Genealogy & Local History

About the Oregon Collection

Visit the Coos Bay Library's Oregon Collection to learn about local history in Coos and neighboring counties. With the exception of Oral Histories (see below), materials are available for in-library use only during the library's hours of operation. Ask for help at the Reference Desk or send research requests online from our contact form.

Featured Resources

In the Print Collection

  • Documents and other Primary Resources featuring local individuals, clubs, organizations, businesses, schools, churches, parks, government and local agencies
  • Published books categorized by Local Authors, Local Interest and History
  • Coos County directories and phone books dating back to 1904
  • Local daily and weekly newspapers (1879 - present) on microfilm, including The World, Coos Bay Times, & their many predecessors 
  • Marshfield High School yearbooks dating back to 1915
  • Area Historical Maps
  • Large pamphlet file, includes clippings, pamphlets, and brochures on Coos history
  • Coos County Oral History Project: living histories recorded on CD and cassette (AVAILABLE FOR CHECKOUT)

Genealogy Resources

Coos History Museum

Coos History Museum logo

Coos History Museum's collection includes more than 50,000 objects and more than 250,000 images that illuminate the cultural history of the Coos region and south coastal Oregon. 

View Resource

FamilySearch

FamilySearch logo

Records spanning billions of names across hundreds of collections including birth, marriage, death, probate, land, military, IGI extracted, and more.

View Resource

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Historic Oregon Newspapers logo

Includes digital copies of the following Coos County newspapers, ranging from 1879-1916: Bandon Recorder, The Coast Mail, Coos Bay Times, Daily Coast Mail, and Weekly Coast Mail.

View Resource

My Heritage Library Edition

My Heritage Library Edition logo

MyHeritage Library Edition™ is one of the largest genealogy databases of its kind in the world. It includes historical documents from over 48 countries, millions of historical photos, public records, indexes and additional resources.

View Resource

Northwest Digital Heritage

Northwest Digital Heritage WA/OR

Digital copies of the Marshfield High School Yearbook (Mahiscan) Collection from 1950 to 2019.

View Resource

The World Digital Newspapers

Newspapers by Ancestry.com logo

Digital copies of The Coos Bay Times and The World Newspaper, covering the years 1906-present. Only accessible from inside the Coos Bay Public Library.

View Resource (in library only)

Local History Resources

Coos History Museum

Coos History Museum logo

Coos History Museum's collection includes more than 50,000 objects and more than 250,000 images that illuminate the cultural history of the Coos region and south coastal Oregon. 

View Resource

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Historic Oregon Newspapers logo

Includes digital copies of the following Coos County newspapers, ranging from 1879-1916: Bandon Recorder, The Coast Mail, Coos Bay Times, Daily Coast Mail, and Weekly Coast Mail.

View Resource

Newsbank's The World

Search The World 2004-Current

Search articles from The World Newspaper from 2004 - today.

View Resource

Northwest Digital Heritage

Northwest Digital Heritage WA/OR

Digital copies of the Marshfield High School Yearbook (Mahiscan) Collection from 1950 to 2019.

View Resource

The World Digital Newspapers

Newspapers by Ancestry.com logo

Digital copies of The Coos Bay Times and The World Newspaper, covering the years 1906-present. Only accessible from inside the Coos Bay Public Library.

View Resource (in library only)