- Vital Records (Birth/Marriage/Death)
- 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
Vital Records (Birth/Marriage/Death)
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
(Note about land records: it is my understanding that all Lewis County land records were transferred to the Washington State Archives--Southwestern Branch - they are no longer held by the Lewis County Legal Records Dept. Also, Title Gauranty Co. has copies of many land records.)
Lewis County Clerk's Office345 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.
The Washington State Archives has a growing collection of databases that can be freely searched. Some of the Lewis County records include:
- Lewis County Birth Register 1891-1906
- Lewis County Death Register 1891-1907
- Lewis County Marriages 1854-1946 and 2006-present
- Washington State Death Records 1907-1960
- "Frontier Justice" - index of court cases heard from 1853-1889
- Military Records 1854-1955
FamilySearch.org has a growing collection of freely-searchable databases. Some of the databases are:
- Lewis County Marriages 1914-1948
- Lewis County Naturalization Records 1867-1972
- Probate Case Files 1832-1950
Archives, Libraries, and Societies
| 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 The LCGS has compiled an excellent guide to Lewis County Genealogy Resources (the link points to the PDF version, with active weblinks) |
| Cowlitz River Valley Historical Society (serves Morton, Mossyrock, Randle, Packwood and surrounding communities) PO Box 777 Morton, WA 98356 |
White Pass Country Historical Society and Museum (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 Facebook site |
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.)
|
Washington State Archives--Southwestern Branch P.O. Box 40238 1129 Washington St. SE Olympia, WA 98504-0238 Many historical Lewis County records (including land and school records). |
| The Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington Lewis County Chapter 9 Contact: Doris Mae Wallerstedt Guy Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington was organized in 1938 and is made up of women who descend from the pioneers who settled in Oregon (later Washington) Territory. See the linked PDF file for more information. New members are welcome! They meet 9 times a year at Adna Evangelical Church, 113 Dieckman Rd. (next to Adna Grange). |
The National Archives at Seattle 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). |
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 - Thumbnail History - article written by David Wilma for HistoryLink.org.
- "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. [8/10/14: The original article is no longer available online. This link points to an archived version of it on the Internet Archives.]
- John Fredolph and Lillie Rosella (Mead) Edlund Family and Fritzler-Edlund Photo Project - these sites feature the the J. F. Edlund and G. H. Hugh families of early Morton, Kosmos & Verndale, who moved to Alaska.
- 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).
- 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. [Note: many of these biographies were transcribed by Darilee Bednar, who passed away in March 2017.]
- 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. Click on "Military History" to access these books.
- "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."
- William Muir Urquhart - Wikipedia entry.
- 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 may be 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, Phillips, 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). [This link points to an archived version hosted by the Internet Archives.]
- 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). This report was originally dated May 27, 1954 and printed under the title "'Packwood on the March', Report of History Committee, Packwood Community Study Program". (Many thanks to Rick McClure for publication information.) [8/10/14: TThe original article is no longer available online. This link points to an archived version of it on the Internet Archives.]
- 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. [8/10/14: The original "Lewis County Declaration" is no longer available. This link points to an archived version of it on the Internet Archives.]
- 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: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
- 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) 736-1919Note: this cemetery was considered abandoned, due to legal issues affecting the owner and previous caretaker. The Chronicle published articles in April 2014 and May 2015 outlining the problems. However, due to efforts of numerous volunteers and the City of Centralia, the cemetery has been restored, and the City of Centralia is working to make records available via a kiosk in the cemetery (see this March 5, 2021 article from The Chronicle).
- 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.
- Lewis County cemeteries posted on Find-A-Grave.
- Lewis County cemeteries posted on Interment.net.
- 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. [This link points to an archived version hosted by the Internet Archives.]
- Find politicians and other famous people who were born or buried in Lewis County at The Political Graveyard!
- The Tacoma Public Library has a searchable index of obituaries taken from the Tacoma News Tribune. These obituaries inlcude not only Pierce County, but also many Lewis County entries.
- View obituaries posted on the Ancestry 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 alphabetically, 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 alphabetically and includes a number of soldiers from Lewis County.
Churches and Religious Groups
- "These Walls Do Talk - Old Churches Tell the History of Lewis county" - article by Nancy Keaton that features several historic church buildings (Claquato Church, St. Urban Catholic Church, Dryad Community Baptist Church, Grace United Methodist Church in Vader, and St. Frances Xavier Mission).
- 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
- Episcopal: 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.
- The Archdiocese of Seattle Archives and Records Management office maintains Catholic sacramental and academic records. Joshua Zimmerman, Archivist, provided the following information: "Catholic sacramental records have been a rich source for researchers in the past. We are hoping to expand some of the resources that we offer genealogists. For instance, we have an inventory to our sacramental records (i.e. what registers we have) as well as a name index for our early sacramental records. These early registers contain sacraments of Native Americans in the area. Our records are only of parishes in Western Washington and we don't have all the registers. Some are still located at the parishes, but we can get genealogists where they want to go if they drop us a line."
Genealogy Forums for Lewis County
- Lewis Co., GenWeb queries - place your Lewis County Query here, or read previously-posted queries.
- WALEWIS-L mailing list archives - Rootsweb is discontinuing support for all Mailing Lists as of March 2020. Past messages will be still be searchable via the archives.
- The Lewis County, WA Genealogy Forum is a bulletin-board system hosted by GenForum (in partnership with FamilyTreeMaker) (No longer maintained; most recent post is from 2012.).
- Ancestry Message Board - Lewis Co., WA - view queries, obituaries, bible records and other data posted by Lewis Co. researchers.
Maps, Gazetteers and Civic Information
- The 1895 Rand U.S. Atlas - Lewis Co., WA.
- "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 Communities: A collection of maps put together by the Lewis County Government.
- 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.
- 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.
- Governor's Office of Indian Affairs (Washington state)
- Background and History of the Cowlitz Tribe - written by Rudolph C. Ryser (Cowlitz) for the Center for World Indigenous Studies.
- "The Dispossessed: The Cowlitz Indians in Cowlitz Corridor - written by Judith W. Irwin, and published in Columbia journal, Summer 1994. This PDF is posted on the Center for World Indigenous Studies website.
- 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
Facebook page Published weekly, on Wednesdays. Serves eastern Lewis County, including Morton, Mineral, Glenoma, Packwood, Randle, and Mossyrock.The Daily Chronicle
Centralia Office
321 N. Pearl St.
Centralia, WA 98531-4323
(360) 736-331Serves the Twin Cities (Centralia and Chehalis) and surrounding communities.
-
The East Lewis County Journal
- 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.
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).
- Hotels in Lewis County (1920) - listings from The Official Hotel Red Book, 1920 Edition.
- 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.
- Mining Industry in Lewis County - a listing of resources related to the mining industry, and listing of known mines in Lewis County.
- 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.]