Woodward County, Oklahoma Genealogy

United States

Oklahoma

Woodward County

 

Guide to Woodward County, Oklahoma ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts County seat: Woodward Organized: September 16, 1893 Parent County(s): the Cherokee Outlet Neighboring Counties Dewey  • Ellis  • Harper  • Major  • Woods See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

Woodward County is a county located in the north western part of Oklahoma.

County Courthouse

Woodward County Courthouse
1600 Main Street
Woodward, OK 73801
Phone: 580.256-8097
Woodward County Website

Clerk Court has marriage and probate record
County Clerk has land records

Woodward County, Oklahoma Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1908	1893	1908	1893	1893	1894	1860
Statewide registration for births and deaths in 1908. General compliance by 1930.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1893--Woodward County was created in 1893 from the Cherokee Outlet. County seat: Woodward Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties Oklahoma Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Woodward (county seat)
Towns
Fort Supply Mooreland	Mutual Sharon
Unincorporated communities
Belva Cedardale Curtis	Gerlach Keenan Quinlan	Richmond Tangier

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Woodward County, Oklahoma online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com OKGenWeb USGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Oklahoma Gravestones Oklahoma Cemeteries Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves
See Oklahoma Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	16,592	—
1920	14,663	−11.6%
1930	15,844	8.1%
1940	16,270	2.7%
1950	14,383	−11.6%
1960	13,902	−3.3%
1970	15,537	11.8%
1980	21,172	36.3%
1990	18,976	−10.4%
2000	18,486	−2.6%
2010	20,081	8.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Woodward County, Oklahoma Genealogy census records online, see: Oklahoma Census.

Federal Census Records

Federal Censuses were taken for Oklahoma starting in 1860. For links to Federal census indexes, see Oklahoma Census.

State Census Records

• 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census 1890 - Oklahoma Historical Societ
• 1890 and 1907 Oklahoma Territorial Census, 1890 and 1907 at Ancestry — index and image ($)

Church Records

Church records vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Oklahoma denominations, view the Oklahoma Church Records Wiki page.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

American Indians

Census

• 1851 - 1959 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Censuses and Rolls, 1851-1959 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1895 - 1914 U.S., Native American Citizens and Freedmen of Five Civilized Tribes, 1895-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1898 - 1914 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Dawes Census Cards for Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• Dawes Final Rolls - Oklahoma Historical Society

Land and Property

• 1884 - 1934 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Land Allotment Jackets for Five Civilized Tribes, 1884-1934 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1889 Oklahoma County Plats 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
• 1899 - 1907 Oklahoma Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes, 1899-1907 at FamilySearch — index and images
• For more information see Indians of Oklahoma

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Oklahoma Land and Property for additional information about early Oklahoma land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

Online Land Records

• Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
• 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
  
• 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
• 1889 Oklahoma County Plats, 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
• El Reno Homesteader Filings - Oklahoma Historical Society

For more information see Oklahoma Land and Property

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Woodward County, Oklahoma Genealogy. County and town histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Oklahoma Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties
• Maps n More - county and township maps.
• Oklahoma Civil War Map of Battles

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• 1775 - 1783 - United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - images only
  
• For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

• Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955 at Ancestry — index (free)
• For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War I

• For more nationwide World War I databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War II

• 1940-1945 - Oklahoma, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Oklahoma Military Deaths - Oklahoma Historical Society
• For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Woodward News

Newspapers

Oklahoma Newspapers Online

• GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Oklahoma newspapers
• Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
• Chronicling America - contains images of some Oklahoma newspapers; searching tips
• Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites

Oklahoma Newspaper Catalogs

• Oklahoma State Historical Society - catalog of known Oklahoma newspapers; lists repositories that have the newspapers
• U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper.

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Woodward County, Oklahoma Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Woodward County, Oklahoma Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Probate Records

In most counties in Oklahoma, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Oklahoma - Woodward - Probate records.

Online Records

• 1801 – 2008 Oklahoma Wills and Probate Records 1801-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1887 – 2008 Oklahoma Probate Records, 1887-2008 at FamilySearch — images
  

School Records

• 1895 - 1936 Oklahoma, School Records, 1895-1936 at FamilySearch — index and images

Tax Records

Oklahoma tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records.

Birth

Online Birth Records Indexes and Images

• Early Oklahoma Birth Records

Marriage

Online Marriage Records Indexes and Images

• 1790 - 1998 - Oklahoma, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1841 - 1927 - Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927 at Ancestry ($)
• 1852 - 1948 - Oklahoma, Church Marriages, 1852-1948 at FamilySearch — index
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma Marriages, 1870-1930 at FamilySearch Index only.
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma, Select Marriages, 1870-1930 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma, Marriages, 1870-1930 at My Heritage index ($)
• 1889 - 1951 - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Marriage Index, 1889-1951
• 1890 - 1995 - Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890-1995 at FamilySearch Index and images
• OKGenWeb Oklahoma Marriages

Death

Online Death Records Indexes and Images

• Obituaries Listed in the Oklahoman - Oklahoma Historical Society — index only
• United States Social Security Death Index
• 1935 - 2014 - U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry ($)
• 1936 - 2007 - U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry incomplete ($}

Divorce

Online Divorce Records Indexes and Images

• 1923 - 1942 - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Divorce Index, 1923-1942

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Introduction to Family History Centers
• Woodward Oklahoma Family History Center 2023 Main St Woodward OK 73801-2944 United States Location Map

Societies

Northwest Oklahoma Genealogical Society
PO Box 834
Woodward, OK 73801
Website

Websites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records