Escondido California Stake Family History Center

Escondido Family History Center 2255 Felicita, Escondido, CA 92029

1-760-745-1662 Email: [mailto:CA_Escondido@familyhistorymail.org CA_Escondido@familyhistorymail.org] 

Directors, Martha and Richard Guerrero

Assistant Director, Diana Sanchez

Our Stake Family History Center and its basic services are provided free to the public. We invite all who are interested in genealogy and family history to visit. Our volunteers can show you how to use available FHC’s resources.

Everyone is welcome. To make your visit more effective, please bring as much information as you have about the ancestor(s) you wish to research to include name, date, and place of births, marriages and deaths. Bring a flash drive and a notebook!!! The Escondido Stake Family History Center serves several wards and branches in the Escondido, San Diego County, California area.

Location and Hours
We are located in Escondido, CA just off the I-15 Felicita Exit, at 2255 Felicita Rd.

The entrance on the northwest side of the building.

Ring door bell or Please call us at:  1-760-745-1662  for access.

See our location on the map:


 * Location Map

We are open by appointment only during these hours:


 * Tuesday:       10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 530 pm - 8:00 pm
 * Wednesday:  10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 530 pm - 8:00 pm
 * Thursday:     10:00 am - 2:00 pm

We are closed Sunday, Monday, Friday, Saturdays and most holidays.

We will be closed all of June and July 2022 due to low attendance and vacations.

Thanksgiving - Nov. 23-28, 2022

Christmas - Dec. 23-Jan 9, 2023

Special arrangements can be made for groups up to 7 people.

Calendar and Events
''' The 1950 Census will be released soon! Come in and learn HOW TO INDEX! '''

''' You can sign up for classes at signupgenius.com and search for Escondido Family History Center! '''

May Class Schedule

Tue  3May 6pm - Overview of FamilySearch/Navigate - beginner

Thur 5May 10am - Using the FamilySearch Wiki - beginner

Tue  10May 6pm - FamilySearch Family Tree: Person Page - Vital and other information - beginner

Wed 11May 6pm - Learn How to Index the 1950 Census - beginner

Thur 12May 12pm - Using the FamilySearch Catalog - beginner

Tue   24May 6pm -Getting Merging Duplicates - beginner/Intermediate

Wed 25May 10am -FamilySearch Best Practices and Reason Statements -beginner

You must be signed up to attend a class. Please call the Family History Center at 760 745-1662 to leave a message with your name, phone number and date of desired class or email mg_92069@yahoo.com and leave the same information. You will be contacted to confirm your class. We can only confirm 7 people per class. The classes fill up quickly. Most classes will be re-scheduled in the near future and will be ongoing. Please sign up for a free account at familysearch.org prior to attending your confirmed class.

Please call the Center for current events and calendar.

On-site Free Internet Access for Genealogy Research

 * 19th Century British Library Newspapers digital archive – This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900. These support the study of colonial history, genealogical research, politics, urban studies, and media courses.


 * Access Newspaper Archives - "NewspaperArchive.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive. Featuring billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world, NewspaperARCHIVE makes exploring history and genealogy easy and fun. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old—including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more—to fill in the life stories you are interested in. And share those stories with others through our community at Our NewspaperARCHIVE. All of our historical newspapers are full-page and fully searchable. Try exploring above, and discover your history today!"


 * Alexander Street Press, American Civil War

◦Research Data: Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs. ◦Letters and Diaries: Contains approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs, including 4,000 pages of previously unpublished manuscripts, such as the letters of Amos Wood and his wife and the diary of Maryland planter William Claytor. ◦Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera: Provides a vivid history of the American Civil War with over 1,400 images.


 * Ancestry.com - Institutional version – Ancestry gives you access to thousands of collections of records from around the world, including immigration, census, voter, vital, and military records; newspapers and periodicals; family trees; photos and images; directories, maps, court, land, wills and financial records, stories, memories, and histories; and detailed records about births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, and much more. It is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.


 * ArkivDigital Online - ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents.


 * Findmypast – findmypast makes it easy to research your UK ancestry and create your family tree. Search census records and trace births, marriages, and deaths to bring your family history to life.

◦1911 British Census (accessed through the Findmypast website )–The 1911 UK Census is a record of everyone who lived in England and Wales in 1911. It provides a unique snapshot of the lives of those who lived at that time. Note: Some parts of Findmypast access may be limited due to negotiations (23 Oct 2013).


