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Oregon County Court, Probate, Tax and Other Miscellaneous Records
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See Also Researching Court Records, Researching Probate Records, Research In Immigration & Naturalization Records and 
Researching Tax Records
On-Site County Court Records Search - Find nearly any Oregon court record online! Many court records are not digitized yet, which signifies the only way to obtain these records is by visiting the actual Pennsylvania courthouses. Someone from our network of court-runners will go retrieve the records and then send you the outcomes. Average response time is 38 hours. Oregon Civil Records include Lawsuits, Bankruptcies, Liens and judgments, Marriage/divorce judicial proceeding, Child custody, Civil rights violations ands Other. Oregon Criminal Records include Violent offenses, Theft and robbery, DUI/DWI's, Drugs and alcohol, Sexual crimes, Some traffic violations, Behavioral.
Definitions of Common Court Terms
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Oregon Court Records
See Also Research In State Court Records
The Oregon court system is divided as follows: circuit courts, county courts, district courts, justice courts, municipal or city courts, and the supreme court.
Circuit courts are major trial courts. In Oregon they have countywide jurisdiction over criminal cases, probate matters, guardianships, divorces, and some administrative functions. County courts, where they exist, have countywide jurisdiction in juvenile cases, and in some probate matters. District courts have countywide jurisdiction over minor criminal cases. Justice courts have concurrent countywide jurisdiction with circuit courts over minor criminal cases. Municipal or city courts have jurisdiction over municipal law violations or liquor control law violations. The supreme court has the final appellate jurisdiction for the entire state.
Most Oregon court records are either deposited at the state archives or remain at local county courthouses. These records and their locations are all inventoried on the Oregon State Archives website database “Oregon Historical County Records Guide”.
- Submit a website for Oregon Court Records
- Order Oregon County Court, Civil or Criminal Records
- Oregon Court Books at Amazon.com
- Search Oregon Court Records From All States
- Search Oregon County Court Records
- Search Oregon County Criminal Records with a Criminal Background Check
- Search for Oregon Registered Sex Offenders in your local Area
- Oregon Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
Oregon Probate Records
See Also Research In State Probate Records
Probate records in Oregon were kept by county courts or circuit courts with large collections at the Oregon State Archives. For a listing of the probate records and where they are deposited, see the Oregon State Archives online database “Oregon Historical County Records Guide” (see County Resources). This site also provides explanations of what is covered in each record type held at the archives and what records are still deposited at the various county courthouses. The FHL also has a large collection of county probate records on microfilm.
- Submit a website for Oregon Probate Records
- Research In Probate Records - from The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy.
- How to Locate Printed Probate Records
- Advantages of Printed Probate Records
- Limitations of Printed Probate Records
- Oregon Probate Books at Amazon.com
Oregon Immigration and Naturalization Records
See Also Research In State Immigration & Naturalization Records
Immigration - Immigrants arrived in Oregon from six ports: Astoria, Newport, North Bend, Portland, Reedsport, and Tillamook. Records concerning the port of Portland are on file at the National Archives—Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle) and include records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Portland Office, and the Portland Collector of Customs. No passenger lists for the port of Portland or the smaller ports have been found at this time.
Naturalization - Foreign-born residents could become naturalized in any court of record. Records created prior to 1906 may still be in the county. Some records were not kept in separate naturalization books, but in court journals or court minutes, making them difficult to locate. The Oregon State Archives has a large collection of citizenship records.
- Submit a website for Oregon Immigration Records
- Oregon Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
Oregon Tax Records
See Also Researching in Tax Records
Some assessment or tax rolls from 1845 to 1900 are deposited at the Oregon State Archives, but most tax records are still at county courthouses. The archives also has a useful research tool from the state treasurer entitled, “Reports of Estates, 1903–1913,” which contains the date of death and the names of heirs of those who died testate. This record is arranged by county, then by year.
Each county generated “Tax Lot Cards,” which contain descriptions of real property and are used to track ownership, size of holding, and as a deed reference. These are inventoried on the Oregon State Archives website “Oregon Historical County Records Guide”.
Oregon counties are required to keep their tax rolls through 1905. All subsequent records must be kept for fifty years before they are destroyed. The exception to this is for years ending in zero or five, which are kept for research samples.
