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California Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Vital Records
Voting Registers
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
VITAL RECORDS
The church records in California provide the earliest evidences of births and deaths. County recorders eventually kept vital statistics. Monterey County, for example, recorded a few births as early as 1824. Most clerks kept better records in the decades following the Gold Rush. The Family History Library has been acquiring microfilmed copies of the original records from many counties. For example, the library has 81 microfilms of births from Los Angeles (1905-19, indexed 1905-23), and deaths (1877-1905, indexed 1873-1920). You can also write to each county clerk for information.
Delayed registration of births
The statewide registration of births and deaths began in July 1905, and was generally complied with by 1920. While the library has not obtained copies of the state records, it does have the index to deaths for 1905-1929 (films 1686044-8), 1940 to 1983 (beginning on fiche 6332560.) For certificates and information, write to:
The first law that required the recording of marriages was passed in 1850. Each county usually kept these records as soon as it was organized. The Family History Library has copies of the marriages for many counties. For example, Los Angeles County marriage applications (1850-1905) and certificates (1851-1919) are available on 120 microfilms.
The statewide registration of marriages began in 1905. The state records are indexed. The index for 1960 to 1985 is available at the Family History Library (fiche 6332554—). The library has not obtained copies of the actual certificates from the state office. Write to the Office of Vital Records and Statistics (address above) for further information.
Divorce records have been kept by the superior court in the county where the divorces were granted. You can write to the clerk of the court for information. You can also write to the State Department of Health for records since 1962.
You can learn more about the history and availability of vital records in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in California, Vol. II, Deaths (San Francisco: Historical Records Survey, 1941; FHL book 979.4 V2h; film 897426 item 5).
California voter registration records can help you locate most male citizens between the years of the federal censuses. The first voter registration records were county poll lists. Although poll lists were required by law after 1850, the earliest records are incomplete.
In 1866, poll lists were replaced by voter registers known as the Great Registers. Each voter was required to register with the county clerk, giving his full name, age, state or country of birth, occupation, and address. If naturalized, he was to declare the name of the court and the date when the naturalization took place. An 1872 law required all counties to print an alphabetical list of voters every two years. Since 1895, data on voters has been more detailed.
All but a few of the Great Registers are available at the California Section of the California State Library in Sacramento. Duplicate copies are at the Bancroft Library at the University of California in Berkeley, and also in county courthouses. Most are on microfilm at the Family History Library. For example, for San Francisco the library has 190 films that include the:
These handbooks will give you more detailed information about research and records in California.
Parker, J. Carlyle. Sources of Californiana: From Padron to Voter Registration. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. (FHL book 929.1 W893 I34; film 897217 item 31; fiche 6039417.)
Temple, Thomas W. II. Sources for Tracing Spanish-American Pedigrees in the Southwestern United States. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. (FHL book 929.1 W893 F14b; film 897215 item 35; fiche 6039366.)
Sanders, Patricia. Searching in California: A Reference Guide to Public and Private Records. Costa Mesa, Calif.: ISC Publications, 1982. (FHL book 979.4 J5s; film 1033954 item 3.)
Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992. (FHL book 973 D27rb 1992; computer number 594021.) Contains bibliographies and background information on history and ethnic groups. Also contains maps and tables showing when each county was created.
The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:
Paper publication: Second edition July 1997. English approval: 7/97
©1998, 2003 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Local Records of Births and Deaths
began in 1943. These records are kept by each county. You can write to the county clerk for information. The Family History Library has copies of delayed births for many counties, such as Los Angeles, for the years 1943 to 1964.
State Records of Births and Deaths
Office of Vital Records and Statistics
304 “S” Street
Sacramento, CA 94244-0241
Telephone: 916-445-2684
Fax: 800-858-5553
Mailing Address:
The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces (Hyattsville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993; FHL book 973 V24wv). Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and at many Family History Centers. Or you can write to the Office of Vital Records and Statistics (above) for current information.
P.O. Box 730241
Sacramento, CA 94244-0241
Marriages and Divorces
Inventory of Vital Records
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VOTING REGISTERS
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FOR FURTHER READING
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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Publications Coordination
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3400
USA
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Version of Data: 11/12/2003]