One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, marriage, and death (BMD) information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists (as well as the largest of them all - FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to birth, marriage, and death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific BMD information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual birth, marriage, and death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth, marriage, and death information that are not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers, draft registration files, naturalization records, etc. have BMD info. To find out which types of other records may include BMD information, please see:
- 27 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
- 22 Ways to Find Ancestors Marriage Information
- 21 Ways to Find Ancestors Death Information
The lists below are specific birth, marriage, and death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of California.
Note 1: Many of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. In many cases there is a link to the digital collection in the middle of the page, but also near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. Please also note that I have listed below only BMD databases that are accessible digitally from your computer (or tablet/phone)
Note 2: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
(Updated July, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Marriages, 1733-1990
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
California
- Alameda City, Births, 1985-2007
- Alameda County, California Deaths, 1889-1894
- Alameda County, California Deaths, 1895-1901
- Antioch Ledger Newspaper Vital Records, 2 Apr 1870-17, Mar 1877
- Bay Area Reporter Deaths and Obituary Clippings
- Butte County Marriage Index, 1949-1959
- Butte County Vital Records 1854-1897
- Butte County, Birth Index, ca. 1853-1950
- Butte County, Coroners Inquests, 1851-1963
- Butte County, Death Index, ca. 1853-1950
- Butte County, Marriage Index, ca. 1853-1950
- Calaveras County Coroner's Inquest Records, 1854-1955 and Index 1854-1956
- Calaveras County, Newspaper File Index, 1860-1950
- California Birth Index, 1905-1995
- California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988
- California Cemeteries Vital Records to 1962
- California County Marriages, 1843-1918
- California Death Index, 1905-1939
- California Death Index, 1940-1997
- California Federal Mortality Schedules 1880
- California Marriage Index, 1960-1985
- California Marriages, 1850-1945
- California Mother Lode Birth Records 1856-1915
- California State Library, Vital Statistics Index ca. 1800's-1920
- California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994
- California, County Marriages, 1850-1952
- California, Indexes for Brides and Grooms, 1949-1959
- Del Norte County Birth Indexes
- Del Norte County Death Indexes
- Early California Population Project
- Early Livermore Death and Obituary Indexes
- El Dorado County Marriage Indexes
- El Dorado County, Births, 1902-1982, Marriages, 1859-1932, Deaths, 1909-1928; and Indexes, 1904-1987
- Fillmore, Ventura County Obituary Index
- Fresno County Marriage Records (, California), 1856-1920; Indexes, 1856-1919
- Fresno County, Index to Births 1893-1975
- Grass Valley Birth (1890-1894) and Death Records (1857-1905)
- Healdsburg Death Certificates, 1905-1915
- Hollister Register of Deaths 1905-1920
- Humboldt County Church Marriage Indexes
- Humboldt County Register of Deaths, 1873-1905
- Inyo County Death Records, 1905-1919
- Kern County Death Index pre-1905
- Kern County Marriage Records
- Kern County, Kern Valley Sun Newspaper Obituaries, 1969-1993
- Lake County Birth Index
- Lake County Death Records, 1867-1957
- Lake County Index to Certificates of Death, 1918-1984
- Lake County Newspaper Death Index
- Lake County Newspaper Marriage Index
- Lassen County Births
- Lodi, Certificates of Birth, 1915-1922
- Lompoc Vital Records 1915-1919
- Long Beach Deaths and Transcribed Obituaries
- Long Beach, Birth Records, 1920-1930
- Long Beach, Death Certificates, 1958-1960
- Long Beach, Report of Births, Deaths and Index, 1904-1917
- Los Angeles City, Birth Records 1906-1930
- Los Angeles City, Death Records 1905-1930
- Los Angeles City, Index of Deaths, 1877-1962 and Death Records, 1930-1963
- Los Angeles County Index to Marriages 1951-1957 and Marriage Records 1951-1958
- Los Angeles County Marriage Records, 1871-1950 ; Indexes, 1856-1950
- Los Angeles County, Birth Records 1906-1930
- Los Angeles County, Index to Deaths, 1905-1978 and Death Records, 1889-1960
- Los Angeles County, Original Birth (1849-1901) and Death Records (1874-1901)
