Search Garfield County Genealogy

Garfield County genealogy records date back to the Cherokee Outlet land run of 1893. The county seat is Enid, which is also the largest city in northwest Oklahoma. If you are tracing family lines through this part of the state, the Garfield County Courthouse has marriage files, land deeds, probate records, and court documents going back over 130 years. Online tools and local archives make it possible to search many of these records without leaving home. The county was one of the original Oklahoma Territory counties and holds a rich set of records from that era.

Garfield County Courthouse Records

Two main offices at the Garfield County Courthouse handle genealogy records. The County Clerk keeps land records going back to 1893. The Court Clerk stores marriage, divorce, probate, and court case files from the same year. Both offices are in the courthouse at 114 West Broadway Avenue in Enid.

The Garfield County Clerk's website lets you view unofficial copies of land records for free. These are watermarked copies that work fine for research purposes. If you need an official certified copy, you pay a fee. The first page is $1.00 and each additional page is $0.50. Certification costs an extra $0.50. Records older than 10 years are stored off-site, so they may take a day or two to pull. Current records are usually available right away when you visit in person.

You can also request records by email. Send your request to garfieldrequests@oscn.net. Include the names of the parties, the case number if you have it, an approximate date, and your phone number. The Court Clerk staff will get back to you with what they find. Mail requests go to Garfield County Court Clerk, 114 West Broadway Ave., Enid, Oklahoma 73701.

Garfield County Clerk Online Portal

The Garfield County Clerk's official website gives free access to unofficial land record copies. You can search deeds, mortgages, and other instruments without visiting the courthouse.

The online portal shows watermarked versions of recorded documents. For certified copies, you need to visit the office or send a written request with payment. This tool saves a lot of time when you just need to confirm a name or date before making the drive to Enid.

Searching Garfield County Genealogy Online

Several free tools let you search Garfield County genealogy records from your computer. The Oklahoma State Courts Network covers all court cases in the county. You can search by name or case number to find divorce records, probate filings, and civil cases. The ODCR site also has case search features and basic case details.

For vital records, the OK2Explore portal handles birth and death certificate searches. Garfield County birth records start in 1908 and death records begin that same year. Marriage records go back much further to 1893 since the county existed before the state vital records system began. You can find those marriage files at the courthouse or through the Garfield County OKGenWeb page, which has transcribed marriage records from 1893 through 1913.

The OKGenWeb page for Garfield County also has biographies, cemetery records, and funeral home records. Volunteers compiled this data over many years. It is free to use and does not need an account.

Garfield County Record Types and Dates

Garfield County has a wide range of genealogy records. Marriage, court, land, and probate records all begin in 1893, the year of the Cherokee Outlet land run. Birth and death records start in 1908 when the state began requiring their registration. Divorce records also go back to 1893.

Marriage records from Garfield County typically show the names of the bride and groom, their ages, where they lived, the date of the ceremony, who performed it, and the names of witnesses. For minors, parents' names were also listed. These details make marriage records one of the most useful documents for genealogy work in the county. Land records include the original Cherokee Outlet patents, homestead filings, deed transfers, and mortgage records. Probate files have wills, estate inventories, administrator appointments, and guardianship papers.

Under Oklahoma law, most of these records are public. The Open Records Act under Title 51, Sections 24A.1 through 24A.33 gives anyone the right to ask for government records without stating a reason. Some vital records have restrictions based on Title 63, Section 1-323, but most court and land files are open to all.

Garfield County Genealogy Societies and Libraries

Several local groups help with genealogy research in Garfield County. The Garfield County Genealogical Society is based in Enid at PO Box 1106, Enid, OK 73072. They collect and share local family records. The Garfield County Historical Society at PO Box 3337, Enid, OK 73702 also has materials useful for research.

The Enid Public Library at 120 West Maine in Enid has a genealogy section. You can reach them at (580) 234-6313. The library holds local history materials including city directories, newspapers, and compiled family records. The Enid Oklahoma FamilySearch Center is another stop for researchers. FamilySearch centers give free access to microfilm and digital records from around the world.

At the state level, the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Genealogical Society both hold records that cover Garfield County. The Gateway to Oklahoma History has digitized newspapers from the Enid area. The National Archives at Fort Worth keeps federal records for Oklahoma including census rolls and military files. The Bureau of Land Management has the original land patents from the Cherokee Outlet run online.

Cities in Garfield County

Garfield County includes Enid, which is the largest city and county seat. All genealogy records for the county are held at the courthouse in Enid.

Other communities in Garfield County include Covington, Drummond, Hillsdale, Kremlin, Lahoma, North Enid, and Waukomis. Records for all of these places are at the Garfield County Courthouse.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Garfield County. If your family moved around north-central Oklahoma, check records in neighboring counties too.