Baker County, Oregon Genealogy

Baker County
	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

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

United States Genealogy Oregon, United States Genealogy Baker County

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

Oregon Online Records

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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.

Template:Adoption Genealogical Council of Oregon

Wikipedia has more about this subject: Baker County, Oregon

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

22 September 1862: Baker county was created from Wasco County. ^[1]

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.

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

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 and
Also available in other forms:

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 (Rural)[edit | edit source]

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

Census[edit | edit source]

Federal[edit | edit source]

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 was later be Malheur County, all the places south of 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

State[edit | edit source]

1905

Church History and Records (rural only)[edit | edit source]

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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

Directories[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Migration[edit | edit source]

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

Snake River
Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon^[2]

Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Also see: Biography, Genealogy

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

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

[http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/baker/bakerdeeds.htm

Maps[edit | edit source]

Hometown Locator for Baker County

Military History and Records[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

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

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Baker County Obituaries USGenWeb Archives Project
Obituaries Baker Co OR Trails to the Past Project

Pensions[edit | edit source]

Court records for the widows pensions

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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

Baker County wills USGenWeb Archives Project

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]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Birth Records[edit | edit source]

Delayed Birth Certificates

Birth Certificates USGenWeb Archives

Birth Registers

FHL

Marriage Records[edit | edit source]

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]

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

Societies, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Web Sites[edit | edit source]