Baker County, Oregon Genealogy

United States

Oregon

Baker County

This article is about a northeast Oregon county. For other uses, see Baker.

Guide to Baker County, Oregon ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Oregon Online Genealogy Records

Baker County, Oregon
Map
Location in the state of Oregon, United States Genealogy
Location of Oregon in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	September 22, 1862
County Seat	Baker City
Courthouse
Address	Baker County Courthouse 1995 Third Baker City, OR 97814
Website: www.bakercounty.org
Named for: Edward Dickinson Baker

County Information

Description

The County was named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a senator from Oregon who was killed at Ball's Bluff, a battle of the Civil War in Virginia in 1861. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

Baker County, Oregon Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1871	1862	1905	1862	1862	1862	1845
*Statewide registration for births and deaths in 1903. General compliance year unknown.

County Courthouse

Baker County Government

County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Baker County Court House as of June/July 2010.

Baker County Court is structured differently. Check the County Records Inventory link for addresses for location of records (left column).

This courthouse has the reputation of being the cleanest county record depository in the state of Oregon.

• Record Loss: Some will books were lost in a county clerk's office fire in 1890s. One early marriage register is missing (covering 1862-1877) (as of 15 August 2012).

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at

Oregon, Baker County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Historical Facts

Named for U.S. Senator Edward Dickinson Baker of Oregon, who was killed at the United States Civil War, 1861-1865 in the Civil War.

Record Loss

• 1890s Some will books were lost in a county clerk’s office fire in the 1890s.
• One early marriage register missing (as of 2005).

Boundary Changes

22 September 1862: Baker county was created from Wasco County.

14 October 1864: Union County set off.

17 February 1887: Malheur County set off.

1 February 1901: The Panhandle area between the Powder River and the Wallowa Mountains was returned from Union County, forming the northeast corner of Baker County.

For animated maps illustrating Oregon County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oregon County Boundary Maps" (1843-1975) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org 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

Baker City Greenhorn (non-populated)

Haines Huntington

Richland Sumpter

Towns

Halfway

Unity

Unincorporated Communities

Bridgeport Brownlee Carson China Town Dixie Durkee Encina Hereford Homestead Hutchinson

Jimtown Keating Lime Little Alps McEwen New Bridge Oxbow Pine Pine Creek

Pleasant Valley Rock Creek Rye Valley Salisbury Sparta Sunset Weatherby Whitney Wingville

Ghost Towns

Auburn Bourne Clarksville

Copperfield Cornucopia Nelson

Pocahontas Robinette

Defunct Post Offices

• Anthony
• Arthur
• Audrey
• Augusta

Trivia Tidbits

Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. > Trivia Tidbits

Resources

Biography

An Illustrated history of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney counties WorldCat 5436806; FHL
([Spokane, Washington]: Western Historical Publishing Company, 1902).
Heavy on history (prehistoric to time of publication), heavy on biographies of prominent men, but little of genealogies.
Also available in other forms:

1. Baker County Biographies USGenWeb Archives Project
2. WorldCat 24186308
3. eBook - HeritageQuestonline.com (LAR)

Thirty-one years in Baker County: a history of the county from 1861 to 1893; Isaac Hiatt WorldCat 841884; FHL
(Baker, Oregon: Baker County Historical Society and the Powder River Sportsmen's Club, 1970).

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
ORGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
ORGenWeb Archives		FamilySearch Places
Tombstone Project
ORGravestones
Billion Graves
See Oregon Cemeteries for more information.

• Baker County, Oregon: reprints of records published in the Oregon Genealogical Society quarterly, volumes 21-22. 1982-1984 FHL 1049531
• Oregon Metro
  
• Oregon Genealogy Cemeteries

Census

Federal

Note: 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1900 censuses, the Panhandle of Baker County enumerations can be found in Union County when it was part of Union County.

• 1870 - the area between Baker City, Haines and the Blue Mountains, generally known as Wingville, was overlooked and not enumerated.

• Baker County 1870 Census USGenweb Archives Project

• Eastern Oregon 1870 U.S. Census: Baker County, Grant County, Umatilla County, Union County FHL

• 1880 - the portion that later became Malheur County (all the places south of the Malheur River including what is now Ontario, Vale, Nyssa, Owyhee, etc.) was not enumerated.

