Adams County, Washington Genealogy

United States

Washington

Adams County

Guide to Adams County, Washington ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth, marriage, and death records, census records, family history, and military records, since 1883, when the county was formed.

Drum Heller Channels in Columbia Valley, Adams County, Washington

County QuickStart: Census Birth Marriage Divorce Death Cemeteries

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Adams County, Washington
Map
Location in the state of Washington (disambiguation)
Location of Washington in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	November 28, 1883
County Seat	Ritzville
Courthouse
Address	Adams County, Washington Courthouse 210 W. Broadway Ritzville, WA Phone: (509) 659–3240

County Overview

Description

The County was named for the second President of the United States, John Adams. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Parent County(s)

Adams County was created 28 November 1883 from Whitman County

County Seat: Ritzville . See also Towns and Communities in Adams County, Washington Genealogy.

Boundary Changes

• Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

For animated maps illustrating Washington County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Washington County Boundary Maps" (1843-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Neighboring Counties

Adams County, Washington Genealogy is surrounded by:Franklin | Grant | Lincoln | Whitman Named for John Adams, 2nd President of the United States. Originally mostly cattle ranching, the big wheat crop shifted the agriculture from cattle to wheat farming in 1897.

Courthouse

Adams County Courthouse
210 W Broadway Avenue
Ritzville, WA 99169-1860
Phone: (509) 659–3257

County Auditor has birth and death records to 1907 and marriage records.
County Clerk has divorce and probate records.
County assessor has land records

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

Dates of Major County Records

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1891	1891	1891	1890	1884	1885	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 Adams 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.

 

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	Washington Periodicals	WA State Digital Archives
WAGenWeb Archives		Linkpendium
		Billion Graves
		Genealogy Trails
		FamilySearch Places
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.

• Tombstone inscriptions of Adams County, Washington (If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Search)

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	2,098	—
1900	4,840	130.7%
1910	10,920	125.6%
1920	9,623	−11.9%
1930	7,719	−19.8%
1940	6,209	−19.6%
1950	6,584	6.0%
1960	9,929	50.8%
1970	12,014	21.0%
1980	13,267	10.4%
1990	13,603	2.5%
2000	16,428	20.8%
2010	18,728	14.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

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

• School Census Records, 1912-1932Part of: Washington County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

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 Adams County, Washington Genealogy are listed in the FamilySearch catalog. (Press space bar to select town.)
• Pioneer History to about 1900... Adams County, Washington Churches of Christ and Christian Churches, at NCBible.org.

Lutheran

• Records of Emanuel Lutheran Church, Adams County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

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

• Adams Frontier Justice Part of "Frontier Justice": Guide to the Court Records of Washington Territory, 1853-1888 at Washington State Digital Archives. (Free Index, no images)
  • The court procedures of Frontier Justice touch nearly all pioneers of the 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.

• Power of Attorney Records 1988 - 2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

 

 

Ethnic, Political or Religious Groups

 

American Indian

• 1911 - 1919 - Washington, Applications for Enrollment and Adoption of Washington Indians, 1911-1919 at FamilySearch — images

Japanese

• Japanese Internment World War II Files, 1942-1946. Public Welfare/Social Security Department at Washington State Digital Archives.
  • Assistance Cases, Evacuee Referrals for Resettlement and Assistance, 1945-1946

 

Gazetteers

 

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

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

• Adams County History Book, 2 v. by Adams County Historical Society, online index to vol 1. "The book contains over 300 family histories"

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

• Adams County -- Thumbnail History at Historylink.org

• Adams County History Book, 2 v. Adams County Historical Society
  • online index to vol 1

• Illustrated history of the Big Bend country by Western Historical Publishing Company [(Spokane, Wash.) Western Historical Pub. Co., 1904] at Washington History

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 Paula Becker. Adams County -- Thumbnail History, History Link.org Essay 7835.

• 1803 - Before this time, the land that would later make up Adams County was part of the territory of the Palouse tribe.
• 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
• 1863 - January 20, Washington Territorial Legislature creates Stevens County.
• 1869 - George Lucas, an Irish emigrant, was Adams County's first permanent white settler. He established a way-station at Cow Creek along the road to Fort Colville
• 1871 - November 29, Washington Territorial Legislature creates Whitman County (out of Stevens).
• 1880 - James G. Bennett harvested a small wheat crop near Ritzville.
• 1881 - May, The Northern Pacific Railway began laying track through Adams County.
• 1883 - November 28, Washington Territorial Legislature creates Adams and Franklin counties (out of Whitman).
• 1884 - Brothers Ben and Sam Hutchinson built a cabin on lower Crab Creek.
• 1889 - November 11, Washington becomes a state.
• 1897 - Adams County bumper wheat crop spurs shift from cattle ranching.
• 1901 - The first homesteaders arrived.
• 1928-1931, During a severe drought that resulted in dustbowl conditions, many people left the area.
• 1942 - Grand Coulee Dam was completed in 1942.
• 1950 - Construction on the Columbia Basin Project reached the Othello area, bringing the water of the Columbia River to irrigate Adams County's dry land.

Land and Property

Land Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	Y	M
Seller (Grantor)	Green check.png
Seller's Spouse	Green check.png
Buyer (Grantee)	Green check.png
Heirs		Green check.png
Witnesses	Green check.png
Land Description and Dates	Green check.png
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.

