San Mateo County, California Genealogy

United States California  San Mateo County

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



County Courthouse
San Mateo County Courthouse 400 County Center Redwood City, CA 94603 Ph. 650.363.4712

County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage and death record from 1866, divorce, court and land records from 1880 and probate from 1856

Parent County
18 February 1856: San Mateo County was created from San Francisco County, with additional territory added in 1868 from Santa Cruz County. County seat: Redwood City

Boundary Changes
1868 - Land from Santa Cruz County

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

Resources

 * San Mateo County Places SMCGS
 * San Mateo County - Wikipedia
 * San Mateo County Places sfgenealogy

History

 * Atherton town 1923
 * Belmont town 1926
 * Brisbane
 * Broadmoor unincorporated
 * Burlingame
 * Camp Fremont World War I Training Camp
 * Colma town 1924
 * Crystal Springs
 * Daly City
 * East Palo Alto City 1983/1987
 * El Granada Unincorporated
 * Fair Oaks (Menlo Park / Atherton)
 * Foster City City 1971
 * Hillsborough City 1910
 * La Honda unincorporated
 * Menlo Park 1874-1876/ 1923
 * Millbrae City 1948
 * Miramar (Half Moon Bay)
 * Montara unicorporated
 * Moss Beach - Fitzgerald Reserve
 * Pacifica City 1957
 * Pescadero Unincorporated
 * Portola Valley Town 1964
 * Princeton by the Sea
 * Purissima abandoned
 * Redwood City City 1868 - County seat
 * Ravenswood (East Palo Alto)
 * San Benito (Half Moon Bay / Spanishtown)
 * San Bruno City 1914
 * San Carlos City 1926
 * San Gregorio
 * San Mateo 1894
 * Searsville Abandoned 1891 when Searsville Dam was built
 * South San Francisco 1908
 * Spanishtown
 * Westlake
 * Woodside

Populated Places (Official city and town websites)

 * Atherton
 * Belmont
 * Brisbane
 * Burlingame
 * Colma
 * Daly City
 * East Palo Alto
 * Foster City
 * Half Moon Bay
 * Hillsborough
 * Millbrae
 * Menlo Park
 * Montara
 * Pacifica
 * Pescadero
 * Portola Valley
 * Redwood City
 * San Bruno
 * San Carlos
 * San Gregorio
 * San Mateo
 * South San Francisco
 * Woodside

Neighboring Counties

 * Alameda
 * San Francisco
 * Santa Clara
 * Santa Cruz

Biography

 * Schellens Collection of Historical Materials - Names
 * Schellens Collection of Historical Materials - Businesses

Church History and Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Burlingame
 * Redwood City
 * San Mateo

Roman Catholic - Archdiocese of San Francisco


 * Archives 320 Middlefield Road Menlo Park, CA 94063 email: [mailto:sfarchiv@concentric.net sfarchiv@concentric.net] telephone: (650) 328-6502
 * San Mateo County Parishes
 * History of Diocese on Wikipedia

Court Records
Index to Early San Mateo County Court Records

Crime and Criminals
Index to Sheriff's Office Booking Registers

History
In 1856 the city and county of San Francisco was incorporated within its present borders, the land down the peninsula that was not included in the incorporation became San Mateo County A portion of the bill that established the county required the election of county officers and the naming of a county seat on the second Monday of May of the current year (1856). Three well known but not very ethical politicians, Bernard and Billy Mulligan and Chris Lilly, arranged to gain control of the new county’s government. The resulting vote was proof of corruption. The Laguna area reported 297 votes with a voting population of 25, Colma had a return of 500 with 50-60 eligible voters. In Belmont witnesses were not allowed to monitor the vote. In all 1800 ballots were cast in an area with a total population of only 2500 at a time when only adult males were eligible to vote.

Fortunately not all of those who were elected were corrupt. The post of County Judge was won by Benjamin I Fox of Redwood City. It was his court, sitting in the temporary quarters at Angelo's Hotel in Belmont (the town named county seat in the election) which presided over the suits resulting from the election. As the trials went on, earlier misdeeds caught up with many of the accused. The majority fled the area for parts unknown. Others, however, were caught, tried and at least one, James Casey, was hung.

Stating that an election that took place before the Consolidation Act that necessitated it took effect on July 1, could not be legal, the California State Supreme Court threw out the entire election in October of 1856. The officials who were in place, however, continued to function as San Mateo County's governing body until a true and legal election was held in 1857. When the legislature officially recognized San Mateo County in 1857 they named Redwood City as the capitol.

The rich resources of the area and the mild climate have been instumental in the settlement of San Mateo County. The early Ohlone Indians were hunters and gatherers, living under some of the huge oak trees that still dot the area. Spanish explorers, padres and ranchers used the area for food production. Anglo settlers came in at the time of the gold rush. Although little if any gold was found in the county, they stayed establishing a thriving lumber community and numerous dairy farms.

