Oregon State Archives

Oregon Historical County Records Guide

Polk County Records Inventory

Pension and Relief Records

1904-1936

Series documents financial assistance approved by the county court for widows, mothers, dependent children, orphans, the elderly, and indigents. Information includes applicant name and address, children's names and birth dates, amount of pension or monthly support payment, and county court order. Because the provision of relief became primarily a state and federal function in the 1930s, records are inventoried through 1939.

Records at the Oregon State Archives:
Old Age Pension Ledger, 1934-1936 (1 volume).

Records at the Polk County Courthouse, County Clerk's Office:
Old Age Pension Journal [with index], vol. 1, 1934-1936 (1 volume).

Records at the Polk County Historical Society Museum, Archives:
County Court Journal [includes adoption, widow's pension, judicial, and administrative actions-with index], vol. 5, 1904-1932 (1 volume).

Contact Archives Division

Open 8 AM - 5 PM, Mon - Fri
Phone (503) 373-0701
Fax (503) 378-4118
reference.archives@state.or.us
800 Summer St NE
Salem, OR 97310-1349