Woods County was created on 1893 from the Cherokee Outlet. The County was named for a noted Kansas pioneer, politician and legislator, Samuel N. Wood, who was assassinated two years before the opening of the Cherokee Outlet lands to settlement. Many of his political followers who regarded him as a martyr, settled in Oklahoma, and in preparing the ballot to vote on his name the letter "s" was inadvertently added. The County Seat is Alva. See also County History for more historical details.
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
All Departments below can be contacted at the Woods County Courthouse at PO Box 386, Alva, OK 73717-0386; Phone: (580) 327-2126.NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Woods County Clerk's Office has Birth Records from 1908, Death Records from 1908 and , Land Records from 1894. The County Clerk's office is responsible for preserving all the legal instruments filed by private citizens and public officials with the County Clerk's office. The office maintains files of all real estate records, plats, judgments, liens, patents, military discharges, school records, county personnel, insurance and retirement records for employees, meeting notices, commissioners' proceedings and other documents. Although county clerks record births and deaths and provide information on request, certificates are available only from the Vital Records Section, State Department of Health
Woods County Court Clerk's Office has Probate Records from 1900, Marriage Records from 1890, and Court Records from 1894. The Court Clerk has the primary responsibility to record, file, and maintain permanent records of the proceedings of the District Court. We collect fines, fees, and forfeitures, and distribute the collected monies as provided by law to the appropriate agencies. There are numerous types of cases filed with the Court Clerk's Office some of which include: Civil, Small Claims, Probate, Guardianship, Adoption, Felony, Misdemeanor, Search Warrants, Licenses and more...
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Woods County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Oklahoma Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Vital Records Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 Northeast 10th, Oklahoma City, OK 73117;(405) 271-4040, They have the following records:
Birth & Death Certificates: Oklahoma began filing birth and death records in October of 1908. It was not mandatory, however, that these records be filed until 1917. Because birth and death records were not required in years past as they are today for identification or settlement of claims in matters of death, the filing process in many years prior to 1940 are sketchy. It is the responsibility of the hospital, attendant at birth or the funeral director in each matter of birth or death to properly obtain the information needed and file the certificate in a timely manner.
Cost: $10.00 per birth certificate & $10.00 per death certificate.
Processing Time: 12-14 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Birth or Death Certificate) or 2-5 Days when you order online
Marriage and Divorce Certificates: Marriage and Divorce Records are maintained and issued in the County Courthouse of issuance. These records are available from the Clerk of Court in the county where the event occurred. Fees vary.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Walk-In Service: Coming to the Vital Records Service, Room 117, Oklahoma State Department Of Health, 1000 Northeast 10th, Oklahoma City, OK, Monday - Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., or the Tulsa Health Department, Central Regional Health Center, 315 S. Utica, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-2203, 918-594-4840
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Woods County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Oklahoma newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
Click Here to Search Oklahoma Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Woods County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Oklahoma Territorial Census, 1890 and 1907: This database contains the the 1890 and 1907 Oklahoma Territorial censuses. The 1890 census enumerates the following seven counties: Beaver, Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne. The only schedules that remain for the 1907 census are for Seminole County. The following information is available in this database: name, relationship to head of household, race, gender, and age.
U.S. Indian Census Schedules, 1885-1940: This database contains an index to the Indian census rolls from 1885-1940. Information contained in this database includes: name (Indian and/or English), gender, age, birth date, relationship to head of family, marital status, tribe name, agency name, and reservation name.
Genealogy Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Oklahoma showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Oklahoma showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Maps. Email us with websites containing Woods County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Oklahoma Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Woods County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Oklahoma (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Heavy spring rains with severe flooding in 1902 awakened Oklahoma's citizens to the need for better roads. Territorial laws placed responsibility with townships, and a road overseer was to be elected for each district. General property tax and some funds from liquor licenses collected by counties and townships were used to finance the building of public roads along section lines. A road tax was required, along with the requirement that all males between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five donate four eight-hour days a year to work on highways. Those who did not work or provide a substitute were fined $5 for each absence.
The county treasurer or assessor may have tax or assessment records. Some tax records are stored in museums, historical, and/or genealogical societies' repositories. Published tax records for Oklahoma are almost nonexistent. Some duplicated copies of county tax records are stored in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, State Archives Division for security purposes, but are not available for research. Koplowitz, Guide to the Historical Records of Oklahoma, indicates location of county records, including those of tax and assessments.
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Woods County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Woods County Tax Assesors Office, PO Box 386, Alva, OK 73717-0386; Phone: (580) 327-2126
The county assessor has the responsibility to appraise and assess the real and personal property within the county for the purpose of ad-valorem taxation. Also, the county assessor is required to compute the ad-valorem taxes due on all the taxable property. By law, the county assessor appraises all the taxable real property according to its fair cash value for which the property is actually being used.
The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Woods County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Woods County Genealogists, P.O. Box 234, Alva 73717
National Archives; Southwest Region, 501 West Felix Street, Building 1, Fort Worth, Texas 76115-3405; E-mail: ftworth.archives@nara.gov. Mailing Address: P.O. 6216, Fort Worth, Texas 76115-0216
Oklahoma Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Oklahoma Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
There are no centralized repositories dealing with church records in Oklahoma. Scattered records can be found in genealogical publications, the DAR compilations, and on microfilm. The Spanish missions have played a central role in Oklahoma's religious history.
Printed secondary sources of transcribed cemeteries exist for most Oklahoma counties. The Oklahoma State Society of the DAR has collected hundreds of such records. Transcripts are housed both at the national DAR and with some local chapters and libraries.
Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Woods County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Oklahoma obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Oklahoma newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
Click Here to Search Oklahoma Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Woods County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Woods County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Oklahoma Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Oklahoma Pioneer Project - The Oklahoma Pioneer List (CPL) is a list of settlers to Oklahoma who migrated to or were born in Oklahoma prior to 1880 (included in the 1880 Oklahoma Census) and obtained from those sent (e-mailed) directly from individuals doing genealogical research.
, indicates location of county records, including those of tax and assessments.