Forest Grove, the county's oldest city.[4] Originally named Twality when created in 1843, the Oregon Territorial Legislature renamed it for the nation's first president in 1849 and included the entire northwest corner of Oregon before new counties were created in 1854. The Tualatin River and its drainage basin lie almost entirely within the county, which shares its boundaries with the Tualatin Valley. It is bordered on the west and north by the Northern Oregon Coast Range, on the south by the Chehalem Mountains, and on the north and east by the Tualatin Mountains, or West Hills.
Major roads include sections of Interstate 5 and 205, the Sunset Highway, Oregon Route 217, 47, 10, 6 and 8. Public transportation is primarily operated by TriMet and includes buses, the Westside Express Service commuter rail, and MAX Light Rail. Other transportation includes air travel at Hillsboro Airport, private airfields and heliports, and heavy rail cargo on rail lines.
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Maps
Oregon Base Map ~ Oregon Territory Map 1852
David Rumsey ~ Historic Map & Atlas Collection Perry-Castaneda: Map Collection
Interactive Earthquake Fault Map
Oregon - "Geo Hazards Viewer"
MapGoose
American Georgaphical Society Library - Digital Map Collection
Humboldt State University Map Collection
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Oregon~ Railroad Maps
Satelitte Weather Map
And, of course, Google Earth
Trails West & Mining History
Overland Trail ~ Oregon Trail Deaths along the Oregon Trail: 1852
Oregon Historical Mining Maps ~ Oregon: Mining Claim Maps
'Ghost Towns in Oregon' ~ The Volcano's of Oregon
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Biographies, Books, Oregon Pioneers
"What's New"
"Appleton's
Cyclopaedia of American Biography " by Wilson, James
Grant, 1832-1914; Fiske, John, 1842-1901 Publication
date 1900
Appleton Review ~
Archive.org
[All Volumes]
New Oregon Resources
/ FS Catalog
Filmed Books: 1000368

There does not seem to be a definitive history of Washington County
in the nice old County Histories written from 1875 - 1925,
but I will see if I can find Biographies in other books.
There are Washington County Bios in the USGW Archives
"The Centennial History of Oregon 1811 - 1912"
Volume's II. III, IV
The S J Clark Publishing Company, Chicago, 1912
"An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon"
H. K. Hines, Author Published by Lewis Pub. Co., Chicago, 1893
The Book is in the Google Book Archives / Bio Index with Links
"1867 Pacific Coast Directory"
Merchant Listings for: Clackamas, Tillamook & Washington Counties, OR
"Portrait and Biographical
Record of Portland and Vicinity, Oregon"
Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago: 1903
The Index is Here ~ Read Online or Download
"History of the Great Northwest and it's Men of Progress"
Pub: The Minneapolis Journal - The Index is Here
Read Online or Download
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Oregon Pioneers & Donation Claims
I found a batch of filmed records for Oregon Pioneers.
These seem to be for Washington County.
Vol 1, Index: Images 6 - 63 / Vol 1, Registers: Images 69 - 240
Vol 2, Index: Images 247 - 280 / Vol 2, Registers: Images 281 - 364
Vol 3, Index: Images 371 - 377 / Vol 3, Registers: Images 378 - 492
These can be found here, Film # 857038 [Sign in for access]
Donation Claims : Index
FS has the Volumes and they can be downloaded.
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"What's New"
Family Search "Collections"
There is a wealth of Family and Historical information contained on the FamilySearch WebSite.
It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start.
So, I have created concentrated categories of databases which are accessible via linked pdf files.
Cemeteries, Etc
[Burial, Cemeteries, Coroner, Funeral Homes, Graves]
Church Records[
Baptism's, Catholic Church, Christenings, Church [General]]
Legal Documents and Resources
[Court, Estate, Probate Records]
Migration - Naturalization - Travel[
Border Crossings, Migration, Naturalization, Passenger Lists, Passports]
Military
[Bounty [Land], Military [Misc], Pensions, Soldiers, Veteran's, War[s]]
Odds and Ends
[Applications, Homestead, Membership, Native Americans, Parish [Location & Church], Pioneers, Prison, Voting, Obituaries, Veteran & Soldier's Homes, Children's Home]
Vital Records
[Birth, Marriage, Divorce, Death, Mortality Records]
USGenWeb® Archives Access: Tables of Contents
This Link is a searchable pdf file which contains all the links to the Archives.
Each link is fully functional and will access the section for your use. |||^☺^|||~*~W☺W~*~|||^☺^|||
Lookups and Queries
If you wish to post Genealogical or Historical Queries online,
try looking at Cyndi's List for specific mail lists.
Lookups: Archival Newspapers: Subscription Sites
I have access to the following Databases [Library Editions]:
Newspapers.com ~ Heritage Hub
My Heritage
Lookups: Contact Martha
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"The Fine Print"
The ORGenWeb Administrative Team
State Coordinator: Bob Jenkins
Assistant State Coordinator: Martha A Crosley Graham
Washington County Coordinator: Martha A Crosley Graham
Please see our ORGenWeb Copyright Disclaimer and other important information.
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Site Updated: 9 August 2023
Online Continuously since 1997
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