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Oregon Public Records
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To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
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Oregon Vital Records
The state of Oregon began recording births and deaths in 1903 and
marriages in 1906. The Oregon State Archives in Salem has vital records
from fifteen of the thirty-six counties. These include Benton, Clackamas,
Columbia, Douglas, Jackson, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah (and
Portland), Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill.
All are at the state's Vital Records Bureau.
For birth and death records from 1 January 1903 and for marriage records
from 1 January 1906, write:
Oregon Center for Health Statistics, Vital Records
800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 205
P.O. Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
Tel: 503-731-4095 (Recorded message-how to order)
503-731-4108 (To order by phone)
Fax: 503-234-8817 (To order by fax)
http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/cdpe/chs/certif/certfaqs.htm
For earlier records, write to the clerk of the county
in question.
Oregon Land Records
Oregon is a federal-land state. Lands were generally acquired from
the federal government or from other individuals. Lands from the
government were dispersed through a variety of programs, including
the popular Homestead and Oregon Donation Land claims. Donation
land claims were for early settlers who were in Oregon by 1855.
These claims, filed with each land office, have been abstracted,
indexed, and published by the Genealogical Forum of Oregon. Indexing
is both by name and geographical location. The Oregon State Archives
has the National Archives' microfilm copy of the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management, Oregon Donation Land Claim Files, as does the FHL.
The original Oregon homestead applications have been moved to the
National Archives Pacific Northwest Region. The indexes and record
books have been microfilmed and are available through the FHL. Other
records generated through the federal land offices included cash
entries, homestead final certificates, canceled homestead entries,
timber-culture final certificates, canceled timber-culture entries,
desert-land final certificates, canceled desert-land entries, town
lots, Indian allotments, and notifications of settlers on unsurveyed
lands to the surveyor general of Oregon.
Subsequent land records, including deeds and mortgages, were recorded
in each county beginning at the creation of the county. For further
information, consult E. Wade Hone, Land and Property Research in
the United States (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).
Oregon Court Records
Court records include probate records (which include wills), guardianship,
naturalization, and a wide variety of other sources, ranging from
criminal trials to simple road orders. All contain information about
individuals within the area. It should be remembered that there
are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States,
all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances.
Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court,
Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those
encountered. To study more about court records in general, see "Research
in Court Records," by Arlene H. Eakle, in Szucs, Loretto Dennis,
and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds. The Source: A Guidebook of
American Genealogy, rev. ed.(Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).
Oregon Military Records
The Oregon State Archives has early military records of residents
from the Indian Wars and the Oregon National Guard. Write for their
leaflet "Records of the Oregon Military Department, 1847–1968."
The archives also has the records of the Roseburg State Soldier's
Home. For Civil War information, see M. A. Parker and Edna Mingus's
Soldiers Who Served in the Oregon Volunteers Civil War Period Infantry
and Cavalry (Portland: Genealogical Forum of Oregon, 1961), which
provides the name of the soldier, rank, date of service, place of
enlistment, place of birth, age, occupation, and company.
A published list of war deaths reported to the Oregon Department
of the Grand Army of the Republic has been compiled in Jane Myers'
Honor Roll of Oregon Grand Army of the Republic 1881–1935 (Cottage
Grove, Oreg.: Cottage Grove Genealogical Society, 1980). The Official
Records of the Oregon Volunteers in the Spanish War and Philippine
Insurrection by C.U. Gantenbein (Salem, Oreg.: J. R. Whitney, State
Printers, 1903) is also a roster of soldiers, providing age, place
of birth, occupation, physical description, and time of service.
World War I records on file at the Oregon State Archives include
an index to all World War I veterans who served from Oregon, World
War I files from the state historian of the Defense Council, records
of state bonuses, and loan applications of veterans. World War I
files include some biographical questionnaires and are useful in
genealogical research. The archive also has a casualty index to
the Korean Police Action, 1950 to 1954, and an index to the Oregon
State Reserve in World War II, 1940 to 1945. For further information,
consult:
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and
State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994.
Additional Sources
Brandt, Patricia. Oregon Biographical Index. Corvallis: Oregon State
University, 1976.
Carey, Charles Henry. History of Oregon. Chicago: Pioneer History
Publishing Co., 1922.
Lenzen, Connie. "Genealogical Research in Oregon." National
Genealogical Society Quarterly 79:1 (March 1991).
Preston, Ralph N. Historical Oregon: Overland Stage Routes, Old
Military Roads, Indian Battle Grounds, Old Forts, Old Gold Mines.
Portland, Oreg.: Binford & Mort, 1978.
Oregon Vital Records:
Event: Birth or death
Cost of copy: $15.00
Address:
Oregon Health Division
Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
Remarks: State office has had records since January
1903. Some earlier records for the city of Portland since approximately
1880 are available from the Oregon State Archives, 1005 Broadway,
NE, Salem, OR 97310.
Additional copies of the same record ordered at the
same time are $12.00 each.
Money order should be made payable to Oregon Health
Division. To verify current fees, the telephone number is (503)
731-4095. This will be a recorded message. Information on how to
obtain certified copies is also available via the internet at Oregon
Health Division.
Search All Oregon Records
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Event: Heirloom Birth
Cost of copy: $28.00
Address:
Oregon Health Division
Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
Remarks: Presentation style calligraphy certificate
suitable for framing.
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: $15.00
Address:
Oregon Health Division
Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
Remarks: Records since January 1906.
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Event: Marriage (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: County Clerk in county where license was
issued. County Clerks also have some records before 1906.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: $15.00
Address:
Oregon Health Division
Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
Remarks: Records since 1925.
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Event: Divorce (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: County Circuit Court Clerk in county
where divorce was granted. County Clerks also have some records
before 1925.
Search All Oregon Records
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