Oregon Vital Records
This entry was originally written by Dwight A. Radford for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
The State of Oregon began recording births and deaths in July 1903 and marriages in 1906. Divorce certificates were recorded at the state level beginning in 1925. These all may be obtained from Oregon Health Services, Center for Health Statistics, 800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 205, Portland, OR 97232; P.O. Box 14050, Portland, OR 97293-0050 www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/chs/.
The Oregon State Archives (through the online Oregon Historical Records Index http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/banners/genlist.htm) and Oregon State Library (see Oregon Archives, Libraries, and Societies) have growing collections of vital records. The Oregon Historical Society (see Oregon Archives, Libraries, and Societies) has a complete death index and the later divorce and marriage indexes. Microfilmed vital records at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City include death indexes (1903'2000) and marriages (1906'24) as well as some indexed county records. Indexes to Oregon deaths (1903'98) and marriages (1906'20) are online through subscription database www.ancestry.com.
FamilySearch.org has a variety of collections available for free online:
- Oregon, Births and Christenings, 1868-1929
- Oregon, County Marriages, 1851-1975
- Oregon, Marriages, 1853-1935
- Oregon, Death Index, 1903-1998
- Oregon, Deaths and Burials, 1903-1947
External Links
- Oregon Birth, Marriage, and Death Records - free up-to-date guide to accessing Oregon birth, marriage, and death records (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Includes links to FamilySearch vital record databases.
- Oregon Marriages Search Engine - free Oregon marriages search engine that has indexed marriages posted across the web.
- Oregon Obituary and Death Notice Archive - free Oregon obituary archive that has transcribed obits from across the state.
- Oregon Library of Files - free Oregon obituary and data files archive from across the state.
