Vancouver, Washington Genealogy Records
Vancouver is one of the oldest cities in Washington and holds some of the richest genealogy records in the state. Whether you are tracing births, marriages, deaths, or land ownership, most records for Vancouver families run through Clark County. This page covers the main record sources, how to access them online and in person, and what to expect when you dig into Vancouver family history research.
Vancouver Overview
Clark County Auditor Records
The Clark County Auditor is the primary keeper of vital records for Vancouver genealogy research. The auditor's office at 1300 Franklin, 2nd Floor, Vancouver, WA 98666 can be reached at (360) 397-2243. The office maintains marriage records from 1890 forward and birth records from 1895 to 1907. Marriage certificates cost $3.00 for certified copies, while birth record copies cost $20.00 each. You can also request records by mail if you cannot come in person.
Clark County has marriage records going back to 1843, making it one of the longest-running collections in Washington. That depth reflects Vancouver's age as a settlement. The Clark County Auditor website has contact details and guidance on how to request copies of vital records online and by mail.
| Office | Clark County Auditor |
|---|---|
| Address | 1300 Franklin, 2nd Floor PO Box 5000 Vancouver, WA 98666 |
| Phone | (360) 397-2243 |
| Marriage Records | 1890 to present |
| Birth Records | 1895 to 1907 |
For births from 1908 to 1920, you need the Washington State Vital Records Office. For births from 1921 forward, contact the Clark County Center for Community Health at 1601 E Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98666. These are separate offices with different access rules, so knowing which date range applies to your ancestor saves time.
Vancouver Records in the Digital Archives
The Washington State Digital Archives holds several digitized Clark County collections that cover Vancouver families. These are free to search online and include images of original documents. Two key collections stand out for Vancouver genealogy research.
The Clark County Auditor Marriage Records, 1843 to present is one of the oldest and largest marriage collections in the state. You can search by the names of both parties, marriage year, and Soundex options. Images of original documents are viewable unless they contain restricted information. Given Vancouver's founding in the mid-1800s, this collection captures marriages from the earliest settlement period.
The Clark County Digital Archives page at the Washington State Digital Archives covers both the marriage records and the birth register collection. Researchers can browse by collection title or search across all Clark County holdings at once. The system works well for name searches even when spelling varies.
The city of Vancouver maintains its own website at cityofvancouver.us, where the City Clerk handles public records requests for municipal records including city council minutes, ordinances, and resolutions. Vancouver was incorporated in 1857, so the city's own records span a long period. The clerk's office processes requests under the Washington Public Records Act.
The screen below is from the City of Vancouver's official website, where you can submit public records requests to the City Clerk for municipal genealogy documents.
The city clerk's office is a good starting point for records tied to city government, property permits, and local administration that predate or supplement county filings.
Birth and Death Records for Vancouver
A 1890 courthouse fire destroyed probate records, court records, and sheriff's records for Clark County. The auditor's records survived. Birth and death records for Vancouver genealogy research begin around 1890 in the surviving county collections. Before 1891, statewide registration did not exist in an organized form.
For deaths since 1999, the Clark County Center for Community Health issues death certificates. For deaths before 1999 but after July 1907, you need the Washington State Vital Records Office. For deaths before July 1907, the County Auditor holds the registers. That office at clark.wa.gov/public-health/vital-records is on the 3rd Floor at 1601 E Fourth Plain Blvd., PO Box 9825, Vancouver, WA 98666-8825. Certified copies cost $20.00.
The Washington State Digital Archives has digitized the Clark County Auditor Birth Register from 1891 to 1907. The collection at digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/2397 includes both an index and images of original documents. When searching for a birth, use the parents' names rather than the child's name for the best results. The mother's last name in these records is her maiden name.
The screen below shows the Washington State Digital Archives collection for Clark County records, which includes birth register entries relevant to Vancouver genealogy.
These digitized records are freely accessible online and can save a trip to the county courthouse if the record you need falls within the digitized date range.
Vancouver Marriage Records
Clark County marriage records are among the oldest in Washington. The collection at the Washington State Digital Archives begins in 1843 and runs to the present. That starting date reflects the region's history as part of the Oregon Territory before Washington Territory was created in 1853. If your ancestors settled in or around Vancouver before Washington became a territory, their marriage records may still be in this collection.
The Clark County Auditor Marriage Records at the Digital Archives are fully searchable online. You can search by the names of either party, the marriage year range, and Soundex options. For marriages after December 6, 2012, the system uses Person A and Person B rather than bride and groom. Images of original records are viewable for most entries.
For certified copies of marriage records, the Clark County Auditor charges $3.00 for a certified copy and $1.00 for a photocopy. You can request copies in person, by mail, or through the auditor's online request form. The auditor's office also accepts mail orders, so you don't have to travel to Vancouver to get a copy if you know the case details.
Note: Marriage records from January 1968 forward are also held at the state level by the Washington State Department of Health Vital Records office.
Clark County Genealogical Society
The Clark County Genealogical Society, located at PO Box 2728, Vancouver, WA 98668-2728, assists researchers with local family history. The society maintains collections of local genealogical materials including cemetery records, obituaries, and compiled family histories. These materials often fill gaps left by official county records.
The society's website is at clarkgenealogy.org. Members and staff are knowledgeable about Clark County sources and can point you toward records specific to Vancouver neighborhoods, churches, and cemeteries. Local society collections are often the only place to find information about families who lived outside the formal record-keeping system or whose records were lost in the 1890 courthouse fire.
Local genealogical societies are valuable precisely because they collect what official offices don't keep. Cemetery transcriptions, newspaper clippings, school records, and church registers from the Vancouver area can all help fill in gaps left by the county's official vital records.
The FamilySearch wiki for Clark County, Washington Genealogy lists additional online resources including Vancouver Police Department Photographs of Criminals from 1896 to 1940, Recorded Land Records from 1998 forward, and Professional License Records from 1998 forward. All of these are available at the Washington State Digital Archives at no cost.
The image below is from a separate Washington State Digital Archives Clark County collection that covers Vancouver-area records.
The Digital Archives allows you to search by name across multiple Clark County collections at once, which makes it efficient when you aren't sure which record type to look in first.
Land and Property Records
Land records are one of the most useful tools in genealogy research. They can help you place an ancestor in a location, identify neighbors who may be relatives, and track family movements over time. For Vancouver, land records begin in 1850 at the Clark County Auditor. The 1890 courthouse fire destroyed some land documents, but the Recorder's Office has deeds and county plat maps going back to 1878 from surviving records.
Online access to Clark County land records is available through the Washington State Digital Archives. The collection of Recorded Land Records from 1998 forward is fully searchable at no cost. For older land records before 1998, you will need to visit the Clark County offices or contact the Washington State Archives. The Clark County website at clark.wa.gov has information on how to request records from the Auditor and Recorder.
Land records for genealogy research go beyond simple property ownership. Deeds often name spouses, identify relationships between buyer and seller, and describe the land with enough detail to locate exactly where a family lived. Mortgage records, liens, and plats can also help reconstruct a family's financial history and property movements across generations in the Vancouver area.
Clark County Genealogy Records
Vancouver is the county seat of Clark County. All vital records, land records, and court records for the city go through the Clark County system. The county page has more detail on every record type, contact information for county offices, and links to digital archives collections that cover the entire county.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near Vancouver. Each one files genealogy records through its own county system.