Santa Barbara County, California Genealogy

United States California  Santa Barbara County

Historical Facts
Santa Barbara area Native Americans were first contacted by several early explorers in the 1500s and 1600s but the first moves toward settlement by Europeans were Spanish in 1769. The Santa Barbara mission was founded in 1786 by Franciscan padres who were also the first record keepers.

Parent County
18 February 1850: Santa Barbara was created as an original county when California first became a state.

Boundary Changes
1 January 1873: Ventura County was set off.

Places/Localities
The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names. Information about the cemeteries can be found in these pages if known.

Church History and Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Santa Maria

Vital Records
Santa Barbara Mission archives contain early births, baptisms, marriages and deaths.

For a large number of early marriages see Western States Marriage Index.

Societies, Libraries and Museums

 * Santa Barbara Genealogical Society
 * Santa Barbara Chapter; Sons of the American Revolution

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Lompoc California Family History Center
 * Santa Barbara California Family History Center
 * Santa Maria California Family History Center
 * Solvang California Family History Center

Websites

 * Santa Barbara County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site