• County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

• Land Records 1988 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free: Index - some images)
• Plats and Surveys 1988 - present at Washington State Digital Archives Collections. (Free: Index - some images)
  • Typically agreements and contracts recorded in the auditor’s office deal with real property.

• Land Records, 1895-1920 Part of Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Land Index 1895-1920; Petitions for sale of real estate 1903-1910.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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.

• Washington State Digital Archives (Free) has digitized various types of naturalization-related records. For Adams County, Washington Genealogy the collection includes:
  • Certificates of Naturalization 1906 - 1945
  • Naturalization Records, 1903-1956
  • Declarations of Intent, 1890-1907
  • Orders of Naturalization, 1890-1906

• Naturalization and Citizenship, 1890-1945 Part of Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Naturalization card index 1890-1945; Naturalization records-miscellaneous 1917-1927; Naturalization records 1898-1906.

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.

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

Finding More Washington Newspapers

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

• Adams County news (Select "Washington State journal and Adams County news (Ritzville, WA)" from Select Newspapers listing)

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, 1885-1931

Part of: Washington County Records 1803-2010 at FamilySearch Historical Collections(Free, browse images)

• • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Probate bonds 1903-1923; Probate claims 1903-1917; Probate letters 1904-1927; Probate records1885-1931; Will record index 1885-1920; Will records 1888-1959; Letters of Administration 1888-1964.

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.

• Adams County Auditor, Miscellaneous Recordings at Washington State Digital Archives Collections. (Free: Index + Images)
  • Includes a variety of documents, such as affidavits for wills or property, judgements, even occasional death records.
• Adams Postmaster Index. Part of Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965, FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
• Adams Ordinances passed. (Free: Index - some images)
  • Passed by various governing bodies in Adams County and recorded by the Adams County Auditor
• Adams Powers of Attorney, 1988-2012 (Free, Indexes and some images)
  • One person (grantor) appoints another person (grantee) to act on his or her behalf in health, financial, and property issues.
• Mothers pension records, 1910-1938 Part of Washington County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Record Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• Election Records, 1906-1938 Part of: Washington County Records 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

School Records

 

• School Records, 1898-1932 Part of: County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes School census 1912-1932; School registers 1903-1926.

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	Green check.png
Birth Date and Place	Green check.png
Parent's Names	Green check.png
Mother's Maiden Name	Green check.png
Parent's Ages		Green check.png
Parents' State or Country of Birth	Green check.png
Name of Doctor or Midwife	Green check.png

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.

• Adams County Births 1894 - 1907, 1910 - 1915 Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)
  • Database includes several delayed birth returns recorded in 1942.
  • For FamilySearch Catalog, click here
• Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965 — index and images
• Birth returns 1894-1942. Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• See Public Records section for Mother's Pensions. These give exact dates of birth for her children.

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	Green check.png
Names of Bride and Groom	Green check.png
Ages	Green check.png
Birth Places	Green check.png
Residences	Green check.png
Names of Parents		Green check.png
Husband's Occupation		Green check.png
Witnesses	Green check.png
Minister or Officiator	Green check.png

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 $
• 1865-2004 - Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004(If the link does not work, go to ancestry.com ($), click Search, select Card Catalog, paste Title into search box, click Sea

• 1884-1892 - Marriages from 12 Jun 1884 to 12 May 1892 are available on the Western States Marriage Index website.

• 1884-2012 - Marriage Records, 1884-2012 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

• 1855–2008 - Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008 at FamilySearch — index and images
  

• 1904-1995 - Marriage Records 1904-1995 Part of Washington County Records, 1856-2009 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes Marriage certificates 1951-1991; licenses 1923-1928; and returns 1904-1942.

• 1947-1948 - Marriage Certificates, 1947-1948 Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

• 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.

• Divorce records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog for Adams County, Washington Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Archives, Libraries, etc.

Online Records

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

Death

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

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.

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

• Adams County Death Returns 1893-1907; 1907; 1910, 1913 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free, index and images)

• FamilySearch Catalog Deaths 1891-1907, 1929 for microfilm.

Voting Registers

 

• Voter Registration, 1880-1940

• • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

Websites

Sites with online indexes or images of records
Adams County WAGenWeb Project	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
USGenWeb Archives Project	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 Adams County, Washington Genealogy
Websites at RootsWeb - Adams WA	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
Linkpendium	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
CyndisList	Free	Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
Genealogyinc.com	Free	"Adams County, Washington Facts"
Facebook.com	Free	"Washington Genealogy Network Group on Facebook"

Major catalogs for hard copy collections of Adams 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 Adams 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 Adams County, Washington Genealogy. When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

See these headings for Adams County, Washington Genealogy details: Courthouse · FamilySearch Centers · Libraries · Museums · Societies

Family History Centers

Family History 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 family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Othello Washington Family History Center 1200 Rainier St., Othello, WA 99344-1130 Location 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.

Othello Library, 101 E. Main Street, Othello 99344 Phone: (509) 488-9683

Online Resources: Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, and others.

Unique Collections:

Ritzville Public Library, 302 W Main, Ritzville 99169 Phone: (509) 659-1222

Online Resources: (None seen Oct, 2013)

Unique Collections:

 

Societies

 

• Adams County Historical Society Box 526, Lind, WA 99341-0526

• Big Bend Chapter American Historical Society of Germans from Russia

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
Othello	Ritzville (county seat)
Towns
Hatton	Lind	Washtucna
Unincorporated communities
Benge Cunningham	Packard Paha	Ralston Roxboro
Ghost towns
Ankeny Keystone	Rockwell Servia	Taunton Tokio

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