King County, Washington Records
King County, Washington (Map It) was created on December 22, 1852 from Thurston County. The county was named in honor of William R. King (1786–1853), U.S. Vice President under Franklin Pierce; officially renamed in 1986 after Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968). The first settlements in the county were the donation land claims of Luther Collins, Henry Van Asselt, and Jacob Maple in September of 1851 in the Duwamish Valley area of present day Seattle. This settlement was followed in November by one led by David Denny and Leander Terry at Alki Pont. The next year the Denny-Terry settlers moved to a better location for loading lumber on the east side of Elliott Bay and named the settlement Seattle after the friendly chief of the Duwamish Indians. The next year Henry Yesler set up the first steam sawmill on Puget Sound. .
King County is bordered by Snohomish County (north), Chelan County (northeast), Kittitas County (southeast), Pierce County (south), Kitsap County (west).
King County Cities and Towns include Ames Lake, Baring, Bryn Mawr-Skyway, Cascade-Fairwood, Cottage Lake, East Hill-Meridian, East Renton Highlands, Eastgate, Fall City, Hobart, Inglewood-Finn Hill, Kingsgate, Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Lake Morton-Berrydale, Lakeland North, Lakeland South, Maple Heights-Lake Desire, Mirrormont, Ravensdale, Riverbend, Riverton-Boulevard Park, Tanner, Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Vashon, West Lake Sammamish, White Center..
A Map of King County, Washington contains detailed information about roads and boundaries, these maps may include rural communities, churches, and cemeteries.
King County, Washington Courthouse Records
King County, WA Courthouse
The King County Courthouse is located in Seattle, Washington. 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 King 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.
- King County Recorder's has Birth and Death Records from 1891 to 1907, Marriage Records from 1866 and Land Records from 1853 . 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.
- King County Clerk has Court Records from 1854 and Probate Records from 1864. 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.
- King 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 Seattle & King County Health Department can issue Birth, Marriage and Death certificates while you wait.
King County, Washington Census Records
- Learn More: State of Washington Census Records
- U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragmented), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
- State and Territorial Population Schedules: 1857-1892
- U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules: 1860, 1870 and 1880
- Selected U.S. Federal Census Agriculture Schedules: 1860, 1870 and 1880
- Selected U.S. Federal Census Industry Schedules: 1860, 1870 and 1880
- Union Veterans Schedules: 1890
King 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:Â Washington Department of Health
- Vital Records Online:Â USAVital or Social Security Death Index
- Vital Records by Mail: Birth / Death Certificate or the Marriage / Divorce Certificate Applications.
- In Person:Â Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health, 101 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501
King County, Washington Resources
- King County Archives
- Seattle City Municipal Archives
- Puget Sound Regional Branch
- Pacific Alaska Region - Seattle
- Ballard Historical Society
- Black Diamond Historical Society
- Des Moines Historical Society
- Duvall Historical Society
- Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society, 1837 Marion St., PO Box 1087, Enumclaw, WA 98022. Phone 360-825-4028
- Highline Historical Society
- Historical Society of Seattle & King County
- Issaquah Historical Society
- Kent Historical Society and Museum
- Mercer Island Historical Society
- Newcastle Historical Society, 7331 Lakemount Blvd SE, Issaquah, WA 98027, Phone 425-255-6996
- Pacific Northwest Historians Guild
- Queen Anne Historical Society
- Rainier Valley Historical Society
- Redmond Historical Society
- Renton Historical Society
- Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society
- White River Valley Historical Society
- Association of King County Historical Organization (Woodinville Heritage Society
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
- Historic Seattle
- Maple Valley Historical Museum, 23015 SE 216th Way, PO Box 123, Maple Valley, WA 98038
- Shoreline Historical Museum
- Family History Centers
- Auburn Washington, 625 M Street NE, Auburn, WA, Phone 253-735-2009.
- Bellevue Washington, 10675 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA, Phone 425-454-2690.
- Bellevue Washington South, 4200 124th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, Phone 425-562-0361.
- Federal Way Washington, 34815 Weyerhaeuser Way South, Federal Way, WA. Phone 253-874-3803.
- Kirkland Washington, 7910 NE 32nd St, Kirkland, WA. Phone 425-821-3939.
- Maple Valley Washington, 26800 236th Place SE, Maple Valley, WA. Phone 425-413-7566.
- North Bend Washington, 527 Mountain Side Blvd., North Bend, WA. Phone 425-888-1098.
- Redmond Washington, 10115 172nd Ave NE, Redmond, WA. Phone 425-861-9273.
- Seattle Washington, 14022 Ambaum Blvd SW, Seattle, WA. Phone 206-444-6017.
- Seattle Washington North, 5701 8th Ave NE, Seattle, WA. Phone 206-522-1233.
- Tiffany Park Washington, 8220 S. 126th St., Seattle, King, WA. Phone 425-207-0092
- Vashon Washington, 9330 S.W. 204th St, Vashon, WA. Phone 206-463-1863.
- Puget Sound Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogist
- King County, Washington Message Boards
- King County, Washington Genealogy Forum
- Washington State Digital Archives
King County, Washington External Links
- Washington Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
- Historical Newspapers from Washington (1890 - 1984)
- King County, Washington Books - Amazon
- King County Delayed Births, 1941-1942
- King County Probate Records, 1854-1927
- U.S. Bureau of the Census, Seattle Regional Office Reference Center
- King Co., Washington - FindaGrave
- About King County and its government
- A Volume of memoirs and genealogy of representative citizens of the city of Seattle and county of King, Washington : including
- History of Seattle, Washington : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers
- Seattle memories
- King County, Washington Links - Cyndi's List
- King Co. WAGenweb
- King County, Washington Ancestry Database Collections
- Seattle, Passenger Lists, 1890-1957
- Seattle Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957
- King County, Washington Military Records
- Washington, Postmaster Indexes, Prior to 1965
- Seattle, Washington City Directories, 1888-90
- Washington gazetteer and business directory : 1901-1902.
