Alameda County, California Genealogy

United States California  Alameda County

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage records from 1854, probate,divorce,court and land records, birth records 1919-1988 (some from 1873) and death records 1905-1988 some from 1876

Populated Places

 * Oakland

Neighboring Counties

 * Contra Costa
 * San Francisco
 * San Joaquin
 * San Mateo
 * Santa Clara
 * Stanislaus

Boundry 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.

Cemeteries
Alameda County Genealogy has a list of cemeteries with links to sites with informaion about the Alameda County cemeteries.

DUBLIN: Dublin Cemetery 925-452-2100 6600 Donlon Way

EL CERRITO: Sunset View Cemetery &amp; Mortuary 510-525-5111 101 Colusa Ave

FREMONT: [http://www.cedarlawncemetery.com/dm20/en_US/locations/02/0293/overview.page? Cedar Lawn Cemetary] 48800 Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont, California. Phone: 408-263-2868 &amp; 510-656-5565

FREMONT /IRVINGTON: Irvington Memorial Cemetery 41001 Chapel Way, Fremont, California. Phone:510-656-5800

HAYWARD: Lone Tree Cemetery, 24591 Fairview Ave, Hayward, CA 94541, Phone: (510) 582-1274, Located in the lower foothills of Hayward /Fairview township, at the Junction of Hansen Rd &amp; Fairview Ave. Very old burials, since 1868, as well as current. Mausoleum, cremation, and ground burials, private family mausoleums. Probably open daily. Closed overnight.

HAYWARD: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, (510) 581-2488 1051 Harder Rd (Southern part of Hayward). BillionGraves Google map, headstone photos, searchable database.

Hayward / UNION CITY: Chapel of the Chimes: (510)471-3363 (24 hr service) 32992 Mission Blvd 94544. Mausoleum, cremation and ground burials. Large, old cemetary, current burials. www.lifemarkgroup.com

LIVERMORE: Roselawn Cemetery &amp; Crematorium 510-581-1206 1240 N. Livermore Ave. Ground burials &amp; urn garden.

OAKLAND: Mountain View Cemetery, 510-658-2588 5000 Piedmont Ave, founded 1863. Cremation, gound, mausoleum. Cemetery website BillionGraves page for cemetery, with photos, Google map, and searchable database. The Saint Mary's Cemetery in Oakland has also been photographed for BillionGraves.

SUNNYVALE: Skylawn Memorial Park-Bal Ling Yuan 510-475-8638 433 East El Camino Real.

The following web sites have entries for people buried in Alameda County. None have complete lists:


 * Find A Grave
 * Interment.net
 * USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project section for Alameda County

In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Alameda, California, look at the list of records for. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Church History and Records
Churches in Alameda County California, list by Genealogy Trails with some addresses and phone numbers

Alameda Churches, short list but with links to transcriptions of some records

Church records are usually found in the towns rather than on the county level. Search the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search for the appropriate town in Alameda County.

LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Alameda
 * Berkeley
 * Berkeley 1
 * Berkeley 2
 * Carquinez
 * Dimond (Oakland)
 * Eastmont
 * Elmhurst (Oakland)
 * Hayward
 * Martinez
 * Maxwell Park (Oakland)
 * Napa
 * Oakland
 * Richmond
 * San Leandro
 * San Leandro

Court Records
Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Civil Court Records, with links to the locations where records may be examined.

Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Small Claims lists locations of Small Claims Courts.

Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Criminal Division,"The Criminal Division is unable to do any extensive research over the telephone. Searching records or files longer than 10 minutes requires a $15.00 search fee and such requests must be made in writing or in person. All written requests must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped return envelope. If you are requesting a certified copy, also include $0.50 for each copy plus $15.00 for the document certification."

Alameda County Court Directory gives addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and links to the courts web sites and online resources..

Gazetteers
[https://archive.org/details/centennialyearbo00hall The centennial year book of Alameda County, California : containing a summary of the discovery and settlement of California, a description of the Contra Costa under Spanish, Mexican, and American rule, an account of the organization and settlement of Alameda County ... also, a gazetteer of each township, useful local and general statistical information, appropriate for the present time, to which are added biographical sketches of prominent pioneers and public men (1876)]

Genealogy
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

California, Genealogical Collections at the California Genealogical Society (FamilySearch HIstorical Records)

Also see the Societies section, below.

History
Google Books has some books about the history and people in Alameda County, California. Try various search terms, including the names of people. Books designated with "Full view" can be read online.

In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Alameda County, California, look at the list of records for and. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Local Histories

 * History of Alameda County, California: including its geology, topography, soil, and productions: together with a full and particular record of the Spanish grants...1883, by M. W. Wood. Digitized book online from archive.org.


 * The centennial year book of Alameda County, California: containing a summary of the discovery and settlement of California ... also, a gazetteer of each township, useful local and general statistical information, appropriate for the present time, to which are added biographical sketches of prominent pioneers and public men  1876, by William Halley. Digitized book online from archive.org.


 * Past and present of Alameda County, California, 1914, 2 volumes, by Joseph Eugene Baker. Digitized book online from archive.org: Volume 1 Volume 2


 * The Patterson family and ranch: southern Alameda County in transition: oral history transcript, 1988, 3 volumes. Digitized book online from archive.org: Volume1 Volume 2 Volume 3


 * History of Washington Township, Alameda County, California, 1904. Digitized book online from archive.org.