The wealthy of San Francisco opened summer homes on the Peninsula. In the early days it was a full days trip to get from San Francisco to those homes. But first the railroad and later improved roads and cars opened up the possibilities and the inhabitants of San Francisco moved permanently into San Mateo County. The 1906 earthquake displaced many people in San Francisco. After relocating in San Mateo County, many never moved back into San Francisco. World War I brought industrial growth to the areas around South San Francisco and with it an influx of residents. No longer did residents have to travel to work in San Francisco, they were employed in masses on the peninsula. There are many books available on the history of San Mateo County and it's individual cities.


 * CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County History

Land and Property
The Spanish and Mexican Governments distributed the bulk of San Mateo County lands to those who had served the government or military. Most of the Rancho owners also had residences around Mission Dolores in the current San Francisco. See California Land and Property for more information.

With the collapse of the Bear Flag Republic and the end of the Mexican War, California was ceded to the United States and the federal government was given control of all California lands. Rancho owners and those who had bought land from them, were required to petition for the lands they already held. See United States Deeds for more information.

The resulting patents were recorded in San Mateo County in Patent Books 1-3. SMCGS has Indexed the records and images are available in the San Mateo County Record collection on FamilySearch.

The Recorder's Office also has Deed Books, Mortgage Books, Official Records and Miscellanous records in the offsite repository. Many of the earliest books have been indexed by SMCGS volunteers. For links to San Mateo County Land Records check the CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Land and Maps.

are free to browse at FamilySearch Historical Records. For a description of the records, see the wiki article titled, California, San Mateo County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Current Records and microfilms of old deeds are available in the County Recorder's Office in Redwood City. Start by searching for the current address at one of the available computers. You will find the current owner and also links to maps related to the property including original rancho maps and maps showing the first subdivision of the land. There are more maps available in the record repository, some show the early landowners in various areas throughout the county.

The index books have been scanned and you can search through them just as you would the original indexes, but without the weight. This can be a busy office so if you need help navitating through the system be patient. It is possible to get every deed for a property and printouts of the maps with a few hours research and a few dollars.


 * Index to San Mateo County Early Land Records
 * Index to San Mateo County Miscellaneous Land Records
 * Index to Sole Traders Ledger

Maps
CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Land and Maps

County of San Mateo - Mappery

Military History and Records
CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Military

The History of Camp Fremont
Few of today’s San Mateo County residents know exactly where Camp Fremont once stood, but for about 18 months, from July 12, 1917 until it was dismantled in early 1919 it was a teeming World War I Training Camp. At it’s peak nearly 27,000 personnel were resident on the base. In all more than 43,000 soldiers passed through the little town of Menlo Park (former population 2300).

Country living was disturbed by the sounds of guns, canon and grenades exploding as troops trained for their eminent war duty. Menlo Park was chosen as the training site due to it’s similarity to the French terrain where troops were supposedly heading.

Located from the El Camino Real to the Alameda de Las Pulgas and from Valparaiso to the San Francisquito Creek, Camp Fremont covered approximately 25,000 acres (15 Square miles). Besides calvary and infantry there were nearly 10000 horses and mules which were housed further east at a re-mount station on Ravenswood, near the camp hospital. Of the 16 training centers erected by the War department, Camp Fremont was the largest east of the Mississippi.

Every idle carpenter on the peninsula was put to work. In all more than 700 men were put to work turning over 100 railroad cars of lumber into temporary buildings. Barracks consisted of wooden floors and sidewalls topped with canvas tents. Camp Fremont’s tent city covered more than 1000 acres. 150 Southern Pacific workers laid spur track from the main line to the middle of camp. El Camino Real was paved to accommodate the increased traffic, and Menlo Park became known as one of the worst traffic bottlenecks on the peninsula.

Suddenly every available store front was occupied by merchants from throughout the Bay Area. A movie theater, post office, church and library were built. Beltramo’s Winery and every tavern within 5 miles of the base were declared dry by order of the army and the county.

Sequoia High School opened a branch on the base offering classes in English, arithmetic, shorthand, typing and accounting but low attendance caused the program to fold. Stanford University, worried about the proximity of so many men to their co-eds, stopped their objections when two companies of soldiers were assigned to the duty of making sure that no soldiers invaded Stanford’s borders and no Co-eds infiltrated Tent City.

Shortly after the building started the war department halted the effort for three months. The original troops were moved east at one point, but then the 8th Division, Regular Army was transferred in and remained until the dismantling. The troops which had trained to join the war efforts in France never did reach Europe. Some 5000, however, did serve time in Siberia. Michael Svanevik’s article When ‘The Forgotten Army’ Went to Siberia, The San Mateo Times, Friday, Aug 19, 1988 pg B3, tells a little of the tale of the Siberian intervention.

