History

The settlement of Oregon began in 1829 when French-Canadian trappers started farming on the banks of the Willamette River near present day St Paul. Immigration encouraged by the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Dutch Reformed church missionaries began in the early 1840s. Most of the early American immigrants arrived in Oregon country from Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River valleys. The promise of free land and better life brought 53,000 immigrants to the Oregon Valley between 1840 and 1860.

The city of Portland was started in 1845. Portland became a place where wagons could meet seafaring ships during the California gold rush to exchange commodities.

1850 gold was discovered in the Rogue River valley.

From 1851 -1856 wars between the immigrants and the Native Americans plagued southern and northeastern Oregon. The troubles stemmed from the Donation Land Law of 1850. Through this program, Congress offered free land to the immigrants before acquiring it from the Native Americans.

Along with gold mining were the cattle-baron empires and cattle towns.

European settlement came to Oregon in the 1870’s. Scandinavians drawn by fishing settled in coastal areas, and a large number of Finns settled at Astoria. Swiss immigrants settled at Tillamook and began the cheese industry in the area.

Portland became a major port during the 1870’s. The thriving economy drew a wide range of foreign immigrants including Chinese, Germans, Irish, Jews, Scandinavians, and Scots.

Oregon Record Resources

BIRTH RECORDS

In 1903, the State of Oregon required that births be recorded. Copies of birth certificates are available from the Oregon Health Division. (PO Box 14050, Portland, OR 97214-0050.) There are two significant restrictions on their availability.

Oregon State Health Division's Administrative Rule 333-11-096 states that birth indexes and records have a 100-year access restriction. This means that all birth indexes less than 100 years old are closed to the public. There are no birth indexes more than 100 years old.
Oregon Revised Statute 432-120 states, "In addition to having one's own record, a birth record can be furnished to the parents, guardian or respective representative. If you do not fall into one of the above categories, we [the Vital Records Unit] will need written permission from one of the above eligible persons."

Tombstones of many pioneer cemeteries were abstracted and transcribed by Oregon chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Copies of published DAR books are at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, the Oregon State Library in Salem, and the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. They are also available on microfilm through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

CENSUS RECORDS

In 1843, Dr. Elijah White, Superintendent for Indian Affairs, took a census called the "List of Persons Living South of the Columbia River." The first Oregon Federal Census, taken in 1850, included all the Oregon Territory. Mortality schedules are available for 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. Censuses are available for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920. The 1890 census was destroyed with the exception of the veteran's census. Abstracters copied many of the various censuses for Oregon counties. Lists of these are in the county sections of this book [The Oregon Guide].

The 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920 Oregon Federal Censuses have all been indexed; the 1900 and 1920 by the federal government, and the others by private companies. The Forum indexed the 1910 census. Ancestry.com is available free at Vernal Family History Library.

CHURCH RECORDS

Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic missionaries arrived in Oregon in the 1830s. Other denominations quickly followed. Records for most churches are kept by the local congregation. Check SLC Library for microfilms of Oregon Church Records.

COLLECTED GENEALOGIES

Two books that index articles about early Oregonians in published genealogies are:

Brandt, Patricia. Oregon Biography Index. Bibliographic Series Number 11. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press, 1976.
Corning, Howard McKinley. Dictionary of Oregon History. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1956.
Check for interlibrary loan for these thru Uintah County Library.

COURT RECORDS

Court records are under the jurisdiction of both County and State Courts. While both courts may exist in the same room of a courthouse it is often as if an invisible wall separates them. They do not share equipment or records. Letters sent to one office and intended for the other are often returned to the sender. Due to the division in the court system, it is often better to address a letter to: "Marriage Records", "Divorce Records", "Probate Records", "Deeds", etc.

DEATH RECORDS

Death records have been recorded with the Oregon State Health Division since 1903. However, not every county sent their records to the State on a regular basis until the 1920s. Death certificates more than 50 years old are at the Oregon State Archives DIVORCE RECORDS

The Oregon Territorial Legislature granted divorces through 1859, and these records are in the custody of the Oregon State Archives. Divorces after 1859 are generally in the Circuit Court of each county. Since 1925, divorces have been recorded with the Oregon Health Division, PO Box 14050, Portland, OR 97214-0050.

