Records that survive
These are the record series in the Oregon State Archives' inventory of Multnomah County's records, with where each is kept now (the State Archives, a county office, or a local museum or library) and the earliest and latest years. A span can include gaps. The county's inventory was taken in October 2012.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Records · State Archives, Multnomah County Central Library, Genealogical Forum of Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, local offices and online1855–1968
- Delayed Birth Records · local offices1865–1977
- Birth Records · local offices1915–1924
- Death Records · local offices1915–1924
Deeds and land
- Deeds and Indexes · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1849–2002
- Mortgage Records · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1849–1972
- Federal Land Grant Records · Oregon Historical Society, local offices and online1850–1957
- Surveyor Field Notes and Plats · local offices and online1850–2003
- Corner Survey Records · local offices1852–1953
- Land Subdivision Records · State Archives, Multnomah County Central Library, Genealogical Forum of Oregon, local offices and online1852–2010
- Foreclosure Records · State Archives, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1855–1931
- Road Maps and Survey Notes · local offices1855–2002
- Mining Claim Records · local offices and online1874–1982
- Land Title Registers · local offices1903–1965
- Water Rights Records · local offices1904–1964
- Tax Lot Cards · local offices1921–2008
Wills and estates
- Probate Case Files · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1850–2011
- Probate Estate Records · State Archives, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1852–1970
- Probate Registers · State Archives, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1852–1986
Naturalization
- Naturalization Declarations of Intention · local offices1852–1920
- Naturalization Petitions and Orders · local offices1854–1934
- Naturalization Certificates · local offices1887–1940
Military and pensions
- Military Records · State Archives, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1889–1972
- Pension and Relief Records · State Archives and local offices1900–1973
Tax records
- Assessment and Tax Rolls · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society, Genealogical Forum of Oregon, local offices and online1859–2011
Census
- Census Records · State Archives, Multnomah County Central Library, Genealogical Forum of Oregon, local offices and online1860–1930
Elections and voters
- Election Poll Books · State Archives, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1848–1966
- Election Voting Abstracts · State Archives and local offices1878–1968
Court records
- Judgment and Execution Records · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1849–1919
- Attachment Records · Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1855–1929
- Circuit Court Case Files · State Archives and local offices1855–1987
- Circuit Court Journals · local offices1855–1982
- Circuit Court Dockets · State Archives and local offices1859–1980
- County Court Judicial Journals · Oregon Historical Society and local offices1859–1934
- Justice Court Dockets · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1859–1971
- Prisoner Registers · State Archives, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1882–1972
- Coroner and Inquest Records · Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1894–1965
- District Court Dockets · local offices1908–1979
- County Court Case Files · local offices1914–1915
- Insane Commitment Records · local offices1917–2010
Schools
- School District Records · Multnomah County Central Library, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1858–1966
- Superintendent of Schools Records · Multnomah County Central Library and Oregon Historical Society1874–1876
Other records
- Clerk and Recorder Miscellaneous Recordings · Oregon Historical Society, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1849–1972
- County Commissioners Orders, Ordinances, and Resolutions · State Archives, Multnomah County Central Library, local offices and online1855–2011
- Road and Bridge Records · Multnomah County Central Library, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1855–2002
- Married Women's Property Registers · local offices1859–1923
- County Officials Reports · Multnomah County Central Library, Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1885–1987
- Medical Profession Registration Records · Genealogical Forum of Oregon and local offices1887–1957
- Marks and Brands Records · local offices1891–1957
- Maps, Plans, and Drawings · Multnomah County Central Library, Oregon Historical Society, Genealogical Forum of Oregon, local offices and online1892–2009
- Assumed Business Names Registers · local offices1911–1965
- Farm Name Registration Records · local offices1911–1965
- Health and Human Services Records · Multnomah County Central Library, Oregon Historical Society and local offices1920–2012
- County Commissioners Administrative Journals · local offices and online1922–2010
- County Fair Records · Multnomah County Central Library and local offices1924–1994
- County Budgets · Multnomah County Central Library, local offices and online1928–2009
- and 5 more series in the full listing
See the full inventory at the Oregon State Archives
Source: Oregon State Archives, Oregon Historical County Records Guide. Records can move after an inventory is taken, so ask before you visit. Oregon began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1903.
Where to find the records
- Multnomah County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk and the circuit court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county clerk
Deeds and other land records, and marriage licenses and records.
- The circuit court
Civil and criminal cases, divorces, adoptions and, in most counties, wills and estates. In a few counties the county court still handles probate, and elsewhere older probate records may carry the county court's name.
- The Oregon State Archives
In Salem: older county records moved from the courthouses (many probate, court and naturalization files), the Oregon Historical Records Index, and the records of the provisional and territorial governments.
- Oregon State Archives: Multnomah County records inventoryfree
Every record series the archives inventoried for this county, with each volume's years and where it's kept.
- Oregon Historical Records Indexfree
Search by name. Indexed for Multnomah County: census [precincts 17-46, 55-77] entries, 1895; probate case files, 1855–1900.
- Provisional and Territorial Records Guide: Multnomah Countyfree
The county's early history and the records of its first years, before statehood in 1859, that survive at the State Archives.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Oregon, Multnomah" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Clackamas County, Washington County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Clackamas County, Washington County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1854, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Settlers who reached Oregon by December 1, 1855 could claim land under the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 and its amendments; the earliest arrivals could claim the most. The claim files, at the National Archives, often give a settler's birth date and birthplace and the date and place of a marriage, because a married couple could claim twice as much land. Earlier provisional government land claims (1845–1849) are at the Oregon State Archives.