Data Collections
Sorted by California census & voter lists
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California, U.S., Voter Registrations, 1900-196870,501,340
California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-18983,682,335
California, U.S., State Census, 1852164,511
California, U.S., Index to Census Roll of Indians, 1928-193326,744
California, U.S., Spanish Mission Censuses, 1796-17984,720
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Data Collections
Sorted by California birth, marriage & death
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California Birth Index, 1905-199524,585,639
California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1960-19859,800,381
California, U.S., Death Index, 1940-19979,356,987
California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-19845,221,028
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-19704,566,787
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Data Collections
Sorted by California military
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U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-194754,144,553
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 194214,501,913
U.S., Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1910-193912,889,430
California, U.S., Military Registers, 1858-1923142,771
California, U.S., State Roster Government and Military records, 190925,712
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Data Collections
Sorted by California immigration & emigration
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California, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-19596,431,854
U.S., Border Crossings from Mexico to U.S., 1895-19645,878,587
U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)Free5,810,303
California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-19915,232,669
U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940320,331
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Data Collections
Sorted by California newspapers & periodicals
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California, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index1,067,030,707
Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California)526,400
San Diego Union-Tribune (California) Obituaries, 1993-199411,548
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Data Collections
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California, U.S., World War I Soldier Photographs, 1917-1918Free4,800
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Sorted by California directories & member lists
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California, U.S., Railroad Employment Records, 1862-1950Free5,689,563
California, U.S., Occupational Licenses, Registers, and Directories, 1876-1969848,561
U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995465,389
San Francisco, California Directories, 1889-91252,944
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970210,143
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Data Collections
Sorted by California court, land, wills & financial
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California, U.S., San Mateo County Records, 1855-19911,595,496
California, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1850-1953374,719
California, U.S., Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950284,800
California, U.S., Alien Land Ownership Records, 1921-1952Free39,170
California, U.S., Spanish Land Records, 1784-1868Free1,827
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Data Collections
Sorted by California dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference
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Who's Who on the Pacific Coast, 1913Free3,701
California, U.S., Cemetery Inscription Sources, 19943,169
Register of the California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution325
birth place, age, residence, etc., of the officers of state, Supreme Court, and members of the Legislature of California9
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There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to California
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Sorted by California stories, memories & histories
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An Enduring Legacy26,448
California, U.S., Biographical Index Cards, 1781-1990Free7,406
U.S., Women of the West, 1928Free4,669
Who's Who on the Pacific Coast, 1913Free3,701
California, Pioneer Index, 1769-18482,980
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A genealogical history

California in brief

Statehood:  9 September 1850
Capital: Sacramento
Largest City: Los Angeles
Counties: 58
State motto: Eureka (I Have Found It)   
State nickname: The Golden State
Neighboring states: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona


San Juan Capistrano mission, California, 1921

Interesting facts

  • In 1769, the Spanish established California's first mission. By 1823, twenty-one missions had been built, stretching from San Diego to Sonoma along  El Camino Real, "The King's Highway."
  • Both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous 48 states are in California: Death Valley (282 feet below sea level) and Mount Whitney (elevation 14,496).
  • California's population grew from an estimated 26,000 before the Gold Rush in 1848 to just under 380,000 in the 1860 U.S. Census.
  • California has been the most populous state in the U.S. since the early 1960s.

Featured California collections

U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
California, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index
California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991
California, U.S., State Court Naturalization Records, 1850-1986

Famous people

Help and advice

Resources

California Census Research Notes

California became a state in 1849, and was first recorded in the Federal census of 1850. The 1850 census for California is missing schedules from Contra Costa, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.

 

The only state census of California was taken in 1852. A few early censuses were taken by the following missions prior to statehood, including: San Carlos (1796); San Luis Obispo (1797, 1798); San Antonio (1798); and Soledad (1798). Various other state and mission censuses are available for select locales and years, though rarely involve more than small groups of inhabitants.

 

Vital records

 

California Research Resources

The organizations listed below provide information about California history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.