Yakima County Web Site
128 N. 2nd St.
Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 574-1000
County Clerk has Divorce, Probate, & Civil Court records from 1890.
Divorce certificates from 1968 can be obtained from the Washington State Department of Health
Divorce Certificates.
County Auditor has Marriage and Land records from 1880.
For copies of marriage licenses, send $1.00 per copy and a self addressed stamped envelope to the Yakima County Auditor, address above. Include your phone number should they need to contact you. Certified copies are $3.00. This is with known names and dates. Searches are $8.00 per hour plus $1.00 per page.
Marriages prior to 1938 had both a license and a separate document called a "Return". The Return was filled out at the time of the wedding and sent back to the courthouse. It gives the actual date of marriage, place, witnesses and often listed birth dates and parent's names. If your marriage was before 1938, send $2.00 and asked for both items. Beginning in 1938, marriages were recorded on a single document.
The license issued by any Washington county was valid for a marriage performed in any county in the state. For some folks, it was closer to get their license at a different county seat than the actual county where they lived.
The YVGS has extracted all the marriage return data from 1877 to 1920, and have published them in 4 volumes. See the Publications page on their site below.
Beginning in July of 1907, the State of Washington began keeping BIRTH and DEATH records, and
in 1968, MARRIAGE and DIVORCE records. For information on ordering certificates see the Washington State
Department of Health:
Certificate Ordering Instructions
Center For Health Statistics
1112 S. Quince St. Room 1
OLYMPIA , WA 98504
Information: (360) 236-4300
Phone: (360) 236-4313
Fax: (360) 352-2586
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
PO Box 445
Yakima, WA 98907-0445
New YVGS Library
1901 S 12th Ave
Union Gap, WA 98902
(509)248-1328
Hours: Mon - Sat 10:00-4:00 (closed Saturdays June-Aug)
Yakima Valley Museum &
Historical Association
2105 Tieton Dr
Yakima, WA 98902
(509)248-0747
Yakima Valley Regional Library
102 North 3rd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
(509)452-8541
Early to recent Yakima newspapers on microfilm.
Yakima LDS Family History Center
1006 S. 16th Ave
Yakima, WA 98902
(509)452-3626
Hours: Tues - Fri. 9:00-4:00 & 7:00-9:00 . Sat 9:00-4:00
Large permanent collection of micro film, including most all of the
1850 Federal Census for all states and counties.
Central Regional Branch
of the Washingon State Archives - Ellensburg
The Central Branch holdings include many early Yakima records including the pre 1907 deaths. See their
Guide to Genealogical Sources
Yakima Newspapers available through Inter-Library Loan from the Washington State University library in Pullman.
Yakima Morning Herald 1906-1968
Yakima Daily Republic 1903-1968
Yakima Herald-Republic 1969-1996
Also, the Washington State Library in Olympia has many Yakima county newspapers on microfilm.
Federal Census for Yakima Co
LDS Family History Center microfilm #'s
1870 553182
1880 1255398
1900 1241754
1910 1375688
1920 18221945 18221946
If you have any additions or corrections to this list, please email Mike Sweeney at sweeney2@wolfenet.com.
©2005 Mike Sweeney