- Los Angeles Daily Times Births, Marriages and Deaths 1881-1886
- Los Angeles Public Library Death Index
- Los Gatos Deaths and Obituary Clippings
- Madera County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Mariposa County Births, Marriages, and Transcribed Obituaries
- Mendocino County Birth Certificates, 1909-1919
- Mendocino County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Mendocino County Death Index 1861-1924
- Mendocino County Index Births 1861-1924
- Mendocino County Index Marriages 1861-1924
- Mendocino County Marriage Records, 1859-1924
- Merced County Early Marriages, 1855-1905
- Merced County Vital Records Indexes
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Modesto Sextons Records, 1902-1918
- Monterey County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Napa and Butte Counties Death Index and Obituary Clippings 1866-1992
- Napa County, Deaths, 1873-1905
- Nevada County Marriages
- Nevada County, Marriage Records, 1895-1950 ; Indexes, 1856-1958
- Northern California Mortuary Records 1849-1900
- Oakland Births, Marriages, Deaths and Obituary Clippings 1985-2011
- Oakland Family History Center Newspaper Record Collection, 1980-2011
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Orange County Miscellaneous Newspaper Birth, Marriage, and Death Announcements
- Palmdale Death Index
- Pasadena, Death Certificates, 1958-1960
- Petaluma Registers of Births and Deaths, 1885-1920
- Placer County, St. Josephs Catholic Church Marriages and Death Index
- Placer, Shasta and Yuba Counties Early California Wills and Vital Statistics 1849-1900
- San Andreas, Groom and Bride Index 1854-1905; Marriage, Death and Birth indexes 1856-1994
- San Bernardino County Birth Records, 1872-1905, 1872-1905
- San Bernardino County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- San Diego County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- San Diego County, Earliest Marriage Papers, 1850-1866
- San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979
- San Francisco Call Index
- San Francisco City and County Coroner's Register, 1927-1954
- San Francisco County Marriage Records, 1904-1975
- San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997
- San Francisco Death Index - Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) 1882-1892
- San Francisco Masonic Cemetery Vital Records
- San Francisco Vital Indexes and Records
- San Francisco Vital Records from the Daily Alta California Newspaper 1854
- San Francisco Vital Records from the Daily Evening Bulletin Newspaper 1856, 1857
- San Francisco Vital Records Indexes
- San Joaquin County, Certificates of Marriages, 1905-1915; Indexes, 1850-1949
- San Joaquin County Deaths and Obituary Clippings 1850-1991
- San Luis Obispo County Death notices, obituaries and articles : 1888-1903
- San Luis Obispo County Birth. Marriage, and Death Indexes
- San Luis Obispo County Marriage Records 1850-1913
- San Mateo County Birth, Death, and Marriages Indexes, 1853-1948
- San Mateo County Records, 1851-1991
- San Mateo County, Coroners' Reports, 1865-1991
- San Mateo County, Marriage Records, 1927-1943
- Santa Barbara Birth Records (1910-1920) and Death Records (1911-1922)
- Santa Barbara County Births
- Santa Barbara County Deaths
- Santa Barbara County Marriages
- Santa Clara County Death Records, 1873-1905
- Santa Clara County Early Vitals Indexes
- Santa Clara County Marriage Licenses Card index, ca. 1846-1946
- Santa Cruz County Births & Deaths from Early Newspapers
- Santa Cruz County, Marriages from Early Newspapers
- Santa Maria, Birth (1915-1918) and Death (1910-1918) Records
- Santa Rosa Record of Births and Deaths, 1871-1926
- Sebastopol Register of Births and Deaths, 1915-1920
- Shasta County Deaths and Transcribed Obituaries
- Sonoma County Birth Records 1858-1919
- Sonoma, Register of Births and Deaths, 1915-1920
- Stanislaus County Burial Permits, 1889-1918
- Stanislaus County Courthouse Records, Marriages, 1854-1906 and Wills, 1872-1908
- Stanislaus County Marriages
- Stockton Vital Records from Newspapers, 1850-1852
- Stockton, Certificates of Birth, 1903-1929
- Tracy, Certificates of Birth, 1915-1928
- Tracy, Death Certificates, 1915-1929
- Trinity County Marriage Indexes
- Tulare County Marriages
- Tulare County Vital Records Indexes
- Ventura County Birth Records
- Ventura County Marriage and Death Indexes
- Ventura County Marriage Indexes
- Western States Historical Marriage Records Index
- Yucaipa Valley Death and Obituary Indexes
Check out the links for other states on the BMD Records page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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