Before it was ordered closed in December 1918, just one month after the armistice was signed 43,000 men had been trained. So, just 18 months after it was erected Camp Fremont was abandoned and the land reverted to it’s previous owners. But due to the efforts of the 8th Army Corp of Engineers the once rustic town of Menlo Park now had paved roads, water and gas services. Other legacies were the more than a million pounds of lead that were removed from the hills as they were developed. Today a few remainders of the 1000 plus Camp buildings dot the landscape of Menlo Park. The popular McArthur Park restaurant and the Oasis Beer Garden are housed in remnants of the vast camp and the Veterans Center on Willow Road was the base hospital.

Many of the 43000 men who served at Camp Fremont were recent emigres to the United States. In accordance with legislation passed at the time of the Civil War, the naturalization process was changed to honor their efforts for their new country. In all nearly 3200 men took advantage of the opportunity to become United States citizens before the base closed.

See Naturalization Records below for a Link to the Camp Fremont Naturalization Index.

Naturalization and Citizenship Records
All naturalization records produced by San Mateo County Courts are held by the San Mateo County Recorders Office. This appears to be a complete set of all the Declarations of Intention to become a citizen and Petitions for the entire time the local courts handled naturalizations. The last record is from the year 1983. The earliest records are in an envelope file, and many records have Declarations attached which were filed elsewhere.

The San Mateo County Genealogical Society has indexed these volumes through 1945.

SMC Naturalization Indexes


 * Prior to 1906
 * 1907-1925
 * 1926-1945
 * post 1945

There are references to early naturalizations in the Court Docket books which are located in the San Mateo County Historical Society Archives. All names found in these volumes are also found in the Records office records.

The Naturalizations for Camp Fremont are contained in volumes dated May 1917 to March 1918. The special military naturalization required no Declaration of Intention, therefore the complete record will be contained in one volume. Naturalized soldiers were from all over the United States. Originals are located in the SMC Recorder's Office offsite storage facility. SMCGS has also indexed those volumes.

Camp Fremont Naturalization Index Naturalizations filed by San Mateo County in the California Northern District court are located at the National Archives in San Bruno.

SMCGS also transcribed a card file of naturalized voters, which is also located in the Recorders Office.

Naturalized Voter Card File All Naturalization Records after 1906 can be ordered from USCIS

Newspapers
CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Newspapers

Obituaries
The SMCGS Obituary Collection - This collection currently includes over 57,000 indexed and scanned obituaries as well as a large collection of obituaries that are indexed elsewhere, see below. Copies of Obituaries in this index can be obtained from the San Mateo County Genealogical Society

San Mateo County, California Obituary and Death Notice CollectionFree from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the San Mateo, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Belmont, Burlingame, Daly City, Foster City, Hillsborough and Pacifica areas.

See Death Records

Probate
Unfortunately, FamilySearch has no probate files for San Mateo County. Some early probate ledgers are available in the San Mateo County Historical Association Archives, the rest are available from the Superior Court not the County Recorder. For a listing of available probate and other court records see CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Court Records

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
CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Libraries and Archives

County Courthouse

 * San Mateo County Superior Court

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Menlo Park Family History Center
 * San Francisco California Family History Center (San Bruno)
 * San Francisco California West Family History Center (Pacifica)

Schools
Sequoia High School - Redwood City - 1st High School in County

Societies
Spanishtown Historical Society 505 Johnston Street Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 Phone: 650-726-7084

Millbrae Historical Society P.O. Box 511 420 Poplar Avenue Millbrae, CA 94030 Phone: 650-692-5786

Burlingame Historical Society PO Box 144 Burlingame CA 94011

Belmont Historical Society 1225 Ralston Avenue Belmont, CA 94002-1902

San Mateo County Historical Assn. 1700 West Hillsdale Blvd. San Mateo 94402

San Mateo County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 5083 San Mateo 94402

San Mateo County Genealogical Society PO Box 5569 Redwood City, CA 94063-5569 Phone: 650.306.3423 Website

San Mateo County Historical Association 777 Hamilton Street Redwood City, CA 94063

Vital Records
You can get informational copies of birth and death certificates from the San Mateo County Clerk. Print and complete an Application for Certified Copy of Vital Record. As with other California counties, requests for an Official Certified Copy of either birth or death records must be notarized. Requests for an Informational Certified Copy do not need to be notarized.

Birth

 * San Mateo County Birth Index to 1965
 * San Mateo Vital Record notices

Marriage

 * CSGS Research Guide - San Mateo County Birth and Marriage Records
 * San Mateo County Marriage Index

Death

 * San Mateo County Death Records 1880-1920s (James Crowe's Book)
 * San Mateo County Coroner's Record Index
 * Finding Aid to Coroner's Records on Family Search
 * CSGA Research Guide - San Mateo County Death Records

Websites

 * San Mateo County Genealogical Society
 * San Mateo County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * San Mateo County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site