- Archives, Libraries and Societies
- Biographies, Genealogies, and Local History
- Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, and Obituaries
- Churches and Religious Groups
- Genealogy Forums for Lewis County
- Maps and Gazetteers
- Native American links
- Newspapers
- Occupations
- Schools
Archives, Libraries, and Societies
351 NW North Street
PO Box 29
Chehalis, WA 98532-0029
(360) 740-1165
The Lewis County Legal Records Department has the following information available:
- Birth records from 1891-1906
- Marriage records from 1847-1968
- Death records from 1891-1906
- Land records from 1855
345 W. Main St. 2nd Floor
Law & Justice Center
Chehalis, WA 98532
(360) 740-2704
The Lewis County Clerk's Office has the following information available:
- Probate/guardianship records from 1855
- Court documents from 1847
To obtain birth and death certificates after 1907, and marriage and divorce certificates after 1968, check out the Washington State Department of Health web site.
Many historical Lewis County records (including land and school records) are now located at the Washington State Archives - Southwest Branch in Olympia.
| Lewis County Historical Society and Museum 599 N.W. Front Street Chehalis, WA 98532 (360) 748-0831 |
Lewis County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 782 Chehalis, WA 98532 |
| Cowlitz River Valley Historical Society (serves Morton, Mossyrock, Randle, Packwood and surrounding communities) PO Box 777 Morton, WA 98356 |
White Pass Country Historical Society (Serving East Lewis County from Kosmos to White Pass. Located in the Packwood Elementary School building.) PO Box 958 12990 U.S. Highway 12 Packwood, WA 98361 (360) 494-4422 (leave a message) |
| Winlock Historical Society 400 N.E. First St. P. O. Box 849 Winlock, WA 98596 (360) 785-3980 |
Veteran's Memorial Museum 100 SW Veteran's Way Chehalis, WA 98532 (360) 740-8875 Founded in 1997 by Lee and Barbara Grimes of Centralia, WA |
| Family History Center--Centralia/Chehalis 2195 Jackson Highway Chehalis, WA 98532 (360) 748-1516 See the WASGS's FHC page for more information (hours, holdings, etc.)
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Washington State Archives--Southwestern Branch P.O. Box 40238 1129 Washington St. SE Olympia, WA 98504-0238 |
| The National Archives-Pacific NW Branch 6125 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, Washington 98115 TELEPHONE: 206-526-6507 FAX: 206-526-4344 Check out their web page for hours, direction, and information on holdings. Or check out the some of microfilm publications at the Seattle branch of the NARA (hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society). |
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Other Resources for Research:
- The Seattle Public Library has one of the largest genealogy collections in the state of Washington.
- The Tacoma Public Library's Genealogy and History Collection is another excellent resource; many resources, including a Ships and Shipping databases, and an obituaries index, are available online!
- The Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society provides an detailed listing of resources for research in the greater Puget Sound area.
- The Washington State Genealogical Society has prepared an excellent and detailed guide to counties across Washington state, including Lewis County.
Biographies, Genealogies and Local History
- "Lewis County to Willapa Bay by Rail" - the Summer/Fall 2006 issue of the Sou'wester, a publication by the Pacific County (WA) Historical Society. A great article describing the rail line from Lewis County to Pacific County, with information about, and photos of the towns and depots that lined the route.
- FIFTY YEARS LATER: THE APPALACHIAN POPULATIONS OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES - scholarly research written by Harry Robie, of Berea College (KY) and published in "Border States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association, No. 9 (1993)". In 1938 and 1943, Woodrow Clevinger published a thesis on the migration of Appalachian families into the Washington Cascades. Robie uses Clevinger's research as a springboard for tracing the changes in these families over a 50-year period. One of the highlights of this article are the interviews with those who made the journey from the Appalachians to western Washington in the early 1900s. Surnames include: Clevinger, Hale, Sparkman, and Toler.
- Library of Western Fur Trade Historical Source Documents - "Diaries, Narratives and Letters of the Mountain Men" - of particular interest are the diaries of John Work (employed by Hudsons Bay Co.) and Nathaniel Wyeth (whose accounts enticed many settlers to Washington and Oregon Territories).
- Darilee Bednar (a.k.a. the "Bookstore Lady") is transcribing all of the listings from In the Service The Great World War Honor Roll Southwest Washington, published by F. H. Cole Printing Co of Centralia Wash, ca1920-1921. This listing is an excellent source of biographical material, and includes a short history of the company these volunteers belonged to.
