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State records

There is genealogy material compiled at the state level, especially vital records. The library owns the Oregon Death Index, the Marriage Index, and the Divorce Index on microfilm and microfiche.

Using a keyword search in the library catalog, Janet typed "oregon genealogy" and got many titles. She typed "oregon history" and got even more titles. She then went to the more search options (also known as advanced search) screen and used both searches. This really narrowed her search results. She searched "washington genealogy" and learned that the library owned the book Washington 1880 Mortality Schedule edited and compiled by Ronald Vern Jackson, Wylma Winmill, Shirley P. Zachrison. It recorded the death of her great great grandmother Herke as a suicide, and gave the name of the infant who died with her as Paul (4 months). The name Herke was spelled Hurkie.

Related Web sites

Oregon Center for Health Statistics: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Vital Records: http://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/chs/order/faqs.shtml

The Oregon Health Division includes information about who may request certificates, how to request them, and the cost.
Vital Records Information in Oregon: http://vitalrec.com/or.html

By Elizabeth Orsay. This site contains information about where to obtain copies of Oregon vital records, such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and divorce decrees. The information on these pages is constantly being updated with information obtained from vital records offices and genealogists.; http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm

From the National Center for Health Statistics. Everything you need to know to request vital records, like birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates. Includes links to vital records information for Oregon.