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 &amp; Map:


 * Address: 651 Foothill Boulevard, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-1686
 * Free parking, including handicapped spaces available. Please ring bell at west door for access.
 * For directions and map, click here.

Phone: 805-543-6328

E-mail: [mailto:ca_sanluisobispo@ldsmail.net ca_sanluisobispo@ldsmail.net]

Open Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs: 10-4, Sat: 10-1. '''Please note: The San Luis Obispo Family History Center will be closed for four weeks beginning August 5, 2012, and will reopen the day after Labor Day, September 4th. '''

Holiday Schedule: Closed during the month of August. Limited schedule in December.

Staff Training Meetings
Quarterly.

Collections

 * Family History Library Catalog: This center has the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the Family History Library Catalog. We can help you order online.

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
 * Find My Past
 * 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
Heritage Shared

http://www.heritageshared.org/

History Center of San Luis Obispo County

http://historycenterslo.org/

History in San Luis Obispo County

http://historyinslocounty.org/Bibliography.htm

San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

http://www.slocgs.org/

South County Historical Society, San Luis Obispo County

http://southcountyhistory.org/

Special Collections &amp; University Archives

Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University

http://lib.calpoly.edu/specialcollections/

Vital Records for San Luis Obispo County, California

Office of the Clerk-Recorder

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/clerk/Copies_of_Clerk_Records/Vital_Records.htm

Links
California Family History Centers

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Category:California_Family_History_Centers

San Luis Obispo County, California

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/San_Luis_Obispo_County,_California

California

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/California

Atascadero FHC

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Atascadero_California_Family_History_Center

Santa Maria FHC

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Santa_Maria_California_Family_History_Center

Volunteer at the Center
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the director at the email address above.