- Visit the Lewis County Biographies page.
- The Lewis Co. Sheriff's Office has a page on the History of the Sheriff's Office in Lewis Co., including a list of all sheriffs since 1845.
- Andrew Craig Magnuson has posted a photo and brief history of the Jackson Prairie Courthouse, home of John Robinson Jackson's family and the first courthouse in Lewis Co. Another view of the courthouse is included in the Northwest Postcards collection at the Tacoma Public Library.
- Donna DeLeon transcribed an article from the Chehalis Bee Nugget that lists the graduates of all of the Lewis Co. schools in 1920.
- Donna DeLeon has also transcribed the Roppert-Meier Wedding article from the Chehalis Bee Nugget.
- "Classics in Washington History", part of the Office of the Secretary of State's Historical Records Project, has posted images from the complete three-volume set, "Soldiers of the Great War," along with other military records from World War I.
- "The Family of Sidney S. Ford, Senior" by Tove Hodge - posted as part of "The Family History of Raymond and Corinne Blakeslee." Detailed history of this pioneer Ford family, with ties to both Lewis and Thurston counties. (Link points to PDF file).
- Jotham W. Goodell family - extensively researched history of the Goodell and Judson families, early pioneers in Washington Territory. Written by Noel V. Bourasaw, editor of the "Skagit river Journal of History & Folklore."
- Read two articles about Roderick Barnum "Rog" Lester, a Navy pilot who disappeared while on a mission during the Vietnam War. He was the last soldier from Morton who was still missing from the Vietnam War, and the wreckage of his plane was only recently found. Read an article in the Seattle Times (Nov. 2000) [registration required for free access], and a follow-up in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Nov. 2002).
- On-line Gedcoms and other family information with Lewis County connections: Bobner, Frichette/Sprague, King, Phillips, Sixkiller, Somerville.
- "Tumbleweeds & Talus" - Mike Huntington's website, featuring photographs from early Lewis Co. history. Includes "Rural Scenes" (including the Garrison family of Klikitat Prairie and Huntington family of Sulphur Springs); "School Days" (including the upper Cowlitz and Waunch Prairie schools), and "Logging" (featuring logging scenes with members of the Garrison family).
- APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN FAMILIES includes information on families who migrated west to Lewis County.
- "History of Packwood" - a report from the "Packwood Community Study Committee" that provides a brief history of the Big Bottom area and Packwood, with vignettes of local families (families include Anderson, Bivin, Blankenship, Burton, Combs, Davis, Hackney, Hager, Hall, Higgins, Huntington, Martin, Mullins, Owens, Sethe, Snyder). [no date is listed on the site - if you have any more information about when the history was written, please contact Jenny.]
- The Stiltner Family Association has information on many early Stiltner families, including those that settled in Lewis Co.
- "Lewis County Declaration" details many aspects of Lewis County's physical, cultural, economic and social environment. Of particular interest is the brief history of logging in Lewis Co.
- The Tacoma Public Library has a fascinating site called Unsettling Events - about the less-pleasant aspects of Washington State History. For example, learn about the infamous Centralia Massacre.
- Mary Lee Rose wrote an article in the Seattle Genealogical Society Bulletin on the "The Bukovina Germans in Lewis County, Washington", and gave the Bukovina Genealogical Society permission to reprint it on their web page. Interesting reading!
- Register of the Washington State Society: Sons of the American Revolution June 17, 1895 - April 19, 1916 - a listing of chapters, officers and members of the Washington State Society of SAR. Several of the members listed in the register were residents of Lewis County (note: the index on the main page is not yet a complete index).
Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, and Obituaries
- Claquato Cemetery (a.k.a. Sunset Memorial Cemetery)
142 Stearns Rd., Chehalis, WA 98352 (cemetery location)
PO Box 1443, Chehalis, WA 98352 (mailing address)
phone: 360-748-7755 - Mountain View Cemetery
1113 Caveness Drive
Centralia, WA 98531 - St. Francis Xavier Mission and Cemetery (Old Cowlitz Mission)
139 Spencer Road
Toledo, WA
(360) 864-4126 (local)
(888) 846-2374 (toll-free)
The oldest Catholic Church in Lewis Co. It is located in Toledo and can be reached by taking exit 63 off I-5. Go 3 miles on highway 505 to the Jackson Hwy and turn left. It is about 2 miles south of Toledo on the Jackson Hwy. - Sticklin Greenwood Memorial Park
1822 Van Wormer St. (cemetery location)
1905 Johnson Rd. (mailing address)
Centralia, WA 98531
(360) 736-1919
(John Baker, owner) - Myra Whitten, who is researching the Kallasch family of Lewis County (among others) provided this information: "Old obituaries list the names of mortuaries. One such business listed in two old obituaries (1930s) that still exists in Centralia, Lewis County, WA is:
Newell-Hoering Mortuary
205 W. Pine Street
Centralia, WA 98531
(360) 736-3317I did find 3 of my Kallasch family members on records mailed me from the Newell Funeral Home (in Mountain View Cemetery)."
