Kittitas County, Washington Genealogy

United States

Washington

Kittitas County

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

Cascade pass, North Cascade National Park, Kittitas County, Washington

County QuickStart: Census Birth Marriage Divorce Death Cemeteries

Washington Online Genealogy Records

Kittitas County, Washington
Map
Location in the state of Washington (disambiguation)
Location of Washington in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	November 24, 1883
County Seat	Ellensburg
Courthouse
Address	Kittitas County Courthouse 205 W 5th Avenue Ellensburg, WA 98926 Phone: 509.962.7624 Kittitas County Website

County Overview

Description

The County was named for the language of the Yakama Nation. According to one source, it "has been said to mean everything from 'white chalk' to 'shale rock' to 'shoal people' to 'land of plenty'". The County is located in the central area of the state.

Parent County(s)

• Kittitas County, Washington was created 24 November 1883 from Yakima.

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

Boundary Changes

• Historical County Boundaries from Newberry Library

Courthouse

Kittitas County Courthouse
205 W 5th Avenue
Ellensburg, WA 98926
Phone: 509.962.7624
Kittitas County Website

County Auditor has birth and death records 1891-1907, marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1882.
County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1890s.

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

Dates of Major County Records

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1891	1884	1891	1890s	1882	1890s	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 Kittitas 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.

Bible Records

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 (name)	Washington Periodicals	WA State Digital Archives
WAGenWeb Archives		Linkpendium
Billion Graves		Genealogy Trails
WAGenWeb		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.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	8,777	—
1900	9,704	10.6%
1910	18,561	91.3%
1920	17,737	−4.4%
1930	18,154	2.4%
1940	20,230	11.4%
1950	22,235	9.9%
1960	20,467	−8.0%
1970	25,039	22.3%
1980	24,877	−0.6%
1990	26,725	7.4%
2000	33,362	24.8%
2010	40,915	22.6%
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

• School census cards (Aa-Har only) 1895-1925 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at 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: 1885 • 1887 • 1889

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

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

• Kittitas 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.

Directories

 

• Kittitas County Directory, 1923-1924 at Washington Digital Archives

• Kittitas County, Washington Online Historical Directories listed by Google.com

 

Ethnic, Political or Religious Groups

 

American Indian

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

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

Funeral Homes

 

Brookside Funeral Home and Crematory, 101 E 2nd Ave, Ellensburg, WA (509) 925-2902

Adam and Stoves Mortuary Roslyn, Washington See: Roslyn Funeral Home

Brown Funeral Chapel, Cle Elum, Washington See: Cotton Chapel

Coleman Chapel Cle Elum, Washington See: Cotton Chapel

Cotton-Brown Funeral Chapel 1st and Harris St., Cle Elum, Washington P.O. Box 277, Cle Elum, 98922 (509) 674-4445

Cotton Chapel, Inc. Ellensburg, Washington See: Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory Also Known As: Hunnicutt Funeral Home, and Evenson Funeral Home.

Evenson Funeral Home Ellensburg, Washington See: Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory

Hunnicutt Funeral Home Ellensburg, Washington See: Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory

Roslyn Funeral Home #4 Dakota Ave., Roslyn, WA 98941

Stoves Davies Mortuary Roslyn, Washington See: Roslyn Funeral Home

Steward & Williams Funeral Directors/Crematory 301 E 3rd Ave., Ellensburg, Washington P.O. Box 306, Ellensburg, Washington 98926 (509) 925-3141

Stoves-Davies Funeral Home Roslyn, Washington See: Cotton Chapel

Maps and Gazetteers

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

 

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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. 

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

History Resources

• "Ellensburg Heritage" photos at Ellensburg Public Library

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. Kittitas County -- Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org Essay 7484.