LAND RECORDS

Oregon was public domain country, and the Federal government gave the first land grants. The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 and the Homestead Act of 1862 distributed much of the arable land. The records for the Donation Land Claims and the Homestead Claims have been microfilmed and are available through Family History Libraries. A little known record group is the Provisional Land Claims. These cover the years 1845 to 1849. The Provisional Land Claims and the Donation Land Claim files have been abstracted and published by the Genealogical Forum of Oregon.

Genealogical Material in Oregon Provisional Land Claims, Abstracted From Applications Vols. I-VIII, 1845-1849. 1982.
Oregon Donation Land Claims, Vol. I. Oregon City Land Office, claims 1-2500. 1957.
Oregon Donation Land Claims, Vol. II. Oregon City Land Office, claims 2501-5289. 1959, repr. 1980.
Oregon Donation Land Claims, Vol. III. Roseburg, The Dalles, and La Grande Land Offices, 1962.
Oregon Donation Land Claims, Vol. IV. Abstracted from Rejected Applications. Oregon City, Roseburg, and The Dalles Land Offices. 1967.
Oregon Donation Land Claims, Vol. V. Supplement to Volume I. 1975.

When the settler sold his or her land claim, the sale was recorded in the counties. The deeds are indexed in grantee-grantor index books and are available in either the Recorder's Office or the Office of the County Clerk.

MARRIAGE RECORDS

Marriages were one of the first records to be filed in the counties. The first was in 1849. Most of these early records are still at the county level in the Office of the County Clerk. Some early marriage records are at the Oregon State Archives. Write for the leaflet, "Vital Records in the Oregon State Archives." While the counties started sending marriage records to the Oregon Health Division in 1906, they kept the original copy. These original copies often contain more information than the abstract sent to the State.

MILITARY RECORDS

Oregonians participated in the Indian Wars, the Civil War, the Spanish War and Philippine Insurrection, World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. Many military records are now in the custody of the Oregon State Archives, 800 Summer St. NE, Salem, OR 97310. They have the records of the Oregon Military Department dating from 1847 through 1968. The bulk of the holdings document the period up to 1883. A leaflet, "Records of the Oregon Military Department, 1847-1968," describes the Archives holdings.

NATURALIZATION RECORDS

Naturalization records can be found in any court of record. In Oregon, they are generally with the County Clerk or the Circuit Court. Records are in Naturalization Books, Miscellaneous Journals, County Court Journals, etc. Before 1906, little genealogical information was included on the forms.

PROBATE RECORDS

Probate records were usually kept from the beginning of each county. Most records and indexes are still in the county courthouses. Over the years, jurisdiction passed from the County Court to the Circuit Court, with some exceptions. Most old records are in offsite storage and need to be requested in advance. Some records have been moved to the Oregon State Archives.

VITAL RECORDS

In 1903, the Oregon legislature enacted a law establishing the Oregon State Board of Health. One of the duties of the Board was to keep the vital statistics for the State. The law also required the county boards of health to collect all vital statistics and to report them to the Oregon State Board of Health on a monthly basis. Blank record books were to be provided by the Oregon Secretary of State. However, the books were not ready until 1907. The impact of the delay meant that many counties did not start recording and reporting vital statistics until 1907 or later. Since the time of the inventory, records have been moved, court staff has changed, and the court system has been restructured. The Inventories are still helpful guides to what records should be available. They are a starting place for obtaining access to the 'lost' records. Copies of the Inventories are at the Oregon Historical Society and the Multnomah County Library in Portland, the Oregon State Archives and the Oregon State Library in Salem, the University of Oregon Library in Eugene, the Oregon State University Library in Corvallis, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Oregon Websites

http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oregon.htm

http://gesswhoto.com/genealogy.html Great site with links for Oregon

http://www.interment.net/us/or/ Cemeteries

http://www.rootsweb.com/~orpionpr/Cemeteries.html

http://www.oregongenealogy.com/ Great site

http://genealogytoday.com/genealogy/states/oregon.html#vitalrec State links for Oregon

http://www.census-online.com/links/OR/ Census

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/vital.html City of Portland Birth Index Follow the birth index link to search records beginning in March 1881

http://www.deathindexes.com/oregon/ Death indexes and obituaries.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~orpionpr/ Oregon Pioneers

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/oregon/ Native American Tribes of Oregon