Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.
- The Online Archives of California provides free Internet descriptions (collection guides) of primary resource collections maintained by more than 200 contributing libraries, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses. Many of the repositories listed below are included. Most of the collections described are not online.
 National Archives at Riverside (Perris, CA) 23123 Cajalco Road
Perris, CA 92570
Telephone: 951-956-2000
Fax: 951-956-2029
Internet: Website
- Has records of southern California, Arizona and Clark County, Nevada. California Indian enrollments, Asian immigrants, naturalizations, land records, Arizona taxes, sailors, all U.S. censuses, military post returns, Five Civilized Tribes, Revolutionary War, Civil War records, passenger arrival lists, Mexican and Canadian border crossings, passport applications.[1] [2]
 Nat'l Archives at San Francisco (San Bruno) 1000 Commodore Drive
San Bruno, CA 94066-2350
Telephone: 650-238-3501
Fax: 650-238-3510
E-Mail: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov
Internet:Website
- Has records of California (north and central), Nevada (except Clark County), Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands, overseas Pacific naval bases, Asian-Pacific immigration, American Indians, and all U.S. censuses, Revolutionary War service records, bounty land warrants, and naturalizations, naturalization indexes for San Francisco, Honolulu, and Reno.[3] [4]
 Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Telephone: 510-642-6481 Reference desk
Fax: 510-642-7589
Internet: Website
- Premier Western Americana, and Latin Americana collections, including Native Americans, Spanish encounter and colonial settlement, exploration of western America, maps and atlases, the Mexican War, westward migration, the Gold Rush, mining, land surveys, religious and Utopian communities, and ethnic communities. This library has more about western North America than any other site.[5] [6]
- The nearby Doe Library has a large collection of newspapers on microfilm.
914 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing address:
P. O. Box 942837
Sacramento, CA 94237-0001
Telephone: 916-654-0261
Fax: 916-654-0241
E-Mail: cslsirc@library.ca.gov
Internet: Website
- California historical newspapers, largest genealogical index, statewide births and deaths, death index 1905-1995, marriage index 1949-1986, censuses, great registers, city directories, genealogical periodicals.[7] [8] A helpful guide to the California State Library is:
- Gary E. Strong and Gary F. Kurutz, Editors, Local History and Genealogy Resources of the California State Library and Its Sutro Branch (Sacramento, Calif.: California State Library Foundation, 1983). At various libraries (WorldCat). FHL book 979.4 H23c.
 Sutro Library at SFSU in San Francisco (5th and 6th floors)
J. Paul Leonard Library, Rm. 610
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco 94132
Telephone: 415-469-6100
Fax: 415-469-6172
E-mail: sutro@library.ca.gov
Internet: Sutro Library
- The place in northern California for genealogy research. Has an excellent collection of censuses, books, and periodicals for most states, including Great Registers, city directories, DAR California records, California death index 1905-1995, and marriage index 1949-1986.[7] [8]
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: 916-653-7715
Fax: 916-653-7363
E-Mail: ArchivesWeb@ss.ca.gov
Internet: Website
- Censuses, California county records 1850-1987, mental health records, military records, prison records, Supreme and appellate court records, and school reports.[9]
 California Historical Society in San Francisco North Baker Research Library
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, California 94105
Telephone: 415-357-1848
Fax: 415-357-1850
Internet: Website
- California economic, social, political, and cultural heritage, including 50,000 books, and 500,000 photos. State, county, and local histories, early California immigrants' overland and sea diaries and letters, ethnic histories, Mexican California early fort, presidio, and mission life, Mexican War, Gold Rush diaries and guidebooks, logging, mining, rare books, and women.[7] [10]
101 Montgomery, Suite 150
Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 415-957-1849
Fax: 415-957-9858
E-Mail: info@californiapioneers.org
Internet: Website
- Please telephone for an appointment, but both the library and the museum are free. Collection has Spanish and Mexican eras materials, pioneer travels overland and around the Horn, the Gold Rush and later mining ventures, urbanization and the construction of the railroads, 1906 earthquake, biographical information and county files and indexes on early pioneers and notables, local histories, directories, diaries, papers, maps, newspapers, periodicals and California history to 1900.[7] [11]
