San Luis Obispo California Family History Center

The San Luis Obispo Family History Center serves the city of San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas, providing family history research guidance, genealogy database user support, and assistance to both beginning and experienced family history researchers. Other nearby FHCs are located in Santa Maria and Atascadero, California.

Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 651 Foothill Blvd San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-1686 United States
 * Free parking, including handicapped spaces available.
 * Please ring bell at west door for access.


 * Language:English

Phone:


 * 1-805-543-6328

E-mail:


 * CA_SanLuisObispo@familyhistorymail.org

Hours of Operation:


 * Tuesday:10:00am-4:00pm
 * Wednesday:10:00am-4:00pm
 * Thursday:10:00am-4:00pm
 * Saturday:10:00am-1:00pm

Summer Schedule: Open only on Tuesdays during August 10:00am-4:00 pm; 7:00-8:30 pm.

Holiday Schedule: Open only on Tuesdays during December 10:00am-4:00 pm; 7:00-8:30 pm.

Closed for all major holidays.

Staff Training Meetings
Quarterly.

Collections
NOTE: Microfilms can no longer be ordered.

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

This center provides free on-site access to the following databases:


 * 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive
 * Alexander Street Press - The American Civil War
 * Ancestry.com Family History Library Edition (includes international databases)
 * ArkivDigital
 * Findmypast
 * Fold3 (formerly Footnote.com)
 * The Genealogist
 * Godfrey Memorial Library
 * Heritage Quest Online
 * Historic Map Works Library Edition
 * Paper Trail
 * World Vital Records

In addition to the portal databases listed above, this center also provides free on-site access to:


 * Ancestral Quest 12.1
 * Get My Ancestors 2009.2.18
 * Family Archive Viewer
 * Family History Resource File Viewer 4.0
 * Family Insight
 * Legacy
 * Map My Family Tree 1.3.9
 * Pedigree Resource File
 * Personal Ancestry File (PAF) 5.2
 * Personal Historian
 * RootsMagic
 * XNView (scanning and image management software)

Hardware and Equipment


 * Six public workstation Windows computers
 * Two printers
 * Three 35mm microfilm readers
 * One 16mm microfilm reader
 * One microfiche reader
 * One workstation equipped to scan or print microfilm and/or fiche.
 * There are approximately 550 print volumes, including reference works, county histories, limited local city directories, and local genealogical periodicals.
 * Non-print resources include extended loan microfilm and microfiche from the SLC FHL and pedigree resource files on CD.

Staff Research Specialties
Handwriting assistance Mayflower descendants Searching in New FamilySearch and FamilySearch

New York research in the 1800s Searching databases Family Histories Genealogy software

Macintosh assistance Chicago research Scandinavian research Organizing your research

Resources in the Local Area
History Center of San Luis Obispo County

History Center of San Luis Obispo County

History in San Luis Obispo County

History in San Luis Obispo County

San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

South County Historical Society, San Luis Obispo County

South County Historical Society

Special Collections and University Archives

Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University

Special Collections and University Archives

Vital Records for San Luis Obispo County, California

Office of the Clerk-Recorder

Vital Records for San Luis Obispo County

Links
California Family History Centers

California Family History Centers

San Luis Obispo County, California

San Luis Obispo County, California

California

California

Atascadero FHC

Atascadero, California Family History Center

Santa Maria FHC

Santa Maria, California Family History Center

More Links

 * Journals, Diaries, Biographies, Autobiographies and Letters of Some Early Mormons and Others Who Knew Joseph Smith, Jr. and/or His Contemporaries

National Links:


 * National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC
 * Library of Congress, Washington, DC
 * Daughters of the American Revolution
 * Martin Luther King Public Library, Washington DC Special Collections

Other Family History and Library Centers and Resources

 * Billiongraves.com
 * Find A Grave
 * BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy
 * BYU Family History Library
 * Logan Utah Family History Center
 * Mesa Arizona Family History Center
 * Research WIKI
 * Riverton Utah Family History Center
 * Salt Lake City Family History Library
 * Utah South Area Family History Training Center

Online Genealogy Records by Location
 * Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki: A comprehensive video presentation explaining the Wiki, navigating it, and some especially useful pages. Case studies demonstrate using the Wiki for genealogical research. Editing and adding articles to the Wiki are covered.

Volunteer at the Center
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the temple and family history consultant - center at the email address above.