Whitman County, Washington Genealogy

United States

Washington

Whitman County

Guide to Whitman County Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1871, when the county was formed.

Palouse Hills seen from Steptoe Butte, Whitman County, Washington

County QuickStart: Census Birth Marriage Divorce Death Cemeteries

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

Description

The County was named for Marcus Whitman, a Presbyterian missionary who, with his wife Narcissa, was killed in 1847 by members of the Cayuse tribe. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Parent County(s)

Whitman County, Washington was created 29 November 1871 from Stevens County.

County Seat: Colfax . See also Towns and Communities in Whitman County, Washington Genealogy. For Courthouse, see Archives, libraries, etc.

Boundary Changes

• Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse

Whitman County Courthouse
N 404 Main Street, Box 390
Colfax, WA 99111-2031
Phone: 509.397.6240
Whitman County Website

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.

See also Archives, libraries, etc. in Whitman County, Washington Genealogy.

Dates of Major County Records

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1875	1872	1891	1861	1874	1878	1850
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Topics for Whitman County, Washington Genealogy

The topics or headings on this page describe records that are used for genealogy and family history. They include links to web sites with indexes, images, or information about the county.

 

Biography

Biographical information is often found in state and local histories or genealogies. See also Washington Biography.

Business and Commerce

 

• Washington, County Records, 1885-1979; Part of: County Records, 1856-2009; FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
FindAGrave	Family History Library	FindAGrave
Tombstone Project	WorldCat	Interment.net
Billion Graves (name)	Washington Periodicals	WA State Digital Archives
WAGenWeb Archives		Linkpendium
Billion Graves		Genealogy Trails
WAGenWeb
See Washington Cemeteries for more information.

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information. Tombstones, sextons (caretakers) records, and burial records each have slightly different information. See Washington Cemeteries.

Census

Federal Census Contents
Names, ages, birthplaces	1850–1940
Birthplaces of parents	1880–1940
Relationships	1880–1940
Family and Neighbors	All years
Immigration year	1900–1930
Citizenship	1910–1940

Censuses 1) Give names, ages, and more about the family; 2) Pinpoint the area to find other records; and 3) Provide clues for further research.

• Washington online census links to FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest and others.
  • Federal Censuses:
    • 1940 • 1930 • 1920 • 1910 • 1900
    • 1890 Veterans Schedule
    • 1880 • 1870 • 1860 • 1850
  • Territorial and State-funded Censuses:
    • 1847–1898

• Statewide printed indexes of federal censuses

• Index to the 1880 census of Whitman County, Washington Territory Publication online.
  • (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search.
  • Ancestry.com has all federal censuses and many state censuses searchable online.)

• Census Records, 1910-1912 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• School Census, 1888-1932 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• Census indexes at Washington State Digital Archives: (Free)
  • Federal: 1910
  • Territorial: 1883 • 1885 • 1887 • 1889
  • These were indexed by local societies and individuals..

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 Whitman County, Washington Genealogy are listed in the FamilySearch catalog. (Press space bar to select town.)

Court Records

Your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can clarify family relationships, places of residence, occupations, and family history. See Washington Court Records for courts used through the years.

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

• Whitman Frontier Justice. Part of "Frontier Justice’’: Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1889 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)
  • The court procedure of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of Washington Territory. The index has many abstracts that provide names and what is happening in disputes, settlements in civil and criminal cases as well as probate, equity and admiralty cases.

 

Election Records

• School Census, 1892-1938 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

 

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

 

Maps and Gazetteers

 

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Genealogy

Many local libraries and societies have collections of family genealogies. County histories or biographies often include brief genealogies of the featured persons.

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

• "Whitman County Genealogy & Family History Resources" at Kindred Trails.

Guardianship

Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the 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.

• Historic sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, and Umatilla County, Oregon (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search). For free at Archive.org. 

