Archives, Libraries, and Societies

Cowlitz County Records

The Cowlitz County Auditor's Office has the following records available for genealogists:

Death records: July 23, 1891 through March 17, 1907.
Birth records: June 4, 1891 through May 1, 1907.
Marriage records: 1867 - present
Land Documents from late 1800's

Additional records are also available - see their website for details, location, and fees.

The Cowlitz County Health Department has birth records from 1936-present, and death records from 1992-present. Please see their website for information on ordering records.

Birth certificates (1907-present), Death certificates (1907-present) and Marriage certificates (1968-present) are also available from the Washington State Dept. of Health. See their website for ordering information.

Probate records are held by the Cowlity County Superior Court Clerk's Office. Please see their website for contact information to inquire about specific records.

Cowlitz County Auditor's Office Administration Building 207 4th Ave. N. Kelso, WA 98626 Tel: 360-577-3002 Toll Free: 1-877-400-7687	Cowlitz County Vital Records 1952 9th Ave Longview, WA 98632 Phone: 360-414-5599
Cowlity County Clerk's Office Hall of Justice, Room 233 312 S.W. First Avenue Kelso, WA 98626 (360)577-3016	Cowlitz County Historical Society/Museum 405 Allen St. Kelso, WA 98626 (360) 577-3119
Lower Columbia Genealogical Society Post Office Box 472 Longview, WA 98632	Castle Rock Visitor's Center 147 Front Ave Castle Rock WA 98611 (360) 274-6603 Castle Rock's Historical Museum - "a valuable resource for anyone wondering abour Castle Rock" (from Rita Cobb Balch) [The link takes you to the Online Highways site for the Visitor's Center.]
Castle Rock Library 309 W. Cowlitz Castle Rock, WA 98611 (360) 274-6961	Kalama Library 312 N. 1st St. Kalama, WA 98625 (360) 673-4568
Kelso Public Library 314 Academy St. Kelso, WA 98626 (360) 423-8110	Longview Public Library 1600 Louisiana Longview, WA 98632 (360) 577-3380
Family History Center--Longview Ward 1721 30th Ave. Longview, WA 98632-3404 (360) 577-8234 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

The National Archives-Pacific NW Branch
6125 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98115
TELEPHONE: 206-526-6501
FAX: 206-526-6575
Email: seattle.archives@nara.gov
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).
The Washington State Genealogical Society has an excellent Resource Guide for Cowlitz County (this link will open up a PDF file).
The Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Reading Room is another excellent genealogy collection; some resources, including a Ships and Shipping databases, and archived obituaries, are already online!
The Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society has an excellent, detailed listing of resources for research in the greater Puget Sound area.
Were you a patient at St. John's Hospital, Cowlitz General, or Monticello Medical, all in Longview? Did you know you can obtain copies of your records? To learn more, go HERE.

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Biographies, Genealogies and Local History

Visit the Cowlitz County Biographies - part of the Cowlitz Co. GenWeb project.
Cowlitz County Family Genealogies and Photos - part of the Cowlitz Co. GenWeb project.
"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.
Kelso Letters - 1888 - written by May Sturgess. Posted on the American Local History Network.
A list of Victims of the 1980 Mt. St. Helens Eruption, some with genealogical details, can be found at this site.
Another article on the Mt. St. Helens eruption, writte for HistoryLink.org.
"1914 Clatsop County, Oregon, Voters Born in Finland Who Were Naturalized or Declared Their Intent in Other Counties" - even though this list applies to Clatsop Co., OR, there are a number of Finnish immigrants listed here who were either naturalized in, or declared their intent to naturalize in Cowlitz 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 Yacolt Burn.
Pioneer Galloway Families in the Pacific Northwest, compiled by Clyde Senger.
Hughes-Bemis & Evans-Thor(e)son Families - Roger Hughes's family database, including many Cowlitz/Castle Rock/etc. family connections. Relevant surnames include, but are not limited to: Bemis, Miller, Davidson, Dykeman, Peabody, Shintaffer, Royer.
"Huntington Family in the Pacific Northwest" - Huntington genealogy from Julie Kidd.
Harlan Pittelkau maintains The Pittelkau Family Page, including the history of Pittelkaus who settled in Cowlitz Co.
The following Cowlitz County-related surnames are found at sites containing on-line gedcoms: Bray, Conradi, Crouse, Dyck, Graves/Fraser descendants, Rulifson, Runyan, Titus Descendants.
Cowlitz County Historic Bridges: Photos of the Longview and Yale Bridges. Not exactly genealogy-related, but an interesting diversion (especially if your ancestor helped build these bridges!)

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Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, and Obituaries

Cowlitz View Memorial Park
1535 Mt. Brynion Road, Kelso, WA 98626 (cemetery location)
PO Box 7, Kelso, WA 98626 (mailing address)
phone: 360-577-6080
Green Hills Memorial Gardens
1939 Mt. Brynion Road, Kelso, WA 98626
phone: 360-636-0540
Longview Memorial Park
5050 Mt. Solo Road, Longview, WA 98632 (cemetery location)
PO Box 217, Longview, WA 98632 (mailing address)
phone: 360-423-6090
Cowlitz Co. Cemetery District No. 2
(Woodland-area cemeteries)
PO Box 673, Woodland, WA 98674
Cowlitz County Cemetery Records posted on this website.
Cowlitz County Cemeteries - comprehensive listing on the US GenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project site. Some cemetery transcription are available online.
Additional cemetery transcriptions for Cowlitz County are available at Interment.Net - cemeteries listed include Hubbard, IOOF (Castle Rock), Jackson, Meadowview, Oak Point, Smith-Tucker, Tower Road, Tower Township and Whittle.
Associated Catholic Cemeteries now has a SEARCHABLE database of people buried in their cemeteries. (Please note that in order to search their database, you must provide your name and email address.) They also maintain a list of Archdiocesean and parish cemeteries in Western Washington, including Cowlitz County.
If a political figure is buried in Cowlitz County, then he or she will be listed in Political Graveyard - Cowlitz Co..
FuneralNet has a listing of 20,000 funeral homes across the U.S. Search this page to find funeral homes in Cowlitz 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 some Cowlitz County entries.

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Churches and Religious Groups

The Pioneer History of Churches in Cowlitz Co., Washington includes information on early Cowlitz Co. settlers and pictures of early churches.
The Episcopal Church of Western Washington, Olympia Diocese maintains a complete list of Episcopal congregations Washington, including Cowlitz County.
For Catholic parishes in Cowlitz County and Western Washington, search the Western Washington Archdiocese database.
For Catholic church history in Cowlitz Co., check "Local Catholic Church History and Catholic Ancestors.

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Genealogy Forums for Cowlitz County

Cowlitz Co., GenWeb queries - place your Cowlitz County Query here, or read previously-posted queries.
Join the WACOWLIT-L email discussion list for Cowlitz County genealogy - for more information, check this page.
The Cowlitz County, WA Genealogy Forum is a bulletin-board system hosted by GenForum (in partnership with FamilyTreeMaker).
Cowlitz Co., WA Message Board - hosted by Ancestry, Inc.

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Native American links

Cowlitz 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 Tribal Information - check the Tribal Directy (PDF file) for information on the Cowlitz tribe, and other Washington-area tribes.
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/Cowlitz County area.

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Newspapers and Publications

The Longview Daily News is the online version of its newspaper which serves Longview and Cowlitz County (access to obituaries now requires a paid subscription).
Learn more about Cowlitz County from The Daily News' "Welcome Magazine."
Washington Online Highway's site for Cowlitz County.

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