• Baker County 1880 Census USGenWeb Archives Project

• 1890
• 1900
• 1910
• 1920
• 1930

Militia

• 1891 and 1892 Baker County Militia Census

State

• 1905

Church History and Records (rural only)

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

County Records

• 1862-1950 - Oregon, Baker County Records, 1862-1950 at FamilySearch — index

Court Records

• Widow's pension applications and ledger, Baker County, Oregon, 1913-1936 FHL
  (Baker County Court, State of Oregon, 2001)

Directories

• Eastern Oregon directory, 1899-1900: a complete directory of Umatilla, Union and Baker counties; with the Portland business directory FHL Collection
• Baker City (Oregon) city directories, 1908-1935 FHL Collection
• Baker (Baker County, Oregon) city directory: including Baker County residents, rural routes, also a buyers' guide and a complete classified business directory, 1959- FHL Collection

Emigration and Immigration

• Ellis Island Passenger Arrival Records, 1892-1924, listing passengers who stated they are going to Baker County, Oregon

Gazetteers

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

Genealogy

Biography, History

• The History of Baker County; Baker County Historical Society, pub. 1986. WorldCat 15218008; FHL Collection
  ([S.l.]: Baker County Historical Society (OR), 1986)
  Little of biography and local history, more of family genealogies.
• Centennial pioneer families of Baker County, 1976 FHL Collection

History

Also see: Biography, Genealogy

Land and Property

• Married Women's Separate Property in Baker County Original text from Works Progress Administration's booklet, USGenWeb Archives Project

• Baker County Land and Deed Records USGenWeb Archives

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Hometown Locator for Baker County
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Baker County, Oregon for European and African American settlers included:

• Snake River
• Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

Military History and Records

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Oregon, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

• 1919-1920 - Oregon, World War I, County Military Service Records, 1919-1920 at FamilySearch — index
• 1921-1938 - Oregon, World War I, Veteran State Aid Applications, 1921-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

1. Newspaper clippings USGenWeb Archives Project
2. Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Obituaries

• Baker County Oregon Obituaries

1. Baker County Obituaries USGenWeb Archives Project

Pensions

Court records for the widows pensions

Probate Records

Note: some will books were lost from a small fire in the county clerk's office before 1900.

Online Records

• 1833 – 1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• Baker County wills USGenWeb Archives Project

Rivers and Waterways

Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. >> Rivers and Waterways

Taxation

• Baker County, [Oregon], assessment tax rolls, 1892-1897 FHL
• Baker City (Oregon) city directories FHL microfilm 2309792 Item 1
  Tax lists are for Baker, Grant and Union counties 1908-1909, listed as last part of the volume.

Vital Records

Record of births and deaths: record of physicians, midwives and undertakers, 1916-1929 #FHL

See also How to order Oregon Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oregon Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.

Birth Records

• 1860 - 1952 - Oregon Births, 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — index

Delayed Birth Certificates

1. Birth Certificates USGenWeb Archives

Birth Registers

Marriage Records

• 1826-1975 - Oregon, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1849-1884; 1991-2006 - Oregon Marriage Index, 1849-1884; 1991-2006 at FamilySearch — index and images; collection is incomplete.

1. Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
2. Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection

Death Records

1. Baker County Deaths USGenWeb Archives Project
2. Record of deaths, Baker County, Oregon, 1905-1911 FHL

Societies, Libraries and Museums

Baker County Historical Society
Box 83
Baker City, OR 97814
Website
Baker Heritage Museum
2480 Grove St.
Baker City 97814-2719
541-523-9308
Website
E-mail:www.bakerheritagemuseum.com
Baker County Public Library
2400 Resort St
Baker City, OR 97814
541-523-5419
Website

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 Affiliate Libraries

• Baker City Oregon Family History Center
• Pine Valley Oregon Family History Center

Websites

• Baker County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Baker County, ORGenWeb Project
• Baker County, USGenWeb Archives
• Linkpendium
• Oregon, Baker County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records