Valencia California Family History Center

Interested in your genealogy? Are you seeking information about your roots? Want to know who you came from? Have you wondered who your great-great-great grandfather was? You can start or continue your family search without charge at the Valencia Family History Center. Established in 1978, it is open to the public 45 hours each week. The all-volunteer staff of research experts assist interested patrons, who have made more than 2,200 visits to the Center each year. In addition to providing personal assistance, the center’s equipment include computers with free access to premium websites, microfilm and microfiche readers with access to more than 2 million rolls of microfilm, printers, scanners, and a book library. For 24-hour recorded information or to speak with someone at the Center, call 661-259-1347.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 24443 McBean Pkwy Valencia California 91355 United States


 * Language:English

Phone:


 * 1-661-259-1347

E-Mail:


 * ValenciaFHC@outlook.com or CA_Valencia@ldsmail.net

Open Hours:


 * Mon: 9:00am-5:00pm
 * Tue: 9:00am-5:00pm; 6:00pm-9:00pm
 * Wed: 9:00am-5:00pm; 6:00pm-9:00pm
 * Thu: 9:00am-5:00pm; 6:00pm-9:00pm
 * Sat: 9:00am-1:00pm

2016 Holiday Schedule- Closed:

Feb 15 Presidents Day Apr 2 General Conference May 30 Memorial Day Jul 4 Independence Day Sep 5 Labor Day Oct 1 General Conference Nov 24 Thanksgiving Day Dec 24-31 Christmas Week

Mark Your Calendars... Santa Clarita Valley Family History and Technology Fair
Saturday, April 22, 2017 - 8:30am to 4:00pm

After January 2017, Click here to pre-register: SCVFamHistFair.com

Family History Center Seminar Schedule for 2016
'''Seminars are free to the general public. All dates shown are on Thursday - Instruction from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. To be added to our email list and be notified of upcoming seminar's and events, click here '''

October 20, 2016
Seminar: "Proven Methodology for Using Google for Genealogy"

Description: As genealogist we follow a process, so why do we Google so haphazardly? Bring method to the madness of millions of results with this tried and true methodology for using Google for your genealogy research. Google expert and author of The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, Second Edition Lisa Louise Cooke will walk you through the process, provide you with the tools and WOW your socks off with real-life examples of Googling success. You will leave this class inspired to revisit using Google for your online searches, and armed with the latest strategies to do so successfully. Not everything is online by any stretch, but even offline sources are more efficiently discovered and accessed when you start online. And the fastest and most effective way to locate online data, whether it resides on a university website or the blog of a distant cousin you've never met, is Google!

(Video presenter:Lisa Louise Cooke (Class level: All)

November 3, 2016
Seminar: "Using the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) for Success"

Description: Life is good when records with direct evidence exist, like a marriage license that gives the birth dates and places of both bride and groom and lists the full names of each set of parents. Typically that doesn't last long. At some point, one finds only bits and pieces of indirect or conflicting evidence and progress often comes to a screeching halt. This class examines a case study prepared for application to the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) where direct evidence was non-existent in identifying the family of Jesse Roberts of Greenville County, South Carolina. Key strategies are presented to piece together strands and threads of evidence from disparate sources using the Genealogical Proof Standard. (Video presenter:James Ison (Class level: Intermediate)

November 17, 2016
Seminar: "Homespun and Calico: Finding our Foremothers"

Description: Half of the names on your pedigree chart belong to women. These female ancestors sometimes have little proof that they even existed. In this class, we will discover some ways to find the women in our family's history, evidence of their lives, and perhaps some different ways they may have arrived in America.(Video presenter: Peggy Clemens Lauritzen. Class level: All)

Free commercial website at the Valencia California Family History Center
The 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 Archive "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.


 * Social and Cultural History: Personal accounts of well-known historical figures.


 * Women and Social Movements in the United States: Organized around the history of women in social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000 A.D.

American Ancestors
 * Advance your family history research today with AmericanAncestors.org! Created by the expert staff at New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America's founding genealogical organization, AmericanAncestors.org is the portal to the nation's leading resource for the highest-quality comprehensive family history services. Consult with our expert staff, some of the most respected genealogists in the profession. Read the most significant original scholarship and important publications in genealogy. Access millions of exclusive and sought-after records online. Learn with in-depth online courses and webinars from expert staff. Explore the largest collection of original family history research materials in America.
 * Ancestry.com 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. Click the link from the Premium Family History Websites page to install the current client version of ArkivDigital Online.
 * 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. Please note that not all of the content from findmypast is available in family history centers. 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.
 * 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.
 * Geneanet
 * With 3 billion referenced individuals and 600,000 trees online, Geneanet is the first site dedicated to genealogy in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The Geneanet community has two million members who exchange genealogical information.
 * Kinpoint Premium  Kinpoint is designed to make it easier for you to do your family history by letting you see what to work on at a glance; quickly find missing information in your family tree; and discover insights into the lives of your ancestors.
 * MyHeritage—Library Edition
 * Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.
 * Paper Trail
 * Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.
 * ProQuest Obituary Listings
 * The ProQuest obituaries collection is a premier resource for genealogical and historical research. You can use the collection to search obituaries and death notices from prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times (dating back to 1851). The collection includes both famous and lesser-known individuals and can be searched by name or by keywords appearing in the body of the article.
 * Puzzilla (Premium Services)
 * Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.
 * World Vital Records The link to World Vital Records currently redirects to MyHeritage.com. In the near future, World Vital Records will be removed from the Portal.
 * Paper Trail
 * Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.
 * ProQuest Obituary Listings
 * The ProQuest obituaries collection is a premier resource for genealogical and historical research. You can use the collection to search obituaries and death notices from prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times (dating back to 1851). The collection includes both famous and lesser-known individuals and can be searched by name or by keywords appearing in the body of the article.
 * Puzzilla (Premium Services)
 * Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.
 * World Vital Records The link to World Vital Records currently redirects to MyHeritage.com. In the near future, World Vital Records will be removed from the Portal.
 * Puzzilla (Premium Services)
 * Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.
 * World Vital Records The link to World Vital Records currently redirects to MyHeritage.com. In the near future, World Vital Records will be removed from the Portal.
 * World Vital Records The link to World Vital Records currently redirects to MyHeritage.com. In the near future, World Vital Records will be removed from the Portal.


 * 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.

Hardware and Equipment

 * (Include the resources you have to help individuals do their research - computers, microfilm readers, printers, etc. )

Staff Research Specialties
(Include sections for any other services your center provides. Add additional sections for those services. See the Bountiful and Chattanooga FHC pages for examples.)

Resources in the Local Area
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Links
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Volunteer at the Center
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