Welcome to Stevens County
NeWGS is based in Colville, WA, which is located in Stevens County. At one time Stevens County covered most of the northeast part of our state, including what is now Ferry and Pend Oreille counties. It was formed in 1863 from Walla Walla County, with Ferry County breaking away in 1899 and Pend Oreille in 1911. Some early records for those counties are to be found in Stevens county materials, some of which date back to 1861. If you have ancestors or family in the area, please explore our site. If you need research assistance, check out our Resources page and / or contact our research team.
Search our site
Search our entire site for your ancestor's surname
NeWGS meetings
NeWGS has in-person meetings on the second Wednesday of every month except December. Check our Events page for dates and topics. The Zoom link to the next meeting will be posted on that Events page a few days before the meeting. We welcome anyone with an interest in researching their family history to attend. You do not need to be a member and it is FREE!
Evergreen Cemetery Update
In 1986, the Northeast Washington Genealogical Society (NeWGS) adopted Evergreen Cemetery as a project under the name of “Evergreen Restoration.” Work began in earnest at the cemetery and in 2009 NeWGS was granted a “Certificate of Authority” for its care and maintenance by the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. NeWGS has continued it’s work at the cemetery with help from some local organizations and church groups. We are all working hard to preserve its history and natural beauty. Recently, we have had an issue with folks using the cemetery for other purposes, i.e. drinking, drug use, etc. In an effort to deter these activities, the NeWGS Board of Directors has voted to close the gates to vehicle traffic. The gates will be opened for special events, certain holidays and for our working volunteers. Evergreen Cemetery remains open for walk-in visitors. For more information/questions you can email us at
info@newgs.org, visit our FaceBook page, or call (509) 684-5690.
Publications for sale
Book is back in stock but price increase necessary. Check out our Store for more information.
“The Little Pend Oreille Lakes Remembered” compiled by Jan Howell. This book has been in the works for over 25 years when Elva Pankaetz, Auxiliary Historian for Stevens County Fire District #9, began keeping a scrapbook filled with stories and pictures collected from residents around the lakes. Jan filled that position after Elva retired in 2003 and continued to add to that collection. Due to the sheer volume of stories shared, a book became inevitable. You will find information about some of the early settlers and the families that live around the lakes today with over 400 photos included, many dating back to “the early days.” And many of the photos are in color so you can appreciate the beauty of this area.
Jan’s book starts off with some facts about the area and then some history of the Fire District that protects the residents and the properties around the lakes. She presents stories about each lake and those who settled around them. One chapter goes into the history of the various resorts that operated in the area and another about early schools. She concludes with information about where to stay and things to do for those who would like to visit the lakes in person. All in all, a very interesting and visual book to read.
The book is being published by NeWGS and contains 245 pages with an index. All proceeds from sales will go to NeWGS and to Stevens County Fire District #9. Visit the NeWGS Store listed on the menu at the left to place an order.
NeWGS has more local history, other books and CDs for sale. Download an order form or order from our Store. NeWGS has a FaceBook page
"Pioneer Branches" ceases publication
It is with great sadness that we must cease publication of "Pioneer Branches." Should someone come forward in the future to accept the position of Editor, it is possible that you could see it once again. We are also exploring other possibilities for sharing our Stevens County information with researchers. We wish to thank all those who have served as Editor or submitted articles over the past 31 years, making ours an award-winning publication. This has truly been a team effort and one we can be proud of.
Pioneer Branches Available in Public Download
Update .... The NeWGS Board voted to put all of our digital issues of Pioneer Branches in the
Public Download area. This means that anyone can read these back issues of Pioneer Branches. Unfortunately we had to cease publication in 2016 but now all issues that are digital are available to everyone. Enjoy!
Military Monument Project
NeWGS saw the completion of their military monument project on Veterans' Day 2013, with another update in 2015. Read about the project and the soldiers under Search Now at the left. There are three parts to the project: the original names are listed under Military Monument, then be sure to check both Monument Updates for the rest of the stories.
NeWGS Projects
New Item We have posted a names index to our quarterly, Pioneer Branches, that covers the period from October 2003 through July 2015. Check it out under Search Now, Pioneer Branches Index. We have now also uploaded all our digital issues (from July 2008 through July 2016) to the Public Download area.
News Flash! NeWGS has exchanged or subscribed to quarterlies all over the U.S. for many years They are now being housed at the LDS Family History Center in Colville. Genealogical quarterlies are filled with useful research tips for the area and actual records. Be sure to check out the list in our Library Records database (in the menu on the left) to see if there is something there that could help you in your research.
New! Read about the experiences of Lt.Col John McCune while he served as Commander at the 760th Radar Base near Colville in the 1950s
Updated Check out what has been happening with the Evergreen Cemetery database (View Cemetery Records). Lora Rose has completed research on all those buried in Evergreen and is in the process of adding photographs of headstones. She now has over 20,000 names in her database!
Updated List of those who died working on the Grand Coulee Dam we believe is now complete. Read about the Grand Coulee Mystery.
Be sure to check out the biographies of our war casualties whose names appear on our military monument in Colville.
NeWGS now has over 490,000 entries in their various databases! Let us help you find your Stevens County ancestors. Contact us. A member of The Heritage Network
A member of WSGS
A member of the NGS
In October 2020, the National Genealogical Society and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) officially merged as one organization focused on supporting individual genealogists and genealogy societies. NeWGs is proud to be a member.