- The The USGenWeb Tombstone Project - Lewis Co., Washington lists all cemeteries in Lewis Co., and provides a link to those cemeteries with online transcriptions.
- The Lewis County Genealogical Society has a listing of all Lewis County Cemeteries in their records and will take lookup requests. Check their website for more information.
- Death Certificates of Finns in Lewis County, Washington - Merle A. Reinikka extracted information from death certificates of Finns who died in Lewis County, WA between 1907 and 1947.
- Find politicians and other famous people who were born or buried in Lewis County at The Political Graveyard!
- FuneralNet has a listing of 20,000 funeral homes across the U.S. Search this page to find funeral homes in Lewis County.
- The Association of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Seattle maintains a complete list of Catholic cemeteries in Western Washington, including Lewis County.
- The Tacoma Public Library has a searchable obituaries page taken from the Tacoma News Tribune. These obituaries inlcude not only Pierce County, but also many Lewis County entries.
- View obituaries posted on the Rootsweb Message Board for Lewis Co., WA - surnames include: Black, Carnes, Fitz, Geyer, Haugan, Kadel, Kuehner, Moon, Mordick, Ogle, Payette, Rangel, Roundtree, Sands, Sato, Smith, Snow, Toy.
- The National Archives maintains a list of "U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO DIED FROM HOSTILE ACTION (INCLUDING MISSING AND CAPTURED) IN THE KOREAN WAR, 1950-1957" - this is a statewide list sorted by city and county, and includes a number of soldiers from Lewis County.
- The National Archives maintains a list of "U.S. Military Personnel Who Died (Including Missing and Captured Declared Dead) as a result of the Vietnam conflict, 1957-1995" - this is a statewide list, sorted by city and includes a number of soldiers from Lewis County.
Churches and Religious Groups
- Church of the Brethren: "Historical Churches in the Oregon/Washington District of the Church of the Brethren"
- Church of Christ: "Pioneer History of Churches of Christ & Christian Churches in the Pacific Northwest: LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
- Episocpal: the Episcopal Church of Western Washington, Olympia Diocese maintains a complete list of Episcopal churches in southwest Washington, including Lewis County.
- Primitive Baptist: Primitive Baptist Family History Assistance for Lewis County
- Roman Catholic: For more information on Catholic parishes and cemeteries (including addresses) and for a very nice site on tourist spots in Lewis Co., check out the Sacred Heart site (for Catholic churches in Morton, Harmony, and Packwood) or the South Sound Deanery (for all Catholic churches in Lewis County). In addition, there is excellent historical information on "The History of the Catholic People on the Upper Cowlitz River," by Mary (Kelly) Ray, Father Roger Agostinelli, and Father Victor A. Cloquet and "The Catholic Ladder, 1842."
- For all other Catholic parishes in Lewis County and Western Washington, see the Seattle Archdiocese website.
Genealogy Forums for Lewis County
- Lewis Co., GenWeb queries - place your Lewis County Query here, or read previously-posted queries.
- Join the WALEWIS-L email discussion list for Lewis County genealogy - for more information, check this page.
- The Lewis County, WA Genealogy Forum is a bulletin-board system hosted by GenForum (in partnership with FamilyTreeMaker).
- Rootsweb Message Board - Lewis Co., WA - view queries, obituaries, bible records and other data posted by Lewis Co. researchers.
Maps, Gazetteers and Civic Information
- NEW! "Get in Your Car and Discover History" - an excellent compilation of historical sites and towns for your next driving tour of historical Lewis County. Written by Edna Fund and posted on the "See Southwest Washington" website.
- The 1895 Rand U.S. Atlas - Washington: Thanks to the hard work of Pam Rietsch, you can view a map of Washington State and Lewis County, and see population data for all of the towns that existed in 1895. While you're there, drop Pam a note of thanks for this valuable resource!
- "Oregon, Washington and Alaska Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1901-1902" - all Lewis County entries from this Gazetteer and Directory.
