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California - "Eureka, I Have Found It"

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​California is a huge state. And even though it does not have as long a history as some of the earlier states in America, that does not lessen the amount of history, as well as genealogy and family history resources that are available. To assist fellow Californians in this endeavor, please take a look at, and use the resources below in your search for your California ancestors.

Full disclosure - I no longer live in the state, but I have hundreds of ancestors and relatives who did indeed live there (and still do), with a few as early as 1851. So I have done quite a bit of researching and still have tons to do. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but contains many of the larger resources available, most of which are free, either online or offline.

Here's hoping that using these resources will give you a "Eureka" moment!


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​Statewide Resources













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Archives and Libraries

  • California Genealogical Society 
  • California GenWeb 
  • Golden Nugget Library - Statewide 
  • California Genealogy and History Archives
  • California Birth Index 1905 - 1995 
  • California Death Records 1940 - 1997  
  • California Resources - FamilySearch.org
  • California Databases - Ancestry.com
  • Norcal Genealogy
  • California Vital Records
  • Facebook Group - California Genealogy


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  • California State Library - Genealogy Resources
  • California Historical Society
  • State Archives - Genealogical and Family History Resources
  • Online Archive of California
  • Sutro Library
  • Bancroft Library Biography and Genealogy
  • Los Angeles Public Library - History & Genealogy Department
  • San Diego Central Library - Genealogy Room
  • California Genealogical Society


​County Resources


​Alameda
  • CA Genweb - Alameda County CAGenWeb
  • Alameda County Genealogy - Databases
  • Golden Nugget Library - Alameda County
Los Angeles
  • CA GenWeb - Los Angeles County
  • Golden Nugget Library - Los Angeles County
Sacramento
  • Golden Nugget Library - Sacramento County
  • CA GenWeb - Sacramento County
  • Sacramento Public Library - Genealogy
San Bernardino
  • CA GenWeb - San Bernardino County
  • Pre-1905 Death Index
  • Miscellaneous San Bernardino Information
San Diego
  • CAGenWeb - San Diego County 
San Francisco
  • San Francisco Genealogy
  • CA GenWeb - San Francisco County
  • Pre-1905 Death Index
  • Golden Nugget Library - San Francisco County
  • San Francisco Call Vital Statistics 1869 - 1900

Genealogical Societies

  • African American Genealogical Society of Northern California
  • California Genealogical Society ​
  • Los Angeles Westside Genealogical Society
  • Orange County California Genealogical Society
  • Sacramento Genealogical Society
  • San Diego Genealogical Society
  • Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society
  • Southern California Genealogical Society
  • Ventura County Genealogical Society

History and Historical Societies

  • California Historical Society
  • Historical Society of Southern California
  • Los Angeles Historical Society
  • ​California History Guide

Newspapers

  • California Digital Newspaper Collection
  • Chronicling America - Library of Congress
  • List of All Historical California Newspapers
  • List of Current California Newspapers
  • California Online Historical Newspapers Summary

Photos and Maps

  • California Antique Maps and Historical Atlases
  • California Map Society
  • California State Library - Maps
  • California State Library - Photos
  • Calisphere - A World of Digital Resources
  • Historic Photographs - Chico State
  • San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection
  • Old SF - Photos 


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