Grays Harbor County, Washington Records

Grays Harbor County, Washington (Map It) was created on March 15, 1915 from Thurston County. The county was named in honor of Grays Harbor, a body of water named after explorer and merchant Robert Gray (1755–1806). The county was permanently settled in 1859 around Hoquiam, while Aberdeen was settled in 1861 by Scotsmen who set up a packing plant financed in part by investors from Aberdeen Scotland. The great stands of timber in the county made logging, milling and timber exporting the main economic activities of the county, and today wood products, fishing, agriculture and tourism are of primary importance. .

Grays Harbor County is bordered by Jefferson County (north), Mason County (northeast), Thurston County (southeast), Lewis County (southeast), Pacific County (south).

Grays Harbor County Cities and Towns include Aberdeen, Aberdeen Gardens, Brady, Central Park, Chehalis Village, Cohassett Beach, Copalis Beach, Cosmopolis, Elma, Grayland, Hoquiam, Humptulips, Junction City, Malone-Porter, Markham, McCleary, Moclips, Montesano, Neilton, Oakville, Ocean City, Ocean Shores, Oyehut-Hogans Corner, Satsop, Taholah, Westport.

A Map of Grays Harbor County, Washington contains detailed information about roads and boundaries, these maps may include rural communities, churches, and cemeteries.

Grays Harbor County, Washington Courthouse Records

The Grays Harbor County Courthouse is located in Montesano, Washington. The county seats have been Bruceport or Bruceville from 1854-1860 and Montesano from 1860-present. Learn More About State of Washington Court, Tax, Land and Probate Records.

The Clerk's Office DOES NOT DO RESEARCH. Most staff will assist people in finding the materials, but it is up to the individual to do the research. Although originally held in the county seat, many county land, probate, and court records have been transferred to the state archive's regional branches.

The Grays Harbor County record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. They may include records of land, estates, taxes, vital records, divorces, naturalizations, voter registration, court records, and so forth.

• Grays Harbor County Auditor has Birth and Death Records from 1891 to 1907, Marriage Records from 1855 and Land Records from 1855. The County Auditor has many responsibilities which include the recording of real property documents such as deeds and other recorded documents, issuing various licenses such as marriage liscense.
• Grays Harbor County Clerk has Court Records from 1857 and Probate Records from 1884. The County Clerk is the administrator of the Superior Court Clerk's Office. The Clerk's Office is responsible for keeping the permanent records of all cases filed in Superior Court. The type of cases filed are felony criminal cases, civil lawsuits, petitions for protection from domestic violence, family law matters (dissolutions 3rd Party Custody, parenting plans, modifications) probates, guardianships, Last Will & Testaments, paternities, adoptions and mental commitments. For judicial purposes, many of the Washington counties were attached to other counties.
• Grays Harbor County Treasurer is the property tax collector for the County. Property Taxes are levied on the property by the various taxing authorities based on the valuation and current property usage as set by the Assessor's Office.
• The Grays Harbor County Health Department can issue Birth, Marriage and Death certificates while you wait.

Grays Harbor County, Washington Census Records

• Learn More: State of Washington Census Records
• U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1920, 1930, 1940

Grays Harbor County, Washington Vital Records

• Learn More: State of Washington Vital Records
• Birth and Death Records: from July 1, 1907 to present.
• Marriage and Divorce Records: from January 1, 1968 to present
• Locations: Washington Department of Health
• Vital Records Online: USAVital or Social Security Death Index
• Vital Records by Mail:  Birth / Death Certificate or the Marriage / Divorce Certificate Applications.
• In Person:  Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health, 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501

Grays Harbor County, Washington Resources

• Grays Harbor Genealogy Society
• North Beach Genealogical Society, PO Box 2007, Ocean Shores, WA 98569
• Polson Park & Museum Historical Society, 1611 Riverside Ave, PO Box 432, Hoquiam, WA 98550. Phone 360-533-5862.
• Washington State Archives, Southwest Regional Branch
• Grays Harbor County, Washington Message Boards
• Grays Harbor County, Washington Genealogy Forum
• Washington State Digital Archives

Grays Harbor County, Washington External Links

• Washington Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
• Historical Newspapers from Washington (1890 - 1984)
• Grays Harbor County, Washington Books - Amazon
• Grays Harbor Co., Washington - FindaGrave
• Grays Harbor County, Washington Links - Cyndi's List
• Grays Harbor Co. WAGenweb
• Grays Harbor County, Washington Ancestry Database Collections
• Grays Harbor County, Washington Military Records
• Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965
• Washington gazetteer and business directory : 1901-1902.