 * Fold3 (formerly Footnote.com) – Search or browse millions of historical documents and photos. Fold3 has refocused their efforts on gathering the best online collection of military records and stories. The Fold3 name reflects military history and honor, since traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world. See Using Fold3 at a Family History Center for more information.


 * The Genealogist - English parish records, directories, census, civil registration, surname mapping, and selected army and navy lists.


 * Heritage Quest Online – Heritage Quest Online database. This service was removed due to contract expiration.


 * Historic Map Works Library Edition – Historic Map Works™ Library Edition is one of the most extensive digital map collections available, with over 470,000 high-resolution, full color historic and antique maps. The core of the collection consists of cadastral (property and land ownership) maps illustrating the geographic and development history of the United States and also includes illustrations, city directories, and more. This unique content allows genealogists, historians, and academic researchers to track the "residential genealogy" of families and locations.


 * Legacy Stories - Put the leaves on your family tree by giving voice to your ancestors. LegacyStories.Org is a social network for all things heritage. Provides a secure platform to upload stories and photos and add recorded narration. The resulting pictures, stories, and narration can be linked as source records on FamilySearch Family Tree. The site offers a full suite of exciting features, including:

◦Record oral photo narratives directly from your computer microphone. ◦Multi-media story publisher. ◦Social network for feedback and collaboration. ◦Public archives to view and share stories. ◦Five levels of privacy. ◦The Legacy Shop for heritage replayed books, DVD equipment, software, etc.


 * Origins.net - Features comprehensive and exclusive British and Irish record collections dating back to the 13th century, as well as rare and unique photos and books to browse.


 * Paper Trail - Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.


 * World Vital Records


 * Familysearch.org - the database that is linked here to Ancestry, Fold3 and others!

This includes access to the International Genealogical Index (IGI) Revised - Pedigree Resource &amp; Ancestral File submitted genealogies.

Patron Equipment Resources

 * 10 Computers
 * 1 Multi-use Printer &amp; Copier
 * 1 digital Kodak picture scanner system-out of order at this time
 * About 3,400 books and articles focused on our community
 * Card catalog for all material at the FHC
 * Tables and chairs for research and small meetings


 * FamilySearch Catalog: This center may have various films and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog.

Staff Research Specialties
Basic Familysearch and genealogical services. We have a Spanish speaker on staff.

Resources in the Local Area

 * The Escondido Public Library has a pioneer collection and local genealogy area. Please see their webpage here.


 * The Escondido Genealogical Society Facebook


 * The Georgina Cole Library in Carlsbad has a good genealogy collection. The are about 20 miles to the west of the FHC.


 * The San Diego California FamilySearch Library (25 miles South). For more information, please click here.


 * The California State Archives and Libraries provides access to California births, marriages and death records.


 * The San Diego County Library system has an area of computer genealogical support within the 33 branches of the County Library system.

Latter-day Saint collections

 * Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Latter-day Saint history 1830-now: diaries, manuscripts, Church records, photos, oral history, architectural drawings, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, maps, microforms, audiovisual material.
 * Daughters of Utah Pioneers, SLC, the Museum displays artifacts, and the History Department collects and preserves about 100,000 histories of pioneers who set out for, settled, or were born in Utah by 10 May 1869.
 * Utah State Historical Society, SLC, family histories, photographs, books, manuscript collections, telephone directories, maps, newspapers, yearbooks, and periodicals are available in the Research Center and online.

Other links

 * Why Family History is Important
 * California California Family History Resource Page
 * Family History Centers There are over 4,000 smaller family history centers operating in more than 100 countries. Local FamilySearch Libraries are staffed by helpful volunteers. These Libraries are branches of the Family History Library.
 * Family Search WIKI Research your family history, related topics and about where to find help in research. You will learn and those willing to contribute specialized knowledge are welcome to contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki.
 * Family Search Learning Center Family Search has produced and continues to provide professional on-line classes for Family History research. These high-quality videos are available for the rookie genealogist and the seasoned veteran alike.
 * Example: The Genealogy in 5 Minutes playlist demonstrates how, in just a few minutes, individuals with little or no genealogy experience can make some headway on their family’s history. Getting Started  &amp; Five Minute Geneology
 * Please see our extended web page Escondido Family History Center here.

Volunteer at the Center
''We welcome volunteers at our Center. Please contact the Escondido Family History Center for further information and ask to speak to the Director.''