Marion County, Oregon Genealogy
Guide to Marion County, Oregon ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Marion County, Oregon | |
Map | |
![]() Location in the state of Oregon, United States Genealogy | |
![]() Location of Oregon in the U.S. | |
Facts | |
Founded | September 3, 1849 |
---|---|
County Seat | Salem |
Courthouse | |
Address | Marion County Courthouse Courthouse Square 555 Court Stree NE Salem, Or 97309 Phone: 503-588-5225 Marion County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Marion County, Oregon Record Dates
- 3 Quick Facts
- 4 County Courthouse
- 5 Records held at County Courthouse
- 6 Quick Facts
- 7 Places / Localities
- 8 Resources
- 8.1 Biography
- 8.2 Cemeteries
- 8.3 Census
- 8.4 Church History and Records (Rural)
- 8.5 Court Records
- 8.6 Deeds and Property
- 8.7 Gazetteers
- 8.8 History
- 8.9 Land and Property
- 8.10 Maps
- 8.11 Military History and Records
- 8.12 Newspapers
- 8.13 Probate Records
- 8.14 Rivers and Waterways
- 8.15 Taxation
- 8.16 Vital Records
- 9 Societies, Libraries and Museums
- 10 Websites
- 11 Marion County Oregon Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Francis Marion. The County is located in the northwest area of the state. [1]
Marion County, Oregon Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1871 | 1849 | 1907 | 1841 | 1850 | 1843 | 1845 |
Quick Facts[edit | edit source]
The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion (c1732-1795).
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has marriage records from 1849 and land records from 1850. District Court has divorce, probate and court records. State Archives has wills 1853-1891, Naturalization Records 1849-1975 and assessment rolls 1857-1925.[3]
In August of 2010, the building at 555 Court Street NE, known as Courthouse Square was evacuated and declared unsafe for use. All of the county offices in this building were relocated to other places in the county. You can follow updates on the Marion County page at Marion County.
In the meantime, the county clerk can be contacted for specific information on the files you are requesting:
Clerk's Office
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 14500, Salem, Oregon 97309
E-mail: ClerksOffice@co.marion.or.us
Web Site:
Phone: (503) 588-5225
Archives/ Records Management
100 High ST NE # 1331, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: ClerksOffice@co.marion.or.us
Phone: (503) 588-5490
Records held at County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
- County Records Inventory listing the records held at the Marion County Court House as of July 2006.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Quick Facts[edit | edit source]
3 September 1849: Marion county was renamed from Champoeg County.
Named for Francis Marion, a Continental Army general in the American Revolutionary War. [4]
Trivia Tidbits: Little biographic bits associated with the names of non-population localities.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
None, one of original counties.
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Originally one of the four districts named in July of 1843, Champooick District (later called Champoeg) ranged from the Willamette river on the west to the Continental Divide on the east and south to California.[5]
In 1845 the districts were renamed counties, and in 1849, the name of Champoeg District was changed to Marion County to honor Revolutionary War hero General Francis Marion.[6] Marion County was already smaller than when it started, because 28 Dec 1847 the Provisional Legislature created Linn County out of the southern portion of Champoeg,[7] establishing the boundary at the North Fork of the Santiam River. Then, on 11 Jan 1854, the Territorial Legislature created Wasco County from the eastern parts of Marion, Linn, Clackamas and Lane Counties.[8] This set the eastern border of Marion County at the Cascade Range, where it remains today.
