Early Oregon census and tax records

Collection

Identifier: Mss1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of early census and tax records from the Oregon provisional and territorial governments and early Oregon statehood. The materials in this collection were gathered from early, mostly pre-1958, Oregon Historical Society Research Library accessions of census and tax-related records. The early census and tax records document demographic and economic data for what are now portions of Oregon and California. Original census records include Elijah White's 1842 census; an 1849 census of males over the age of 21; Jackson County census rolls, circa 1854-1855 and 1858; a Washington County census, 1856; a Washington County tax roll, 1852; and an agricultural census for Clackamas County, 1870. Typescript and photostat reproductions of census records include Joseph Meek's Census of Oregon, 1845; Charles Wells’ Benton County census, 1854; the United States Census roll for Coos County, 1860; and a partial typescript of the 1880 United States Census for Wasco County. The collection also includes reports of the 1850 census for Butte and Calaveras counties in California.

Dates

1842-1880

Creator

Meek, Joseph Lafayette, 1810-1875 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Historical Note

The Provisional Government of Oregon was formally established in 1843 to provide a legal system for settlers in the Oregon Country. The Provisional Government covered a region that includes parts of present-day Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The Oregon Territory was created in 1848 following the signing of the Oregon Treaty by the U.S. and Britain in 1846, which established U.S. sovereignty over Oregon Country below the 49th parallel. The state of Oregon, which was formed out of the southwestern portion of Oregon Territory, joined the union on February 14, 1859.

Biographical Note

Joseph Meek, Elijah White, and Charles Wells were among those who gathered census information prior to Oregon's statehood. Joseph Meek was a nineteenth-century fur trapper, politician, and law enforcement official in the Oregon Country and Oregon Territory of the United States. Elijah White was a doctor, missionary, and agent for the federal government in Oregon Country. Charles Wells was a surveyor and assessor in Benton County, Oregon Territory, in the 1850s.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet (1 document box and 2 oversize folders)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

An artificial collection consisting of early census and tax records from the Oregon Provisional and Territorial Government and early Oregon statehood. Records date from 1842 to 1880.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Joe Meek census of Oregon, 1852, donated by Standard Insurance Company prior to 1958 (Lib. Acc. 7419). Agricultural census for Clackamas County, 1870, was the gift of David Duniway prior to 1958 (Lib. Acc. 7777).

Existence and Location of Originals

Originals of the Joe Meek Census of Oregon, 1845; The schedule of free inhabitants in Coquille Precinct in the county of Coos in Oregon, 1860; and The schedule of population, Eaton Precinct, Wasco County, Oregon, 1880, are held by the Oregon State Archives.