Search Caddo County Genealogy

Caddo County genealogy records go back to 1902 and are housed at the courthouse in Anadarko. This county was created from original lands and named for the Caddo tribe, giving it a deep connection to Native American heritage. Researchers looking for marriage licenses, land deeds, probate files, or court records can search online or visit the clerk in person. The area has a strong link to the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, and Wichita tribes, which means Indian census records and allotment plats are a valuable supplement to standard county files. The court clerk and county clerk both work out of the same courthouse in Anadarko.

Caddo County Clerk Offices

The Caddo County Court Clerk holds marriage records, divorce files, probate documents, and court records from 1902 forward. The county clerk has land records starting that same year. Both offices sit inside the Caddo County Courthouse at 110 SW 2nd Street, Suite 207, in Anadarko. You can call the main number at (405) 247-3393 to ask about records or set up a visit.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you plan to come in person, it helps to have the full names you are searching for and an approximate date range. Staff can pull records more quickly when you give them something to work with. Written requests by mail are also accepted. Include a check or money order for any copy fees and a stamped return envelope.

Caddo County Marriage and Vital Records

Marriage records in Caddo County start in 1902. The court clerk keeps these files. Each license shows the names of both parties, their ages, residences, the date of the marriage, the officiant, and the names of witnesses. Under Oklahoma law, a marriage license is valid for 10 days after it is issued. It must be returned to the clerk within 5 days of the ceremony, but no later than 30 days from when it was issued. Two witnesses are required.

The current fee for a marriage license in Caddo County is $50.00. If the couple completes a premarital counseling course, the cost drops to just $5.00. There is no blood test and no residency requirement, so people from outside the county sometimes got married here. That fact matters for genealogy. Your ancestor may have a Caddo County marriage record even if they lived in a different county or state.

You can search court case records through the Oklahoma State Courts Network. Select "Caddo" from the dropdown. Divorce filings, probate cases, and other court matters are searchable by name. The system covers records from the mid-1990s to the present and costs nothing to use.

Note: Caddo County has no residency requirement for marriage, so check here even if your ancestor lived elsewhere in Oklahoma.

Caddo County Genealogy Research Tools

The Caddo County Genealogy Trails project offers biographies, cemetery records, and county history for free. This volunteer-run effort has compiled old records that you will not find in any official database. The Caddo County OKGenWeb page is the best place to start your online search if you want free access to transcribed records.

Here is the main page for the Caddo County OKGenWeb project, which gathers free genealogy data and record indexes.

Volunteers continue to add new transcriptions as they work through old courthouse ledgers and family collections.

For a wider set of links, check the Caddo County Linkpendium directory. It pulls together genealogy resources from across the web into one organized list.

This directory includes links to census records, church archives, and other databases that focus on western Oklahoma families.

Native American Records in Caddo County

Caddo County has a large Native American population. The Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, and Wichita tribes have deep roots here. If you are tracing a family line connected to any of these groups, standard county records may not tell the whole story. Indian census records are an important supplement. The 1906 allotment plats for Caddo County show land assigned to tribal members and can help you place an ancestor in a specific location at a specific time.

The Dawes Commission records cover the Five Civilized Tribes and can also be useful for researchers in this area. The National Archives at Fort Worth holds Bureau of Indian Affairs records, school records, and land allotment files for Oklahoma. These federal records often include details that do not appear in county files, like birth dates, family relationships, and tribal affiliations.

The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center in Oklahoma City gives free access to Ancestry Library Edition, Fold3, and HeritageQuest. You can search census rolls, military records, and newspaper archives there at no cost. The Gateway to Oklahoma History has digitized newspapers from the Anadarko area that may contain obituaries, marriage notices, and other genealogy clues.

Caddo County Land and Probate Files

Land records at the county clerk's office start in 1902. Deeds, titles, plats, and liens are all on file. For federal land patents, check the Bureau of Land Management GLO Records site. You can search by name or by legal description to find the original patent for a parcel of land in Caddo County.

Probate records also begin in 1902. The court clerk keeps wills, estate inventories, guardianship files, and related documents. These records can reveal family members not named in other files. A will might list children, siblings, or even friends. Estate distributions show who received property and how it was divided, which helps track family lines across generations. Under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, Title 51 Section 24A.5, most of these records are open to the public at a copy fee of no more than $0.25 per page.

Cities in Caddo County

Anadarko is the county seat and the hub for all records. Other towns include Fort Cobb, Hinton, Carnegie, Apache, Binger, Cement, Cyril, and Lookeba. All genealogy record requests go through the courthouse in Anadarko. None of these smaller communities have their own records offices.

Nearby Counties

Caddo County sits in western Oklahoma. These bordering counties may hold records for family members who lived close by or moved between areas.