Santa Maria California Family History Center

Map:

 * Location Map

Address:

 * 908 Sierra Madre Avenue, Santa Maria, CA 93454 United States
 * Entrance and parking are at the southwest corner of the larger church building.
 * Please ring the bell for entrance to the Family History Center.
 * Language: English; Spanish on Tuesdays from 7-9pm.

Phone:

 * 1-805-928-4722
 * If we don't answer the phone, please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Email:

 * ca_santamaria@ldsmail.net

Hours:

 * Sunday: 2:00pm-5:00pm every 1st Sunday of the Month
 * Monday: 10:00am-2:00pm
 * Tuesday: 10:00am-2:00pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm
 * Wednesday: 10:00am-2:00pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm

2020 Holiday Schedule:

 * May 25 (Memorial Day)
 * Sep 7 (Labor Day)
 * Nov 23-27 (Thanksgiving week)
 * Dec 21-31 (Christmas break)
 * Jan 1, 2021 (New Year's Day)

2020 Class Schedule & Family History Courses

 * JANUARY
 * Thursday, Jan. 2 - "A Welsh Family History Experience," 6:30pm - 8pm, presented by Sandy Peterson. This is an opportunity to learn what Sandy did to prepare for meeting her newly discovered Welsh relatives, with interviews, video footage, and photos.


 * Saturday, Jan 4 - "Migration Trails Are Paper Trails: Let's Pick Thru the Crumbs," 10am - 11:30am, presented by Sheila Benedict. This is a FREE Webinar offered by the Southern California Genealogical Society, which usually requires membership to view their webinars.


 * Saturday, Jan 11 - "Making the Most of Fold3 (Military Records Research)," 10am - 11am, presented by James Tanner via BYU webinar (pre-recorded).


 * Wednesday, Jan 15 - "British Isles Research," 9am - 10am, presented by James Orman via St. George webinar (live).


 * Thursday, Jan 16 - "Roots Magic: Do I Need a Desktop Computer Program?" This presentation is offered by the Santa Maria Valley Genealogical Society former president, Deanna Baker.


 * Tues-Wed, Jan 21-22 - A "2-Day Intermediate Family History Course" offered by Los Angeles FamilySearch Library, via video conferencing, 8:30am - 4:30pm each day. Please RSVP so we can make sure to have enough materials available for everyone. Cost is $4 if you would like to have a USB thumb drive containing all the documents from the classes. Instruction and hands-on experience available in this course.


 * Saturday, Jan 25 - "English Research: Civil Registration Made Easy," 10am - 11am, presented by Kathryn Grant, via BYU webinar (pre-recorded).


 * Thursday, Jan 30 - "Online Digital Newspaper Sources: Free vs Subscription," 7pm - 8pm, presented by James Tanner, via BYU webinar (pre-recorded).


 * Friday, Jan 31 - "Immigration & Naturalization," 3:00pm - 4:00pm, presented by Suzanne Hoffman, via BYU webinar (live).

Family Discovery Day

 * Saturday, September 12, 2020 - Join us for an all day event and learn more about how to discover, gather, and connect with your family and ancestors. This is a highlight of the year in family history fun and all are welcome. Invite your friends and family to join us. More details to come later.

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog: The Santa Maria California Family History Center no longer has the ability to order any of the microfilms and microfiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog. Many of the films and fiche are now digitized and therefore available online.


 * We have a Reference Library housing over 1,000 books and periodicals to help you with research throughout the world.

Databases and Software
Our Center has access to the Family History Center Portal which offers free access during your visit to premium family history software and websites. Often these sites will charge subscription fees but here in the Center, there is no charge for patrons to use them. The Portal offers the following:
 * 19th Century British Library Newspapers
 * Alexander Street Press - American Civil War
 * American Ancestors
 * Ancestry.com
 * ArkivDigital
 * FamNet
 * FindMyPast.com
 * Fold3 (Military records research)
 * Geneanet
 * Kinpoint (Premium)
 * MyHeritage.com (Library edition)
 * Newspapers.com
 * Paper Trail
 * Puzzilla (Premium)

Hardware and Equipment

 * 15 computer workstations with printer access
 * 1 Lexmark Laser Black & White Printer/Copier (no charge for copies, limited to 10 copies per patron)
 * 2 Northwest Microfilm Readers
 * 1 Microfiche Reader
 * 1 Canon Microfiche/Microfilm Scanner-Copier
 * 1 Epson Flatbed Photo Scanner (scans photos, negatives, and slides)
 * 1 Epson Upright-Feeding Photo Scanner
 * 1 12" Paper Trimmer/Cutter
 * 1 Heavy-Duty 3-Hole Punch (punches up to 130 sheets at a time of 20 pound paper)

Staff Research Specialties
We have friendly and experienced volunteers who have various skill sets. We also offer translation help in the following languages: Spanish, German and Latin (by appointment).

Resources in the Local Area
Santa Maria Public Library: Special Collections 421 S. McClelland St. Santa Maria, CA 93454

Santa Maria Valley Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2147 Santa Maria, CA 93457
 * The Society meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 2-4pm here at the Santa Maria Family History Center. They do not meet in July, August or December. The Society can be reached for volunteer help through the Santa Maria Public Library: 805-925-0994 or by email at Roots@smvgs.org. If you are just getting started, new to the area, or need something special in your research they can be of help.

Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum 616 S. Broadway Santa Maria, CA 93454

Links
The "Links" below offer in-depth information and education on the subject of each link and there are many more links contained within each page of information. Click the link to learn more about a particular subject and what is available to help you in your research.


 * Santa Barbara County, California


 * California Genealogy


 * United States Genealogy


 * Mexico Genealogy


 * Genealogy Research Forms


 * Latter-day Saint Online Genealogy Records


 * Family History for Beginners