California Colonial Records

History
From 1542 to the beginning of the 19th c., Spain, Mexico, England, and Russia all tried to claim California. The Spanish established several settlements over the course of the 18th c.: California became a part of Mexico in 1822 and was annexed by the United States in 1850.
 * 1769 - San Diego de Alcalá Mission
 * 1770 - Monterrey Mission
 * 1771 - San Antonio de Padua mission and presidio
 * 1771 - San Gabriel mission
 * 1772 - San Luis Obispo mission
 * 1776 - San Francisco mission and presidio
 * 1777 - San José mission
 * 1781 - Los Angeles
 * 1782 - Santa Barbara mission and presidio

Additional Readings

 * Spanish and Mexican Records of the American Southwest by Henry Putney Beers. (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1979). Includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
 * The History of San Diego County and Story of the Ownership of Land Grants Therein by Robert W. Brackett. (1939. Reprint. San Diego: Union Title Insurance Co., 1960).
 * Survey of Pre-Statehood Records: A New Look at Spanish and Mexican-Californian Genealogical Records by Rudecinda Lo Buglio. (Salt Lake City: Corporation of the President, 1980, fiche 6085820).
 * California Gazetteer. (Wilmington, DE: American Historical Publications, 1985, fiche 6088199).
 * Catalogue of materials in the Archivo General de Indias for the History of the Pacific Coast and the American Southwest by Charles E. Chapman. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1919).