Land and Property
Clerk-Recorder's Office has records prior to 1969 on film that must be searched there. From 1969 to the present, the records are online.

In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Alameda County, California, look at the list of records for and. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Maps
For historical maps,search the following free sites: • Maps of California (1850-1925)

• Maps-Historical-Sate of California, the Carlifornia government's site. Links to American Memory (Library of Congress), California Missions, and the State Library

• Historical Maps of California

• California Maps - HSU Library, also lists and links to gazetteers

• David Rumsey Collection for Alameda, California

• Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for California



Military History and Records
The California State Military Museum has a great deal of historical information and links to other military web sites.

Civil War
Ancestry.com has Records of California men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867


 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company A

Newspapers

 * The California Digital Newspaper Collection has newspapers from 1848 through 1922. You can search by keyword, including names, and/or by date.
 * The major newspaper published in Alameda county is The Oakland Tribune, which has been published under variations of the current name since 1874. Ancestry.com has broken runs from 1874 to 1977. Newspapers.com has all publications from 1874 to 1975.
 * Berkeley Daily Gazette - more than 8,000 issues spanning 1911-1946 freely available in Google Newspaper Archive.

Probate Records

 * Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Probate and Guardianship

Online Probate Records


 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — images

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Public, college, and university libraries in Alameda County lists the libraries with links to their web sites

California State Library - Sutro, Sutro Library, 480 Winston Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132, phone: (415) 731-4477

Livermore and Pleasanton Public Libraries &amp; LDS Family History Centers

Alameda County Law Library

Alameda County Library, Dublin Library (Online Archive of California)

Livermore Heritage Guild "collects and preserves historical artifacts, is an information resource for those who are interested in the history of Livermore and assists those searching for family background. "

Alameda Free Library located on Oak Street in Alameda, California.

County Courthouse
Alameda County's official website 1225 Fallon St. Oakland, CA 94612

California's Living New Deal Project has information about the Alameda County Courthouse, including photos and a street map.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Fremont California Family History Center
 * Hayward California Family History Center (Fremont)
 * Livermore California Family History Center
 * Oakland California Large Multi-stake Family History Center
 * Pleasanton California Family History Center

Societies
Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society serves the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin and surrounding areas in the Livermore and Amador Valleys of southeastern Alameda County, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hayward Area Historical Society preserves the history of the Hayward, Castro Valley, and San Lorenzo area.

California Genealogical Society and Library, located in Oakland, is rich in genealogy reference materials, both standard and unique, covering people and places in California and the rest of the country.

East Bay Genalogical Society - serves Bay Area East Bay genealogy enthusiasts. Monthly meetings are held at the Oakland FamilySearch Library on the 2nd Wednesday at 10am.

Hayward Area Genealogical Society serves local genealogy enthusiasts. Monthly meetings are held at the San Lorenzo Library on the 4th Tuesday at 6:30pm

Macintosh Genealogical Society serves Mac users who are also genealogy enthusiasts. Monthly meetings are held at the Oakland FamilySearch Library in Oakland, California on the 4th Saturday at 1:30pm.

San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society serves local genealogy enthusiasts. Monthly meetings are held at the Danville Family History Center in Alamo, California on the 3rd Tuesday at 10am.

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth
Copies of Birth Certificates can be obtained at: Alameda County Clerk Recorder - Vital Records 1106 Madison Street, Room 121 Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: 510-272-6362

Marriage
Copies of Marriage Certificates can be obtained at: Alameda County Clerk Recorder - Vital Records 1106 Madison Street, Room 121 Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: 510-272-6362

Divorce
Divorce papers are filed at:

Alameda County Superior Court 1225 Fallon Street, Room 209 Oakland, CA 94612 Phone: 510-208-4900

Death
Copies of Death Certificates can be obtained at: Alameda County Clerk Recorder - Vital Records 1106 Madison Street, Room 121 Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: 510-272-6362


 * Alameda County, California Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, Livermore, Pleasanton and Union City areas.

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Alameda Historical Society 2324 Alameda Avenue Alameda 94501

Alameda County Historical Society 672 11th Street Oakland 94607 Phone:510-238-3234 Website

African American Genealogical Society of Northern California PO Box 27485 Oakland,CA 94602-0985

Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society PO Box 573 Pleasanton,CA 94566 Berkeley Historical Society 1931 Center Street Berkeley,CA 9470

East Bay Genealogical Society PO Box 1648 Alameda,CA 94501-0182 Website

Hayward Area Genealogical Society PO Box 754 Hayward, CA 94543-0754

San Leandro Historical Commission 300 Estudillo Avenue San Leandro, CA 94577

Surveyors' Historical Society 31457 Hugh Way Hayward, CA 94544

Washington Township Historical Society PO Box 3045 Fremont CA 94539


 * List of California Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Websites

 * Alameda County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Alameda County CAGenWeb, part of CAGenWeb Project
 * Alameda County, California Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site
 * Genealogy Trails, Alameda County California History &amp; Genealogy

A wiki article describing this collection is found at:


 * California, Genealogical Collections at the California Genealogical Society (FamilySearch Historical Records)