Kittitas County Genealogy Records

Kittitas County genealogy research draws on records held by the County Auditor, the County Clerk, the Washington State Archives Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg, and local historical societies. Birth returns, death records, and marriage licenses from the late 1800s are available in the state's Digital Archives, and the WAGenWeb site offers guides to help you navigate each source. Whether you need a copy of a marriage certificate from 1884, a birth record from 1897, or a probate file from the 1890s, the offices and archives in and around Ellensburg can point you to the right collection. This page lays out what records exist, where they are held, and how to reach each office or database.

Kittitas County Auditor Records

The Kittitas County Auditor holds several key genealogy record groups. Birth and death records run from 1891 to 1907, which was the period before Washington State took over vital registration. Marriage records go back to 1884. Land records start in 1882. All of these are at the auditor's office in Ellensburg, and many have been digitized through the Washington State Archives.

Kittitas County was formed from Yakima County on November 24, 1883. Ellensburg is the county seat. The county covers the central part of the state along the upper Yakima River valley. Because there is no known history of courthouse disasters here, the records are largely intact. That is good news for anyone doing family research in this area.

Note: The auditor holds the original registers. The state archives holds microfilm and digital copies of select collections.

Kittitas County Records Online

The Washington State Archives Digital Archives hosts free searchable collections for Kittitas County. The Kittitas County Auditor Birth Returns, 1891-1907 collection holds 1,342 records. You can search by the parents' last names, which is helpful because the child may not yet have a recorded surname. The mother's last name in these records is her maiden name, so keep that in mind when you search.

Death Records, 1892-1907 from the Kittitas County Auditor hold 294 entries. These were transcribed and proofread by Washington State Archives staff. The database lets you search by the deceased person's name and filter by death year range. Both of these collections were handled by the Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg.

The Birth Returns collection was transcribed and proofread by Emmalie Eckhart of the Washington State Archives. The Death Records database is searchable by person name and Soundex, which helps when spelling is uncertain. Both sets of records are open to the public with no access restrictions.

Marriage records from 1891 to 2005 are also available through the Digital Archives. These were recorded by the Kittitas County Auditor. The search allows you to look up by groom or bride name, with a year range filter. This collection spans well past the 1907 cutoff for birth and death records.

The WAGenWeb Kittitas County vital records guide summarizes what each office holds, with links to online databases and notes on where to order certified copies.

The image below is from the WAGenWeb Kittitas County vital records page, which outlines the record holdings at the auditor and clerk's offices.

WAGenWeb provides a free county-level guide that lists each office, its address, phone number, and what records it holds.

Central Regional Branch Archives

The Washington State Archives Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg serves nine counties including Kittitas. The branch holds birth and death records from the turn of the nineteenth century, marriage records from about 1867 to 1997, naturalization records, and probate records. It also holds pre-statehood county censuses and schoolchildren censuses from roughly 1890 to 1932.

The Central Branch also keeps land records, including patents, deeds, mortgages, tax assessments and rolls, timber cruise ledgers, mining claims, plat books, and water rights records. For legal genealogy research, original civil, criminal, and probate case files from Superior Courts from about 1889 to 1980 are available. These court records can be vital when you need to trace property transfers or understand family legal matters.

Contact the Central Regional Branch at (509) 963-2136 or email cebrancharchives@sos.wa.gov. Staff can help you figure out whether a specific record exists and where it is held.

The image below comes from the Digital Archives collection of Kittitas County birth returns from 1891 to 1907.

These birth returns are fully indexed and searchable by parent names, making them a key starting point for anyone researching Kittitas County families from the late 1800s.

County Clerk and Court Records

The Kittitas County Clerk holds divorce, probate, and civil court records going back to the 1890s. Court records are often overlooked in genealogy research but they contain valuable information. Probate files can list heirs and family members. Divorce case files sometimes include financial declarations and property descriptions. These records are held at the courthouse in Ellensburg.

Probate records are especially useful because they name all heirs and can spell out family relationships in detail. If you are trying to figure out who inherited land or who the children of a given person were, a probate file is often the most direct source. Most Kittitas County probate records from the 1890s onward are held by the County Clerk or have been transferred to the Central Regional Branch archives.

Note: The clerk's office is at the same courthouse address as the auditor, 205 W 5th Ave in Ellensburg. Call (509) 962-7531 to reach the courthouse main line.

Local Historical Societies

Two local historical societies serve Kittitas County researchers. The Northern Kittitas County Historical Society is based in Cle Elum and can be reached at (509) 649-2880. It focuses on the northern end of the county, including the coal mining communities of Roslyn and Ronald. The Cle Elum Historical Society is located at 202 Reed Street in Cle Elum (phone 509-674-5882).

These societies hold photographs, local newspapers, and family history files that are not available in digital form. If your ancestors lived in Cle Elum, Roslyn, or other northern county communities, a visit or a written inquiry to one of these societies may turn up records you cannot find online. They also maintain cemetery indexes and local school records.

The image below is from the Digital Archives collection of Kittitas County death records from 1892 to 1907.

Death records from this period record the name, place, and date of death, along with the cause of death when reported to the county auditor.

FamilySearch and Online Resources

The FamilySearch Wiki for Kittitas County gives a broad overview of what genealogy record types exist and where to find them. It links to the Digital Archives collections for birth returns, marriage records, death records, and land documents. It also notes the county's formation date, the county seat, and the start of statewide vital registration in 1907.

FamilySearch also hosts its own indexed collections for Washington State. Some of these include Kittitas County records that have been extracted from microfilm by volunteers. Check the FamilySearch catalog under "Kittitas County, Washington" to see what is available. Records there may overlap with the Digital Archives, but the FamilySearch interface is different and you might find a record one way that did not surface the other way.

The Washington State Department of Health issues certified birth and death certificates for events from July 1, 1907 forward. The cost is $20 per certificate. Marriage and divorce certificates are also $20 each for events since January 1, 1968. Contact the Department of Health Center for Health Statistics at 101 Israel Rd SE, Tumwater, WA 98501, info line (360) 236-4300.

Note: For births and deaths before July 1, 1907, contact the Kittitas County Auditor or the State Archives Central Regional Branch rather than the Department of Health.

Cities in Kittitas County

Kittitas County includes Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Roslyn, Kittitas, and other communities. None currently have individual city genealogy pages. All genealogy records for these communities are filed through Kittitas County offices.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Kittitas County. If your ancestor's records are not found here, they may have lived in or moved to a neighboring county.