• An Illustrated history of Whitman County, state of Washington (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

• Pullman Primer : Pullman Washington : Home of the State college of Washington planned and executed by Sunset Magazine Homeseekers' Bureau [Pullman, Wash.: Pullman Chamber of Commerce, 1911?]

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 Phil Dougherty. Whitman County -- Thumbnail History,History Link.org Essay 7882.

• Whitman County, was home to bands of Palouse and other Sahaptin-speaking people, including the Nez Perce tribe.
• 1805 - October 11-13, Lewis and Clark canoed on the Snake River along the southern boundary of Whitman County.
• 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
• 1859 - June, The first recorded Euro-American exploration along Union Flat Creek, the birthplace of settlement for Whitman County, by Lieutenant John Mullan of the United States Army.
• 1871 - November 29, The county was formed from Stevens County.
• 2002 - The county has a primarily agricultural history, with an emphasis on wheat (today it ranks first in wheat production among Washington counties and second among counties in the nation).

Land and Property

Land Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Seller (Grantor)
Seller's Spouse
Buyer (Grantee)
Heirs
Witnesses
Land Description and Dates
Tips -or- Land Contents

Land records (especially deeds) may give the name of a spouse, heirs, and witnesses, who may be relatives or in-laws.

County deeds, mortgages, and leases show transfers from person to person. See also Court Records for actions involving real estate. See Washington Land for government-to-person records.

Maps

 

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

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

Migration

Most residents came to Washington from other states or crossed the border from Canada. (See Seattle Passenger Lists for those who came from other countries.) Although few other migration records exist, try:

• Censuses (use birthdates and places of children as clues)

• Land (1st deed may reveal previous residence)

• Death-related records of children may give town or county of birth

• Records of relatives and neighbors

Military

 

• 1921-1925 - Washington, World War I Veteran's Compensation Fund Application Records, 1921-1925 at FamilySearch — index

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.

• Naturalization and Citizenship, 1868-1945 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Declarations of intention 1868-1907; Petitions for naturalization 1894-1945.

Newspapers

Small town newspapers provide historical content and contain obituaries, birth or death notices, legal notices, and community news, such as visits to or from out-of-town relatives. See Washington Newspapers for tips, resources, and details.

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)

Walla Walla Statesman newspaper, online at the Washington State Library, may have articles covering early Whitman County.

Obituaries

Obituaries may mention birth, marriage, spouse, parents, living family members, education, occupation, and more. See Washington Obituaries for state level collections and United States Obituaries for tips and insights.

See also: Newspapers • Libraries • Societies • Funeral Homes • Obituaries of neighboring counties or of the person's previous residence • Family records.

 

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.

• Probate Records, 1876-1967 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Probate bonds 1877-1951; journal 1897-1967; minute book 1885-1954; Real estate index 1877-1882; Wills 1892-1937; Wills and bonds 1876-1878.
• 1892-1937 - Whitman County Washington list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - free

Public Records

Public records are documents created by civil authorities that either don't fit comfortably in another topic, or that could fit in several topics.

• Whitman Postmaster Index. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections for Washington. (Free, browse images)

• Public Records, 1876-1938 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Certificates of election and oath of office 1876-1930; Record of general elections 1892-1938; Record of primary elections 1892-1924.

School Records

 

• School Records, 1881-1932 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes School census records 1894-1932; School vouchers and orders paid 1881-1889

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

Birth Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Name of Child
Birth Date and Place
Parent's Names
Mother's Maiden Name
Parent's Ages
Parents' State or Country of Birth
Name of Doctor or Midwife

In 1891, coroners, physicians, and midwives were to "return" births and deaths to the county auditor. Many went unrecorded. In 1907, the State Center for Health Statistics assumed this responsibility.

See Washington Online Genealogy Records for indexes.
Also see Washington Birth Records.

• Birth Records, 1873-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

• 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.

