KC3I - The King County Court Cases Index

The King County Court Cases Index (KC3I) is an index of case records from the King County Court (or, in some cases, the U.S. District Court) in Seattle, Washington from before 1881 to 1980.
 
The Seattle Genealogical Society compiled this information from a card file donated in 2000 by the Chicago Title Company. This card file, comprising of over 100 boxes of index cards, contained information about all King County court cases that could potentially affect property rights, and therefore the title to property. SGS volunteers, headed by Marilynn Van Hise and Sandie McBride, transcribed the information from these hundreds of thousands of cards into one comprehensive index. Nearly 80,000 hours of volunteer time over 10 years went into the creation of the KC3I. The genealogical value of this collection is significant. Anyone with ancestors or research interests in King County between 1850 and 1980 should be aware of this unique index.
 
The KC3I contains over 1.7 million entries encompassing virtually every case involving:
  • KC3I Links and Information
    Divorces and Marriage Dissolutions 
  • Wills and other probate actions 
  • Changes of Name; Guardianships 
  • Community property agreements 
  • Bankruptcies 
  • Commitments
A search of the KC3I can provide the following:
  • Information on whether an individual was a party to one or more cases during this time period
  • A list of case details that may include, for example, a spouse name or maiden name, a marriage and/or divorce date, or a death date
  • The date and case number of each case

Examples of the information that can be found in the index:

Sndx Court/Case #  M/D YR Type Surname Given Name Dscrpt Notes
B-634 26744 1/12 1889 Dc BARTELL George H    
B-634 SC 37596 12/29 1902 Dvrc BARTELL George H   Mary W BARTELL
B-634 SC 133062 1/18 1919 Dvrc BARTELL George H   Beatrice A BARTELL
B-634 SC 269417 2/3 1934 Dvrc BARTELL George H   Zedna V BARTELL
B-634 PC 140447 4/12 1956 Prbt BARTELL George H dcsc  
                 
Sndx Court/Case # M/D YR Type Surname Given Name Dscrpt Notes
H-245 809951 5/28 1912 Afdt HAGLUND Daisy M   aka HANSON; mrd 5/25/06
H-245 809951 5/28 1912 Afdt HAGLUND Daisy M Hanson   mrd 5/25/06
H-245 PC 8824 3/5 1908 Afdt HAGLUND Daisy Maud dcsd Johan Ivar HAGLUND, hb
H-245 788628 1/25 1912 Afdt HAGLUND Daisy Maud   Johan Ivar HAGLUND, hb
 
 
Tips for Ordering Case Records from the King County Court Clerk
A case number is required to order complete case records from the King County Court Clerk's office. Although the charge to photocopy the records is minimal (50¢ per page), the Court charges a non-refundable $30 fee to look up a case number. Documents to assist researchers in requesting case files are linked at the top of this page.
 

How can I search the KC3I?

Researchers can submit a query online or mail a request form to the SGS Library. Online queries are generally answered within 48 hours.

KC3I queries are FREE for SGS Members. If you are not a member, consider joining SGS for this and other great benefits!

Fees for Non-members and Professional Researchers:

  • $5 (non-refundable) to search for one individual. Indexed case details will be provided.
  • $15 to provide the case numbers once a successful search is completed