Originally the county had a county court form of government, but as the state judiciary branch of state government grew, there was less need of a county court. In 1941 the county court system was stripped of judicial function and the remaining probate and civil cases were transferred to the Circuit Court. In 1963 the county changed to a county commissioner form of government.[9]
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.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[10]
Cities | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Native American communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Clackamas | Jefferson | Linn | Polk | Wasco | Yamhill |
Trivia Tidbits[edit | edit source]
Information about localities, too small or too brief to describe in separate pages. Exception to this are Post Offices. Trivia Tidbits
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
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 | ||
ORInterment | ||
ORGravestones | ||
Billion Graves | ||
See Oregon Cemeteries for more information. |
United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969
- Vol. 21 page 180 - Mount Angel Cemetery
Census[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1850 | 2,749 | — |
1860 | 7,088 | 157.8% |
1870 | 9,965 | 40.6% |
1880 | 14,576 | 46.3% |
1890 | 22,934 | 57.3% |
1900 | 27,713 | 20.8% |
1910 | 39,780 | 43.5% |
1920 | 47,187 | 18.6% |
1930 | 60,541 | 28.3% |
1940 | 75,246 | 24.3% |
1950 | 101,401 | 34.8% |
1960 | 120,888 | 19.2% |
1970 | 151,309 | 25.2% |
1980 | 204,692 | 35.3% |
1990 | 228,483 | 11.6% |
2000 | 284,834 | 24.7% |
2010 | 315,335 | 10.7% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
Church History and Records (Rural)[edit | edit source]
- Early Catholic records.The earliest Catholic church registers have been transcribed and published in a series of seven books.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Deeds and Property[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
History[edit | edit source]
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Maps[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
for more resources
Military History and Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861-1865 - Oregon, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
Oregon Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1833 – 1963 Oregon Wills and Probate Records 1833-1963 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Rivers and Waterways[edit | edit source]
Details about the rivers and waterways where farms and settlements are often found along them. Rivers and Waterways
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
- 1860 - 1952 - Oregon Births, 1860-1952 at FamilySearch — index
Delayed Birth Certificates
Birth Registers
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 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.
- Extractions of early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index
- Marriage Index 1885-1896 Actually is a book of affiants reporting the marriages. Historical Records Collection
Death Records[edit | edit source]
Societies, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]
Willamette Heritage Center
1313 Mill St. Suite 200
Salem, OR 97301
503-585-7012 ext 257
Website
Facebook Page
St. Paul Mission Historical Society
PO Box 158
St. Paul, OR 97137
E-mail:mernst@mtangel.net
Website
St. Paul is the core of the French Prairie, the earliest settlement in Oregon. The Society website includes history, photos, and artifacts.
Silverton Historical Society
428 South Water St
Silverton, OR 97381
503-873-7070
Website
Salem Public Library
1400 Broadway ST NE
Salem OR 97301
503-588-6315
Website
Facebook Page
Woodburn Public Library
280 Garfield Street
Woodburn, OR 97071
503-982-5262
Website
Facebook Page
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Salem Oregon East Family History Center
- Salem Oregon Family History Center
- Woodburn Oregon Family History Center
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Marion County, OR History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Oregon Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- The Marion County GenWeb Project a member of The ORGenWeb Project
- Linkpendium
- The USGenWeb Archives Project
- The USGenWeb Archives Project (Backup site)
- FamilySearch.org
Marion County Oregon Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Marion, Oregon" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Oregon accessed 28 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Marion County, Oregon . Page 572-574 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 563-564.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Marion County, Oregon page 573, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ WorldCat 50140092 ▲ FHL Collection Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.] (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002)
- ↑ Oregon State Archives, “Marion County History,” Oregon Historical Records Guide, (Oregon State Archives : http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/cpmarionhome.html : accessed 17 Oct 2010).
- ↑ Sue Bell, “Early Marion County Government,” Salem Online History, (Salem, Salem Public Library, 2003 : http://www.salemhistory.net/places/marion_county_government.htm : accessed 17 Oct 2010).
- ↑ Oregon State Archives, “Linn County History,” Oregon Historical Records Guide, (Oregon State Archives : http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/cpmarionhome.html : accessed 17 Oct 2010).
- ↑ Oregon State Archives, “Wasco County History,” Oregon Historical Records Guide, (Oregon State Archives : http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/cpmarionhome.html : accessed 17 Oct 2010).
- ↑ Oregon State Archives, “Marion County History.”
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Marion County, Oregon" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Oregon, accessed 28 November 2018.