100 Howe Avenue. Suite 100 South
Sacramento CA 95825-8202
Telephone: 916-574-1900
Fax: 916-574-1810
Internet: California State Lands Commission
- Land surveys, titles, property boundaries, school lands, maps and plats, Mexican land and rancho grants.[7]
California Genealogical Soc and Library[edit | edit source]
California Genealogical Society and Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, CA 94612-3031
Telephone: 510-663-1358
Fax: 510-663-1596
Internet: Website
Blog: http://blog.californiaancestors.org/
- California Names Index with 350,000 entries from state, county, and local sources; genealogy collections for California and whole USA, but focused on San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including California vital records, pre-1906 San Francisco births, marriages and deaths, manuscripts, newspapers, obituaries, cemeteries, funeral home records, selected naturalization and passenger arrival lists.[7] [12]
1250 Carlsbad Village Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Telephone: 760-434-2931
Internet: Website
- One of the largest genealogy collections in southern California including programs by the North San Diego Genealogical Society. City directories, county histories, atlases, state censuses, and computer database subscriptions.[13]
 Chinese Historical Society of America ( CHSA) in San Francisco. 美国华人历史学会Chinese Historical Society of America Museum[edit | edit source]
Chinese Historical Society of America Museum
(Chinese: 美国华人历史学会; pinyin: Měiguó Huárén Lìshǐ Xuéhuì; abbreviated CHSA)
965 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Telephone: 415-391-1188
Fax: 415-391-1150
E-mail: info@chsa.org
Internet: Website
- Oldest and largest organization for documentation, study, and presentation of Chinese American history, including immigration, early communities, and labor history (for example railroads).[14] [15]
Fresno City & County Historical Society Archives[edit | edit source]
Fresno City and County Historical Society Archives
7160 West Kearney Boulevard
Fresno, California 93706
Telephone: 559-441-0862
E-mail: FrHistSoc@aol.com
Internet: Website
- By appointment only. Central Valley early farmers index, biographies, manuscripts, photos, oral histories, newspaper clippings, and school yearbooks.[7] [16]
 Huntington Beach Central Public Library 7111 Talbert Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Telephone: 714-842-4481 x5549
E-mail: library@hbpl.org
Internet: Genealogy Resources
- Includes 19,000 books, periodicals, and microfilms of the Orange County Genealogical Society, and online genealogy databases including HeritageQuest.[7] [17]
1310-B W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
Telephone: 818-848-3122
Fax: 818-716-6300
E-mail: lural@juno.com
Internet: The Immigrant Genealogical Society Homepage
- Largest genealogical collection for German immigrants except for Salt Lake City. About half of the library holdings cover German speaking areas of Europe, and half cover America.[7] [18]
101 Pacific Ave.
Long Beach CA 90822
Telephone: 562-570-7500
Fax: 562-570-7408
E-mail: LBPL_comments@lbpl.org
Internet: Long Beach Public Library
- California, rancho and Mexican era history, computer indexes to statewide records, Great Registers, military records, miners, and early settlers, Long Beach obituary searches, Long Beach History Index, Long Beach newspapers, Ancestry.com, African Americans, American Indians, and published genealogies.[7] [19] [20]
 Los Angeles Central Public Library 630 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Telephone: 213-228-7000
Fax: 213-228-7069
E-mail:Contact form
Internet: Genealogy at the Los Angeles Public Library
- The place for research in Southern California. Good genealogy collection and biographical indexes. Key online database subscriptions, censuses, vital records indexes, 10,000 family histories, 5,000 U.S. city directory microfilms, heraldry, how-to guides, selected passenger arrivals including San Pedro/Wilmington/Los Angeles for 1907-1948, local histories, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, and periodicals. [7] [21]
 Los Angeles California FamilySearch Library 10741 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, California 90025
Telephone: 310-474-9990
E-mail: lafhlcontact@gmail.com
- One of the largest Family History Centers in America, including 86 public computers, 56,000 microfilms, 40,000 microfiche and 6,000 books. Censuses, vital records from many states, genealogies, and histories, immigration, naturalizations, passenger arrivals, with especially strong United States and British collections.[7] [22]
 Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County[edit | edit source]
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Telephone: 213-763-DINO
E-mail: members@nhm.org
Internet: Website
