Orchards, Washington Genealogy Records
Orchards is an unincorporated community in Clark County, and genealogy records for the area are maintained through Clark County government offices rather than a separate city clerk. If you are searching for birth, death, marriage, land, or court records tied to Orchards, your main access points are the Clark County Auditor, the Clark County Clerk, and the Washington State Digital Archives. This guide walks through each source and explains how to use them for family history research.
Orchards Overview
Genealogy Records for Orchards Residents
Because Orchards is unincorporated, there is no city government maintaining separate municipal records. All public records for the Orchards area flow through Clark County. The county was created in 1844 as one of Oregon Territory's original counties, which means its records go back further than almost any other Washington county. Researchers working on Orchards family lines will find a rich set of county-level documents dating to the mid-1800s.
The Clark County Auditor holds birth records from 1891-1907, marriage records from 1890 to the present, and land records from 1850. The County Clerk maintains divorce, probate, and court records from 1890. Land records actually date from 1850, though records prior to the courthouse fire of February 25, 1890, are limited. That fire destroyed probate records, Superior and District court records, and records of several other offices. Auditor records survived, so vital and land records from the pre-fire era are largely intact.
The Clark County website at clark.wa.gov is the starting point for most record requests. From there you can reach the Auditor, Clerk, and other offices that hold genealogical materials.
Clark County Auditor Vital Records
The Clark County Auditor's Office is located at 1300 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor, Vancouver, WA 98666, and can be reached at (360) 397-2243. The auditor issues marriage licenses and keeps marriage records from 1890 to the present. Birth records from 1891-1907 are also on file here. Certified copies of birth records cost $20.00. Marriage record certified copies cost $3.00, and plain photocopies are $1.00 each.
For birth records from 1908 through 1920, researchers need to contact the Washington State Vital Records Office rather than the county. For births from 1921 to the present, contact the Clark County Center for Community Health at clark.wa.gov/public-health/vital-records, located at 1601 E Fourth Plain Blvd., 3rd Floor, PO Box 9825, Vancouver, WA 98666. That office issues birth certificates from 1921 forward and death certificates from 1999 through 2008. Certified copies from that office are also $20.00.
The auditor's office accepts mail orders and provides online search capabilities for recorded documents. Online searches are most useful for recent land and marriage records; older records require a direct request.
Note: Marriage records for Clark County in the Washington State Digital Archives go all the way back to 1843, making this one of the oldest marriage collections in Washington State.
Clark County Records in the Digital Archives
The Washington State Digital Archives hosts several free Clark County collections that are especially valuable for Orchards family history research. You can search and view images online at no cost.
The Clark County Auditor Marriage Records collection at digitalarchives.wa.gov covers 1843 to the present. This is one of the most comprehensive county marriage collections in the state. The database is searchable by bride and groom names, marriage year range, and Soundex. Images of original documents are viewable unless restricted information is present. After December 6, 2012, the records use the terms Person A and Person B instead of Groom and Bride.
The Clark County Auditor Birth Register collection covers 1891-1907. For best results when searching this collection, use parents' names rather than the child's name. The mother's last name will appear as her maiden name. Birth records prior to 1891 are rare, and records for births after 1907 move to state-level registration through the Department of Health.
Land records, professional license records, and other county auditor materials are also available through the Digital Archives. The Clark County collection includes Recorded Land Records from 1998 forward and Professional License Records from 1998 forward. For earlier land records dating to 1878, visit the Clark County Recorder's Office directly, as the courthouse fire of 1890 created some gaps in that collection.
The Digital Archives also contains Vancouver Police Department Photographs of Criminals covering 1896-1940, which can be a useful and unusual resource for certain family history cases.
Clark County Genealogy Collections Online
The Clark County government website at clark.wa.gov provides the main entry point for public records and auditor services serving the Orchards area.
From the Clark County site, you can access auditor record search tools, public records request forms, and links to county departments. The Orchards community falls under standard Clark County jurisdiction for all public records purposes.
The Washington State Digital Archives also holds a valuable digitized collection for Clark County. The screenshot below shows the marriage records collection, which begins in 1843 and is one of the oldest such collections in Washington.
This collection is fully searchable online at no charge. Researchers tracing Orchards family lines will find this database especially useful for locating ancestors who were married in Clark County before statewide record-keeping began.
Additional Digital Archives collections for Clark County can be found at the link below. The birth register collection from 1891-1907 is shown here as an example of the pre-statewide registration records available.
This birth register collection was digitized by the Northwest Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives and is indexed by both parents' names and the child's name.
Local Genealogical Resources Near Orchards
The Clark County Genealogical Society, located at PO Box 2728, Vancouver, WA 98668-2728, maintains local genealogy collections and assists researchers with Clark County family history. The society holds materials not found in government archives, including cemetery transcriptions, obituary indexes, and compiled family histories. Local societies are often the best place to find records for smaller communities like Orchards that don't have their own government archives.
The Washington State Archives operates a Southwest Regional Branch in Olympia that serves Clark County. The branch holds records not yet digitized, including early court case files, probate records, and naturalization documents. Staff can be contacted for research assistance before you make the trip. The FamilySearch Wiki for Clark County lists all known record collections and provides direct links to online databases, microfilm inventories, and local research facilities.
The Washington Rural Heritage program, managed by the Washington State Library, includes digitized photographs, local newspapers, and community documents from Clark County institutions. Browsing by county or community can turn up records specific to the Orchards area.
Note: The Washington State Genealogical Society maintains a statewide directory of local societies and research guides that can help you locate additional resources for Clark County research.
Statewide Genealogy Resources for Orchards Research
Washington State provides several free statewide resources useful for any Orchards genealogy project. The Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov offers over 200 million records from state and local governments. You can search birth registers from 1891-1907, marriage records, land records, probate files, school censuses, military records, and naturalization documents without paying a fee.
The Washington State Department of Health at doh.wa.gov is the statewide custodian of vital records from July 1, 1907 forward. Birth and death certificates from that date are available for a fee of $20-$25. Marriage and divorce certificates from January 1, 1968 forward are also held at the state level. For earlier records, the DOH directs researchers to county auditors or the Washington State Archives.
The Legacy Washington genealogy gateway at sos.wa.gov/legacy/genealogy.aspx links to the combined resources of the Washington State Archives and State Library. Key databases accessible from that page include the Birth Records Index (1907-1929), Death Records Index (1907-2000), Marriage Records Index (1968-2004), and Divorce Records Index (1968-1999). City and county directories, school censuses, and pioneer certificate files are also listed there.
The Washington State Library genealogy guides cover vital records, newspapers, city directories, military records, and territorial censuses. The library's Northwest Microfilm collection holds county birth and death registers for the pre-1907 period, including Clark County materials.
Clark County Genealogy Records
Orchards is part of Clark County, and all vital, land, court, and probate records for the area are held by Clark County offices. For full details on record availability, courthouse locations, and online search tools, visit the Clark County genealogy records page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are located near Orchards and file records through their respective county offices.