Search Spokane County Genealogy Records
Spokane County sits in the eastern part of Washington State and holds one of the largest genealogy record sets in the state outside King County. Over 14,000 birth returns and nearly 300,000 marriage records are freely searchable through the Washington State Digital Archives. The Eastern Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives in Cheney serves as the main repository for Spokane County historical records, covering court filings, naturalization records, probate case files, and county auditor registers going back to 1858. This guide covers the key collections and where to find them, whether you are searching for an immigrant ancestor who settled in Spokane or tracing a family that farmed the Palouse for generations.
Spokane County Overview
Spokane County Vital Records and Archives
Spokane County was formed from part of Walla Walla County in 1858, named after the Spokane Indians. It was briefly dissolved and merged with Stevens County, then recreated in 1879. The county seat is Spokane and the Spokane County Courthouse was completed in 1895. The county auditor has birth and death records from 1890 to 1907, marriage records from 1880, and land records. The county clerk holds divorce, probate, and court records.
The Eastern Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives holds the historical records for Spokane County and serves ten other eastern Washington counties. The branch is on the campus of Eastern Washington University in Cheney, at 960 Washington Street, Cheney, WA 99004. Phone: (509) 235-7508. Email: eabrancharchives@sos.wa.gov. The branch is open for in-person research Wednesdays through Fridays by appointment, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12 to 1 p.m.). There is no charge to view public archival documents.
The Spokane County Recording department at spokanecounty.org handles current land recording, marriage licenses, county business licenses, and other recorded documents. The index of recorded documents is available online. Physical access to all documents, including those not viewable online due to personal identifiers, is available at public computers in the office.
| Spokane County Recording | spokanecounty.org/299/Recording |
|---|---|
| Eastern Regional Branch | 960 Washington St, Cheney, WA 99004 |
| Branch Phone | (509) 235-7508 | eabrancharchives@sos.wa.gov |
| Marriage Records From | 1880 |
| Birth/Death Records | 1890-1907 |
Note: Birth and death records from 1890 to 1907 can be obtained at the Washington State Digital Archives; copies of documents are also available through the Recording department.
Spokane County Birth and Death Records Online
The Spokane County Auditor Birth Returns, 1890-1907 contain 14,243 records. This is one of the largest county birth record collections in the Washington State Digital Archives. The records were filmed and indexed by Eastern Regional Branch staff and volunteers from the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society, including Barbara Brazington, Duane Beck, Diane Midkiff, and Charles Hansen of Spokane. The collection was later transcribed and proofread by Eastern Regional Branch staff.
To search effectively, use the parents' last names. You can search by either the full last name or the first letter of the last name. The mother's last name in these records is her maiden name. Because Spokane County recorded births earlier than most Washington counties, starting in 1890, this collection may help you find infants who were born before statewide registration began in 1907.
Lead-in: The Spokane County birth returns database at the Digital Archives holds 14,243 indexed and imaged entries from 1890 through 1907, one of the earliest and largest county birth collections in Washington.
The birth returns were filmed and indexed by Eastern Regional Branch staff and Eastern Washington Genealogical Society volunteers, providing solid coverage for Spokane County families from 1890 to 1907.
Spokane County Marriage Records
The Spokane County Auditor Marriage Records, 1880 to present is one of the most comprehensive county marriage databases in Washington State. The collection contains 298,988 records. That is a large number, and it reflects both the county's size and the fact that marriage records here go back to 1880. The database includes marriage applications, licenses, returns, and certificates.
How the records got into the Digital Archives reflects decades of work. Copies of marriage certificates from 1880 to 1974 and marriage returns from 1891 to 1907 were digitized, indexed, and submitted by the Eastern Regional Branch from their Spokane County Auditor holdings. For the more recent period, electronic copies of marriage applications and certificates from 1974 to the present were transferred directly from the Spokane County Auditor, who sends newly recorded documents to the Digital Archives monthly. The indexing was done by Eastern Regional Branch staff, Eastern Washington University interns, and Eastern Washington Genealogy Society volunteers.
Lead-in: The Spokane County marriage records database holds nearly 300,000 records from 1880 to the present, making it one of the most complete county marriage collections available anywhere in Washington State.
The 298,988 records in this collection span from 1880 to the present day and are updated monthly by the Spokane County Auditor through direct transfers to the Digital Archives.
Eastern Washington Genealogical Society
The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society is an active local organization based in Spokane at PO Box 1826, Spokane, WA 99210-1826. The society played a direct role in indexing both the Spokane County birth returns and the marriage records now held in the Digital Archives. Members of the society were credited by name in the collection metadata for their indexing and transcription work.
The society continues to support genealogy research in the Spokane area and across eastern Washington. For researchers working on Spokane County family history, the society can point you to specialized resources, volunteer lookups, and local knowledge that state-level archives do not always provide. Contacting the society is worth doing if you have run into a dead end in the standard records.
The FamilySearch wiki for Spokane County lists the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society as a key local resource. The wiki also notes that the Spokane County Auditor has indexed all land records for the county and the index is available online. Original records are at the Eastern Washington State Archives in Cheney; computer copies at the courthouse can be obtained for a dollar per page.
Land, Probate, and Court Records
The Spokane County Auditor holds an indexed set of all land records for the county, available online. This includes deeds, plats, surveys, and other recorded documents. The original records are at the Eastern Washington State Archives in Cheney. Copies are available at the courthouse for a dollar per page. Documents recorded prior to June 3, 1996 have a ten-digit recording number plus volume and page. Documents after that date have a seven-digit number only.
The county clerk holds divorce records, probate case files, and court records. Probate files are often among the richest genealogy sources in any county because they name heirs, describe assets, and spell out family relationships with legal precision. The Eastern Regional Branch holds older probate case files and court records transferred from the county clerk's office over the years.
Naturalization records for Spokane County are also held at the Eastern Regional Branch. Spokane was a major destination for immigrants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the naturalization filings can include birthplace, date of arrival, and the names of witnesses who knew the applicant. These records are a key resource for researchers with immigrant ancestors who settled in Spokane County.
Lead-in: The Spokane County Recording department provides online access to the land record index and holds current documents for the county auditor.
The county recording office makes the land record index available online, while original documents from before 1996 can be accessed at the Eastern Washington State Archives in Cheney.
Cities in Spokane County
Spokane County covers the eastern Washington area around the city of Spokane. Both the city and its eastern neighbor are major communities with their own genealogy research resources.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Spokane County. Families who farmed the Palouse or worked the timber land near the county edges may have records filed in multiple county archives.