• The first inhabitants of the Kittitas Valley were the Psch-wan-wap-pams (stony ground people), also known as the Kittitas band of the Yakama or Upper Yakama.
• 1814 - Fur trader Alexander Ross was one of the earliest non-Indians to describe the Kittitas Valley.
• 1853 - March 2, U.S. President Millard Fillmore establishes Washington Territory.
• 1855 - June 9, Yakima Chief Kamiakin and other tribal leaders signed a treaty ceding claim to all 16,920 square miles (10,828,800 acres) of the tribe's lands except a 1,875-square-mile (1,200,000 acre) portion of land to be used for a reservation. The future Kittitas County was part of the ceded land.
• 1859 - April 18, Congress ratified the Treaty of Yakima and President James Buchanan signed the ratification proclamation.
• 1867 - Frederick Ludi (1832-1916) and John Goller (1813-?) (known as Dutch John) became the first non-Indian settlers to the Kittitas area, building a cabin on the site of what is now Ellensburg.
• 1883 - November 24, Territorial Governor William Augustus Newell signed the act creating Kittitas County.
• 1880s - For farmers in the Kittitas Valley, the key to this transformation from wilderness to village was irrigation.
• 1911 - The Kittitas Reclamation District began preliminary surveys and cost analysis for what would become the High Line canal, the Kittitas Valley’s largest irrigation project.

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.

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 Records, 1890-1979 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

• Naturalization Records, 1884-1953 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • Includes:Declarations of intention 1888-1915; 1890-1906; 1915-1928; Naturalization index 1884-1953; 1907-1912; Orders of the court (admitting or denying the petition) 1929-1945; Petition evidence 1907-1924; Petitions for naturalization 1895-1948; Special naturalizations 1937-1946.

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.

• Kittitas 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 Kittitas 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)

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.

Also check:

• Newspapers of Kittitas County, Washington Genealogy
• Local Funeral Homes, Libraries, or family records.
• Obituaries of neighboring counties

 

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 case files 1886-1930 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

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.

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

School Records

 

• Classification register Boylston District 21 1901-1927 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• Register of teachers 1899-1925 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.
  • Includes School census records 1895-1925; and Teacher certificates 1895-1925.

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.

• Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965 — index and images
• Birth Returns (A-K and L-Z), 1891-1907 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • See what genealogical information may be in these records.

• Birth Returns, 1890-1909 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

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
  

• 1891-2005 - Marriage Records, 1891-2005 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

• 1884-1923 - Marriage affidavits 1884-1932 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • Includes: Marriage applications and license index 1939-1985; Marriage certificates 1882-2009; Marriage certificates index 1920-1947; Marriage license applications 1939-2000; Marriage Register 1892-1939; Marriage returns 1891-1947.

• 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

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.

• Washington, County Death Registers, 1881-1922 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index
• Death Records 1891 - 1907 at Washington State Digital Archives Collection. (Free)

• Death Returns 1891-1907 Part of Washington, County Records, 1856-2009 at FamilySearch Historical Collections. (Free, browse images)
  • Listed as "Birth (L-Z) and Death Returns"

 

Websites

Sites with online indexes or images of records
WAGenWeb	Free	Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
USGenWeb Kittitas County	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 Kittitas County, Washington Genealogy
Websites at RootsWeb - Kittitas 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	"Kittitas County, Washington Facts" (mis-labeled "Kittitas County, Alabama Facts")

Major catalogs for hard copy collections of Kittitas 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 Kittitas 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 Kittitas 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, 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

• Ellensburg Washington Family History Center

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.

• Ellensburg Public Library
  209 North Ruby Street
  Ellensburg, WA 98926
  Phone: 509-962-7252
  Website
  

Includes Local History Collection and Archives - 7,000 historical photographs

• Cle Elum (Carpenter Memorial) Library
  302 Pennsylvania Avenue
  Cle Elum, WA 98922
  Phone: 509-674-2313
  Website
• Kittitas Public Library
  2nd and Pierce Streets
  Kittitas, WA 98934
  Phone: 509-968-0226
  Website
• Roslyn Public Library
  201 S. First Street
  Roslyn, WA 98941
  Phone: 509-649-3420
  Website

Museums

 

• Kittitas County Historical Museum
  114 E 3rd Avenue
  Ellensburg, WA 98926
  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
Cle Elum Ellensburg	Kittitas	Roslyn
Towns
South Cle Elum
Unincorporated communities
Bristol Horlick Hyak	Lavender Liberty Martin	Suncadia Teanaway Thrall
Native American communities
Yakama Indian Reservation‡
Census-designated places
Easton Ronald	Snoqualmie Pass Thorp	Vantage
Ghost towns
Renslow	Roza	Rye

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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