ABOUT JEFFERSON COUNTY
Jefferson County is located in northwest Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. Port Townsend, the only incorporated city in Jefferson County, is the county seat. Jefferson County was established in 1852 at which time it covered all of the Olympic Peninsula. In 1854, Clallam County was carved out of the northwestern part of Jefferson County. An excellent thumbnail history of the county and several of its communities is available at HistoryLink.org.
Jefferson County can be thought of as two geographically distinct areas, separated by the Olympic Mountains, the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest. East Jefferson County, which borders on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal, was settled as early as 1851. Settlement of West Jefferson County on the Pacific Ocean began before 1895. It is a 2½ to 3 hour drive from Port Townsend to the West End, going through Clallam County. Walking across the Peninsula, over the Olympic Mountains, takes considerably longer.
Links to local, regional and statewide sites. Jefferson County Resources.
- Jefferson County Historical Society
- Jefferson County Government
- City of Port Townsend
- Jefferson County Public Library
- Port Townsend Public Library
- Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum (at Fort Worden in Port Townsend)
- Kosec Funeral Home (Port Townsend) 360-385-2642
Near-by Genealogical Societies
Click on the map for a better view.
- Clallam County Genealogical Society
- Whidbey Island Researchers (North Whidbey Island)
- Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island (in Island County)
- Grays Harbor Genealogical Society.
- Mason County Genealogical Society.
- Sno-Isle Genealogical Society (Snohomish and Island counties)
- Puget Sound Genealogical Society (in Kitsap County)
- Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (in Kitsap County)
- Washington State Genealogical Society
Washington State Resources
- Washington State Archives Northwest Region
- Washington State Digital Archives for state-wide searches.
- Washington State Library
- Washington State Historical Society (Located in Tacoma)
- Washington State Center for Health Statistics for Birth, Death, Divorce, Marriage Vital Records
- Washington Secretary of State-State Archives
- Historic Newspapers (Washington State)
Other Resources
- Heritage Quest Research Library (Sumner)
- FamilySearch.org – Online Catalog to the vast LDS collection.
- Family History Center in Chimacum: call 360-385-1724 for hours and location.
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- NARA Seattle Branch
- World Cat/OCLC – World Catalog of Books