Santa Cruz County, CaliforniaEdit This Page

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United States California Santa Cruz County

Contents 1 Historical Facts 2 Parent County 2.1 Boundary Changes 2.2 Record Loss 3 Places/Localities 3.1 Populated Places 3.2 Neighboring Counties 4 Resources 4.1 Bible Records 4.2 Biography 4.3 Cemeteries 4.4 Census 4.5 Court Records 4.6 Crime and Criminals 4.7 Directories 4.8 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups 4.8.1 Germans 4.9 Gazetteers 4.10 Genealogy 4.11 History 4.12 Land and Property 4.13 Maps 4.14 Migration 4.15 Military History and Records 4.16 Naturalization and Citizenship 4.17 Newspapers  4.18 Obituaries 4.19 Periodicals 4.20 Probate Records 4.21 Repositories 4.21.1 Archives, Libraries and Museums 4.21.2 County Courthouse 4.21.3 Family History Centers 4.22 Societies 4.23 Taxation 4.24 Vital Records 4.24.1 Birth 4.24.2 Marriage 4.24.3 Divorce 4.24.4 Death 4.25 Voting Registers 5 Websites 6 References

Historical Facts

 The first European settlements in Santa Cruz County began with the founding of a Franciscan mission in 1791 near the San Lorenzo River in what is now the city of Santa Cruz. In 1797, a proprietary Spanish colony was founded near the mission church and named Branciforte. When California became part of the United States in 1850, Branciforte County was one of the original counties but the name was quickly changed to Santa Cruz County.

Geographically, the coastline gives way to coastal mountains which often come right down to the sea. Two significant rivers played a role in settlement, the San Lorenzo (Santa Cruz city) and the Pajaro River (Watsonville). California hightway route 1 passes through the county along the coast and route 17 provides a connection over the coastal mountains to the San Jose/Silicon Valley area. A railroad also came to the area in the late 1800s providing a shipping outlet for agricultural products of the coastal farmlands.

Earthquakes have affected the area destroying much of the mission church in 1857 and another doing major damage to the city of Santa Cruz in 1988 but they did not cause any significant loss of records.

Parent County

18 February 1850: Originally as Branciforte County. County seat: Santa Cruz ^[1]

19 April 1850: Renamed Santa Cruz County.

Boundary Changes

No significant changes.

Record Loss

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Incorporated Cities (2000): Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Watsonville

Other populated places:

Amesti
Aptos
Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley
Ben Lomond
Bonny Doon
Boulder Creek
Brookdale
Corralitos
Davenport
Day Valley
Felton
Freedom
Interlaken
La Selva Beach
Live Oak
Mount Hermon
Opal Cliffs
Rio del Mar
Soquel
Pasatiempo
Twin Lakes

Neighboring Counties

• Monterey
• San Benito
• San Mateo
• Santa Clara

Resources

Bible Records

Biography

Cemeteries

Day Valley Cemetery (Aptos)

Evergreen Cemetery (Santa Cruz)

Felton Cemetery (Felton)

Home of Peace Cemetery (Santa Cruz, Jewish)

Holy Cross Cemetery (2 locations Soquel, Catholic)

Oakwood (Soquel)

Pajaro Valley Memorial Park (Watsonville)

Pioneer Cemetery (Watsonville)

St Francis Cemetery (Watsonville)

Santa Cruz Cemetery (Santa Cruz)

Soquel Cemetery (Soquel)

Church History and Records

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Santa Cruz
• Watsonville

Census

Court Records

Crime and Criminals

Directories

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Germans

Gazetteers

Genealogy

History

Land and Property

Maps

Migration

Military History and Records

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers 

Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz 1866-present 2011)

Santa Cruz Surfer (Santa Cruz 1889-1919)

Mountain Echo (Boulder Creek 1896-1916)

Register Pajaronian (Watsonville, 1868-present)

Obituaries

Periodicals

Probate Records

Repositories

Archives, Libraries and Museums

• Santa Cruz Central Library

224 Church Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

• Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County library

(housed in the Central Branch Library, significant collection of genealogies)

County Courthouse

Santa Cruz County
701 Ocean Street
Santa Cruz CA 95060

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• San Lorenzo Valley California Family History Center (Ben Lomond)
• Santa Cruz California Family History Center
  

Societies

Taxation

Vital Records

Birth

• Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Public Health Department Birth Certificates

Marriage

Divorce

Death

• Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Public Health Department Death Certificates

• Santa Cruz County, California Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Pajaro, Royal Oaks, Bonny Doon, Aptos and Freedom areas.

• Santa Cruz County Recorder

    701 Ocean Street, Room 230
    Santa Cruz CA 95060
    831/454-2800

For records generated since 2009

Santa Cruz County Office of Vital Records
1430 Freedom Boulevard, Suite 101
Santa Cruz CA 95076
831/763-8430

Voting Registers

Websites

• Santa Cruz County CAGenWeb
• Linkpendium
• USGenWeb Archives
• USGenWeb Archives backup site
• FamilySearch Family History Library Catalog

References

  www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22649

v • d • e Links to California-related articles Topics Introduction · American Indians · Archives and Libraries · Bible Records · Biography · Cemeteries · Census · Church Records · Court Records · Directories · Emigration and Immigration · Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups · Gazetteers · Genealogy · History · Land and Property · Maps · Military Records · Naturalization and Citizenship · Newspapers · Online Records · Orphans and Orphanages · Periodicals · Probate Records · Vital Records · Voting Registers · For Further Reading Counties Alameda · Alpine · Amador · Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Del Norte · El Dorado · Fresno · Glenn · Humboldt · Imperial · Inyo · Kern · Kings · Lake · Lassen · Los Angeles · Madera · Marin · Mariposa · Mendocino · Merced · Modoc · Mono · Monterey · Napa · Nevada · Orange · Placer · Plumas · Riverside · Sacramento · San Benito · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Joaquin · San Luis Obispo · San Mateo · Santa Barbara · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Shasta · Sierra · Siskiyou · Solano · Sonoma · Stanislaus · Sutter · Tehama · Trinity · Tulare · Tuolumne · Ventura · Yolo · Yuba Extinct Co. Branciforte · Klamath · Lake (Nevada) · Pahute · Roop · Nataqua Territory Major Repositories California State Archives · California State Library · Sutro Library · California Historical Society · California Genealogical Society · UC Berkeley Bancroft Library · Los Angeles Public Library · Chinese Historical Society · National Archives Pacific Region (Riverside) · National Archives Pacific Region (San Francisco) · Family History Library Migration Routes Applegate Trail · Butterfield Overland Mail · California Trail · Camino Real de California · Central Overland Trail · Mormon Trail to Southern California · Old Spanish Trail · Atlantic and Pacific Railroad · Central Pacific Railroad · Santa Fe Railway · Southern Pacific Railroad · Texas and Pacific Railway · Union Pacific Railroad · Ship Passenger Arrivals