San Francisco County, California Genealogy

United States &gt; California &gt; San Francisco County

Parent County
1850: San Francisco County was created 18 February as an original county. County seat: San Francisco

Record Loss
1906: Courthouse burned and many records were damaged in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research
 * http://blogs.ancestry.com/circle/?p=2424

Neighboring Counties

 * Alameda
 * Marin
 * San Mateo

Cemeteries
California, San Francisco Funeral Home Records: A free internet index and images to the California, San Francisco Funeral Home Records can be viewed on the FamilySearch Record Search website. For a description of the collection see California, San Francisco Funeral Home Records

Census
1850 (1851) for the county is missing.

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Balboa
 * Mission
 * San Francisco
 * Sunset (San Francisco)

Earthquake

Emigration and Immigration

Angels Island Immigration Station - This site gives the history of the Landmark near San Francisco that was known as the “Ellis Island of the West”. When Angels Island was opened in 1910, it was expected to handle European immigrants headed for California via the Panama Canal. Instead, the facility handled about 250,000 immigrants from Asia, 70 percent of them were Chinese. While records aren’t searchable here, you will get a good insight into what those who were detained at Angels Island went through to enter the United States. Site provides links to sources that are available for researching ancestors.

Maps
For historical maps,search the following free sites:

• 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 San Francisco, California

• Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for California

For topographical maps of California mountains, rivers, etc., try the sites listed at USGS Topographic Maps of California.

For current maps, search Google Maps or MapQuest or other map services online.

Vital Records
The San Francisco Department of Public Health has birth and death records since April 1906. You can obtain an informational copy for a fee by mailing the application (Birth Application, Death Application) with your payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope. As with other California counties, you only need to get the form notarized if you want a certified copy. Informational copies do not need a notary. Mail the application to:

San Francisco Public Health Department Office of Vital Records 101 Grove St., Room 105 San Francisco, CA 94102

Web Sites

 * San Francisco Genealogy (sfgenealogy)
 * Golden Nugget Library
 * California GenWeb


 * Family History Library Catalog
 * San Francisco Department of Public Health: Birth and Death Records