- Western Americana, California Indians, pre-1900 southern California newspapers, southern California and Los Angeles history, Spanish and Mexican period history, seafarers, including manuscripts, books, maps, and photos.[7] [23]
- California history, culture, and ethnic studies. Also a list of local libraries that might have obituaries. [7] [24]
P.O. Box 1511, Novato, CA 94948-1511
Email: info@maringensoc.org
Internet: Website
Facebook: Homepage
Napa Valley Genealogical Society Library[edit | edit source]
Napa Valley Genealogical Society Library
1701 Menlo Avenue
Napa, California 94558
Telephone: 707-252-2252
E-mail: napagen@earthlink.net
Internet: Research Library
- Good genealogy collection with emphasis on the Napa Valley and New England, including family histories, vital records, atlases and maps, Napa County marriages, censuses, voters, churches, and cemetery records, Hartford Times index, American State Papers, a manuscripts room, and computers.[7] [25]
 Oakland California FamilySearch Library 4766 Lincoln Avenue
Oakland, California
Telephone: 510-531-3905
E-mail: fhcoakland@gmail.com
- Over 9,000 books, periodicals, family histories, county and local histories, city directories, plus over 37,000 reels of microfilm and 9,000 microfiche containing millions of local vital records and censuses from all over the world. [7]
2745 Eastern Ave.
Sacramento, California
Telephone: 916-487-2090
E-mail: sacramento_familysearch_library@familysearch.org
- Over 6,000 books, periodicals, family histories, county and local histories, city directories, including an extensive German collection plus over 6,000 reels of microfilm and 10,000 microfiche containing millions of local vital records and censuses from all over the world.
224 Church Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Telephone: 831-427-7707 ext. 5794
E-mail: E-mail reference service form
Internet: Website
- Holds the Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County's library, including the Tina Brayton Collection which is equivalent to the Draper Manuscript Collection but larger and with a better index, and many compiled genealogies of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia families.[26] [27]
600 South Central Ave.
Glendale, California 91204
Telephone: 818-240-1775
Internet: Website
- 25,000 titles regarding Colonial and early American military records and battle histories, family genealogies, U.S. censuses, local histories, and vital records for the entire USA, some records for Canada and Britain, and early California.[7] [28]
Southern California Genealogical Society & Family Research Library[edit | edit source]
Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library
417 Irving Drive
Burbank, CA. 91504
Telephone: 818-843-7247
Fax: 818-843-7262
Internet: Website
Blog: http://scgsgenealogy.blogspot.com/
- Five public computers, family histories, and books about every state. Alabama Records, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Pennsylvania Archives, Michigan Pioneer collection, French-Canadian Heritage Society of California collection (Tanguay, Red Drouin, Blue Drouin, PRDH, Loiselle), German Genealogical Society of America collection, Genealogical Society of Hispanic America collection, Los Angeles City Historical Society collection, Cornwall England collection, Massachusetts town vital records, Connecticut Barbour Collection, Filby's passenger lists, Boston Transcripts (early Boston newspaper genealogical column), Joseph Brown Turner collection of northeastern states and New England, California Death and Marriage Indexes.[7] [29]
 Southwest Museum in Los Angeles Southwest Museum Braun Research Library[edit | edit source]
Southwest Museum Braun Research Library
PO Box 41558
234 Museum Dr
Highland Park, CA 90065-5030
Telephone: 323-221-2164 ext. 256
E-mail: rroom@theautry.org
Internet: Website
- Includes the Monk Library of Arizoniana, California and Arizona history, and records of southwest American Indians. This includes books and serials on tribal histories, government, and social life and customs of native peoples.[30]
Tuolumne County Genealogical Society Library[edit | edit source]
Tuolumne County Genealogical Society Library
158 West Bradford Ave
Sonora, CA 95370
Telephone: 209-532-1317
E-mail: tcgsonline@yahoo.com
Internet: Website
- Emphasis is on the Gold Rush district, including the "Gone West Index" of early miners and California settlers, photos, church records, cemetery records, vital records, voter registrations, censuses, over 1000 books about all states and some nations, family histories, school yearbooks, and some periodicals.[7] [31]
Two helpful guides to California archives and repositories are:
| Links to California-related articles |
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| | Topics | | | | Counties | | | | Extinct Co. | | | Major
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