Lake County, California Genealogy

United States

California

Lake County

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

California Online Genealogy Records

Lake County, California
Map
Location in the state of California, United States Genealogy
Location of California in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	May 20, 1861
County Seat	Hettinger
Courthouse
Address	Lake County Courthouse 255 N Forbes St; Lakeport, CA 95453 Phone 707.263.2368 Lake County Website

County Information

Lake County, California Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1867	1967	1867	1867	1867	1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

County Courthouse

County Clerk has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1867,
mining and miscellaneous records; Clerk Superior Court has divorce,
probate and court records

Historical Facts

Parent County

20 May 1861: Lake County was created from Napa County.  County seat: Lakeport

Description

The county was named from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California. The County Seat is Lakeport and was founded May 20, 1861. It is located in the northwest area of the state.

Boundary Changes

"Rotating Formation California County Boundary Maps" (1850-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss

1867 Courthouse burned down and all earlier records were destroyed.

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
Clearlake	Lakeport
Unincorporated communities
Finley Glenhaven	Loch Lomond Parramore Springs	Whispering Pines
Native American communities
Big Valley Rancheria Elem Indian Colony	Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians	Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians
Census-designated places
Clearlake Oaks Clearlake Riviera Cobb Hidden Valley Lake Kelseyville	Lower Lake Lucerne Middletown Nice	North Lakeport Soda Bay Spring Valley Upper Lake

Neighboring Counties

• Colusa
• Glenn
• Mendocino
• Napa
• Sonoma
• Yolo

Resources

Biography

• Index to Lake County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
• Lake County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lake, 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.	%±
1870	2,969	—
1880	6,596	122.2%
1890	7,101	7.7%
1900	6,017	−15.3%
1910	5,526	−8.2%
1920	5,402	−2.2%
1930	7,166	32.7%
1940	8,069	12.6%
1950	11,481	42.3%
1960	13,786	20.1%
1970	19,548	41.8%
1980	36,366	86.0%
1990	50,631	39.2%
2000	58,309	15.2%
2010	64,665	10.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

• 1860 - Census, Napa County, California, Clear Lake Township (CAGenWeb Project)
• 1870 - Index of Lake County Census Records by Location (USGenWeb Archives)

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
  

Directories

• 1867 - Pacific Coast Business Directory for Lake County (CAGenWeb Project)
• 1878 - 1879 - McKenney's District Directory - Lake County Portion (CAGenWeb Project)

Gazetteers

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

History

Local histories are available for Lake 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.

• Lake County, in Memorial And Biographical History Of Northern California (USGenWeb Archives)

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

• 1867-1928 Land records(*); Lake County, California, Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
• 1881 Assessment book, 1881(*); Lake County, California, Assessor at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
• Index to Federal Land Patents, Lake County (USGenWeb Archives)

Specific Towns in Lake County

• 1871 Certificates of claimants for town lots in Kelseyville, 1871(*); Lake County, California, County Court at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
• 1871 Certificates of claimants for town lots in Lakeport, 1871(*); Lake County, California, County Court at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images

Maps

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

• Lake County Civil War Veterans and Cemeteries (CAGenWeb Project)
• Lake County List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)

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

• Lake County WWI Draft Registrations (CAGenWeb Project)

World War II

• Lake County Index of World War II Army Enlistment Records (Genealogy Trails)
• World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel, Lake County, California (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1831-1985 California County Naturalizations, 1831-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1852-1989 California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index, 1852-1989 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
• California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research

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

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Lake 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).

Obituaries

• Lake County Obituaries and Death Notices (CAGenWeb Project)
• Lake County Obituary Index (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 - Lake - 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
• Lake County Probate Index (CAGenWeb Project)

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

• Cloverdale California Family History Center
• Highlands California Family History Center
• Lakeport California Family History Center
• Santa Rosa California Family History Center
• Ukiah California Family History Center
• Willits California Family History Center

• California Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library

Societies

Lake County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1323
Lakeport 95453
Website

Lake County Historical Society
P.O. Box 1011
Lakeport 95453
Website

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.

• 1872-73 - Lake County Delinquent Taxes - Fiscal Year 1872-73 (CAGenWeb Project)
• 1874-75 - Lake County Delinquent Taxes - Fiscal Year 1874-75 (CAGenWeb Project)

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.

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
• 1875 - 1899 Lake County Birth Notices (Genealogy Trails)
• 1905 - 1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)

• 1905 - 1910 - Lake County Birth Index by Year (Genealogy Trails)
• To 1910 - Lake County Births from County Birth Indexes and Newspapers (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($)
• 1854 - 1885 Western States Marriage Index.
• 1960 - 1985 California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
• Lake 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($)

Voting Registers

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

Websites

• Lake County CAGenWeb
• Lake County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• Linkpendium
• USGenWeb Archives
• USGenWeb Archives backup site
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Lake County, California Genealogy Trails
• Lake 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.