Colusa County, California Genealogy

United States

California

Colusa County

Guide to Colusa County, California ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

California Online Genealogy Records

Colusa County, California
Map
Location in the state of California, United States Genealogy
Location of California in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	February 18, 1850
County Seat	Colusa
Courthouse
Address	Colusa County Courthouse 546 Jay St; Colusa, CA 95932-2443; Phone. 530.458.0500  Colusa County Website

County Information

Colusa County, California Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1873	1853	1889	1851	1851	1851	1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

County Courthouse

Colusa County has birth records 1873, marriage records from 1853, death records from 1889, probate, court, land and assessment rolls from 1851, Great Registers from 1866 and military rolls from 1879

 

Historical Facts

Parent County

18 February 1850: Colusa County was created as an original county.  County seat: Colusa

Description

The county was named for of an Indian tribe living on the west side of the Sacramento River. The county seat Colusa and the county was created 1850. The County is located in the north central corner of the state.

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating California county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation California County Boundary Maps" (1850-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Colusa	Williams
Unincorporated communities
Sites Fouts Springs	Sycamore	Wilbur Springs
Native American communities
Colusa Rancheria	Cortina Indian Rancheria
Census-designated places
Arbuckle College City Grimes	Lodoga Maxwell	Princeton Stonyford

Neighboring Counties

• Butte
• Glenn
• Lake
• Sutter
•  Yolo

Resources

Biography

• Index to Colusa County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)
• Index to Colusa County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
• Colusa County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Colusa, California online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave BillionGraves USGW Tombstone Transcription Project Interment.net
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat.org
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find A Grave BillionGraves FamilySearch Places
See California Cemeteries for more information

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	115	—
1860	2,274	1877.4%
1870	6,165	171.1%
1880	13,118	112.8%
1890	14,640	11.6%
1900	7,364	−49.7%
1910	7,732	5.0%
1920	9,290	20.2%
1930	10,258	10.4%
1940	9,788	−4.6%
1950	11,651	19.0%
1960	12,075	3.6%
1970	12,430	2.9%
1980	12,791	2.9%
1990	16,275	27.2%
2000	18,804	15.5%
2010	21,419	13.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Colusa County, California Genealogy census records online, see: California Census.

Church History and Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about California denominations, view the California Church Records wiki page.

• 1864-1985 California, Church Records, 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

History

Local histories are available for Colusa County, California Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section California Local Histories.

• Colusa County CAGenWeb

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See California Land and Property for additional information about early California land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1844-1909 Deeds(*); Colusa County, County Clerk at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
• 1857-1926 Land Patents, 1857-1921; Index, 1857-1926(*); Colusa County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
• 1861-1927 Homestead Records, 1861-1920; Index 1861-1927(*); Colusa County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
• Colusa County, CA - Index to Federal Land Records at USGenWeb Archives

Maps

• Maps of California (1850-1925)

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

• 1906-1935 California, Pioneer Migration Index, Compiled 1906-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Military History and Records

Civil War

• Colusa County, Gen, John F. Miller Post No. 110, G. A. R. 1886, Civil War - Rosters (USGenWeb Archives)
• Colusa County, Williamsburg Post No. 116, G. A. R. 1886, Civilwar - Rosters (USGenWeb Archives)

World War I

• 1914-1918 California, Geographical and Name Index of Californians who served in WWI, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II

• Index of World War II Army Enlistment Records for Colusa County, California (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1831-1985 California County Naturalizations, 1831-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Colusa County, California Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Colusa County, California Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog. Do NOT use the word County. (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).

• California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research

Obituaries

• Index to Colusa County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
• Index to Colusa County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)

Probate Records

The county clerk is usually the custodian of probate records. The records include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

You can obtain copies of the original probate records (such as wills and estate files) by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse.

The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for California - Colusa - Probate records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1833 – 1991 California Probate Estate Files 1833-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images

Repositories

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Colusa County Library
738 Market Street
Colusa, CA 95932
530 458-7671

Colusa County Historical Society
Colusa County Historical Records Commission
c/o Colusa County Library
738 Market Street
Colusa, CA 95932
Phone: (530) 458-7671
The county commission oversees preservation and conservation of county records of historical importance and the county records archives.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Gridley California Family History Center
• Highlands California Family History Center
• Lakeport California Family History Center
• Yuba City California Family History Center
• Sacramento California Family Search Library

• California Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Taxation

California tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page California Taxation.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records. The State office has records since July 1905. For earlier records, contact the County Recorder. See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

• 1800 - 1994 California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

• 1812 - 1988 California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

• 1870 - 1884 Colusa County Birth Notices (Genealogy Trails)
• 1905 - 1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)

• 1905 - 1906 Colusa County Birth Index (Genealogy Trails)
• Colusa County Birth Announcements (CAGenWeb Project)

Marriage

• 1800 - 2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
• 1850 - 1945 California Marriages, 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

• 1850 - 1952 California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($)

• 1854 - 1885 Western States Marriage Index.
• 1960 - 1985 California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($);

• Colusa County Marriage Notices (CAGenWeb Project)

Divorce

• 1966 - 1984 California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Death

• 1776 - 2000 California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, some images

• 1800 - 1994 California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

• 1905 - 1939 California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

• 1940 - 1997 California Death Index, 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
• Colusa County Death Notices (CAGenWeb Project)

Voting Registers

• 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
• 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries

Colusa County Historical Society
P.O. Box 643
Willows 95988
Website

List of California Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Websites

• Colusa County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Colusa County CAGenWeb
• Linkpendium
• USGenWeb Archives
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Colusa County, California Genealogy Trails
• Colusa County CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a Family History Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a family history center.