• Birth, 1891-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

For earlier or unrecorded births, search:

• Delayed Birth Certificates often include statements of witnesses to the birth.
• Death Records to learn birth date, place, parents
• Census to learn age, family members, location, etc.
• School Censuses give date of birth and name of parent or guardian
• Cemeteries for birth date or age, maybe birth place
• Obituaries for any of the above and more
• See also Neighboring and Parent counties and How to Find Washington Birth Records.

Marriage

Marriage Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Date of Marriage or License
Names of Bride and Groom
Ages
Birth Places
Residences
Names of Parents
Husband's Occupation
Witnesses
Minister or Officiator

Marriage records include certificates, marriage returns, license applications or affidavits. Counties kept the records until 1968, when the state took over.

See Washington Online Genealogy Records for indexes.
Also see Washington Marriage Records.

• 1801-1962 - Washington, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1855–2008 - Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — index and images
  

• 1872-1947 - Marriage Records, 1872-1947 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Marriage affidavits 1917-1939;; certificates 1872-1925; record index 1873-1947 register 1891-1943.

• 1872-2002 - Marriage Records, 1872-2002 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

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

• 1969-2014 - Washington Marriage Index, 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index

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.

Online Records

• 1969 - 2014 - Washington Divorce Index, 1969-2014 at FamilySearch — index

• Divorce Records, 1921-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Death

Death Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Name of Deceased
Death Date and Place
Age or Birth Date and Place
Parent's Names
Mother's Maiden Name
Name of Spouse
Residence
Occupation

In 1891, coroners, physicians and midwives were to report (or return) all births and deaths under their supervision to County Auditors. On July 1, 1907, the State took over....

See Washington Online Genealogy Records for indexes.
Also see Washington Death Records.

• Death Records, 1891-1907 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• Death Returns 1891-1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection.(Free)

• 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 Washington, Death Certificates, 1907-1960 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Voting Registers

 

• Voter Registers, 1898-1925 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Poll books 1898-1904; Register of voters 1916-1925.

Websites

Sites with online indexes or images of records
WAGenWeb Whitman County	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
USGenWeb	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
Washington State Digital Archives	Free	Includes indexes, some linked to images. Type county name, click Search, then select a collection. Collections were posted to the appropriate headings for this Wiki page in December, 2013.
FamilySearch Historical Collections	Free	Search indexes or browse images at FamilySearch.org. Click "Last Updated." Collections through December 2013 have been posted to the appropriate topics for this Wiki page.

Sites that search for links pertaining to Whitman County, Washington Genealogy
Websites at RootsWeb -Whitman WA	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
Linkpendium	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
CyndisList	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
StateofUS.com	Free	"Adams County, Washington Facts"

Major catalogs for hard copy collections of Whitman County, Washington Genealogy Books, microfilm, or manuscripts of genealogical records
FamilySearch catalog	Select topics. To select towns, add a comma to the search box.
WorldCat	To find nearby libraries that have specific items, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
Allen County Public Library (Indiana)
See also local libraries and Washington Archives and Libraries

Archives, Libraries, etc.

See also a List of Washington Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies  

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

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

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.

• Whitman County Rural Library District
  Website

Branches, locations and hours

Genealogy / Database Tools

• Pullman (Niell Public Library)
  Website

 

Societies

 

Whitman County Genealogical Society
PO Box 393
Pullman, Washington 99163-0393
Website

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Colfax (county seat) Palouse	Pullman	Tekoa
Towns
Albion Colton Endicott Farminton	Garfield La Crosse Lamont Malden	Oakesdale Rosalia St. John Uniontown
Unincorporated communities
Belmont Diamond Dusty Ewan Fletcher Glenwood	Hay Hooper Johnson Juno Kitzmiller Pandora	Revere Sunshine Thornton Whelan Whitlow Winona
Census-designated places
Steptoe
Ghost towns
Almota Bishop Canyon	Elberton Interior	Riparia Wilcox

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Family History Library