- map of Lewis County in 1909: Part of the USGenWeb Digital Maps Library project; taken from Cram's Washington State map.
- 1915 Map of Logging Camps in Lewis and eastern Pacific Counties, Washington - drawn by Coy Brown and contributed by Dan Brown.
- Map of Northern Pacific Railroad Tacoma Division, Subdivision 21 (Willapa Harbor Line) - map showing Northern Pacific stations along the Willapa Harbor Line, from Chehalis to Willapa bay in Pacific County.
- Lewis County Map: This map was created by John Planinshek, and shows approximate locations of all known communities in Lewis County, past and present.
- Lewis County Road Atlas: Complete collection of maps covering all of Lewis Co. Particularly useful for location twps and ranges from deeds and other land documents.
- Lewis County Cities, Towns and Unincorporated Centers: A collection of maps put together by the Lewis County Government.
- The US Gazetteer: Displays maps on-the-fly as well as population statistics taken from the 1990 census.
- I have transcribed the Lewis County place names from Edmond Meany's "Origin of Washington Place Names", published in 1923.
- I also transcribed the chapter on Lewis County from Robert A. Reid's 1912 book, "Puget Sound and Western Washington."
- Want to know how that Lewis County location got its name? Check out the Tacoma Public Library's searchable list of placename origins.
- Another interesting site is Washington Online Highways. There are brief descriptions of the major cities of Lewis County. Or check out other cities in the state of Washington.
- Interested in learning more about Centralia itself? Then check the "Destination Centralia - Hometown Adventure" - a new site with lots of great information on sites and sounds of Centralia.
- The Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce (Chehalis and Centralia) may provide helpful information for those planning a genealogy trip to Lewis County.
- The South Lewis County Chamber of Commerce serves the communities of Toledo, Vader and Winlock.
- See Southwest Washington - a companion to the the tourism guide published by "The Chronicle".
- Additional county resources can be found at the Lewis County Government site.
Native American links
- The Cowlitz Indian Tribe - their official website.
- Visit "Background and History of the Cowlitz Tribe" on the Center for World Indigenous Studies website.
- Governor's Office of Indian Affairs (Washington state)
- Kevin Fraley transcribed the major Indian treaties involving Washington state tribes. Of particular interest is the Medicine Creek Treaty, which involves tribes from the Lewis County area.
Newspapers
- The following newspapers serve communities in Lewis County:
-
The East Lewis County Journal
Morton, WA 98356
(360) 496-5993
Published weekly, on Wednesdays. Serves eastern Lewis County, including Morton, Mineral, Glenoma, Packwood, Randle, and Mossyrock.
The Daily Chronicle -
The East Lewis County Journal
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- For a discussion of the history of the "People's Advocate", a Chehalis newspaper that operated from 1892 to 1900, check this report prepared by Jayne Muir at the University of Washington.
Centralia Office
321 N. Pearl St.
Centralia, WA 98531-4323
(360) 736-331
Serves the Twin Cities (Centralia and Chehalis) and surrounding communities.
Lewis County News - a weekly newspaper serving the Toledo-Vader-Winlock area (main page lists current issue only; archives are available for 2005-2006).
Occupations
- Fur trade: If your ancestor was in Lewis County territory in the early- to mid-1800s, if they were employed by the Hudson's Bay Company, or if they settled on land originally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company, then you may want to check the Hudson's Bay Company Archives.
- Library of Western Fur Trade Historical Source Documents - "Diaries, Narratives and Letters of the Mountain Men" - of particular interest are the diaries of John Work (employed by Hudsons Bay Co.) and Nathaniel Wyeth (whose accounts enticed many settlers to Washington and Oregon Territories).
- Logging Industry in Lewis County - a listing of resources related to the logging industry, and listing of known lumber companies, sawmills and shingle mills.
- Medical care in Lewis County - listing of known hospitals, doctors, nurses and dentists in early Lewis County history.
- Chehalis Post Office Employees, 1925 - article published in The Chehalis-Bee Nugget.
- Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association - a lot of information on the history of the Northern Pacific Railway, which had a significant impact on the economic development of southwest Washington. Follow the link to their Research Library to access documents and historical data online.
- Genealogy & the Northern Pacific - written by J. A. Phillips, III from an original article by Lorenz P. Schrenk and originally published in "The Mainstreeter", vol. 28, issue no. 3, pp. 14+. Provides information on researching ancestors who were employed by the Northern Pacific railroad. [This link points to a PDF file on the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association website.]