Ventura County, California Genealogy

Guide to Ventura County, California ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. 

County Courthouse
County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage and death from 1873 and land records from 1850 Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1873 Some land went to Kern &amp; Los Angeles Counties in boundary change

Historical Facts
Mission San Buenaventura, one of the original 21 Roman Catholic missions in Alta California was founded in what is now downtown Ventura city in 1782 although it had a long rocky history including fires, earthquakes, tsunami and pirates, among other difficulties. The mission fathers kept the original vital records.

The costal plains and inland valleys are mostly devoted to agriculture even today but the costal mountains also cover a considerable part of the county. El Camino Real, the original roadway connecting the early missions, crosses the county. In the late 1800s the railroads came and in the 1900s US-101 followed essentially the Camino Real route heading north to Santa Barbara. Settlements mainly grew up along these routes.

Parent County
22 March 1872: Ventura County was created from Santa Barbara County. County seat: Ventura

Description
The county seat Ventura and the county was created 1873. The County is located in the southern area of the state.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating California county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation California County Boundary Maps" (1850-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Counties

 * Kern
 * Los Angeles
 * San Luis Obispo
 * Santa Barbara

Biography

 * Ventura County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Ventura County Biographies from the Golden Nugget Library (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Index to Biographical Sketches from the Ventura County Genealogical Society (CAGenWeb Project)

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Ventura  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.


 * 1850 - 1960 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Census

 * Ventura County Census Records (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Ventura County censuses from 1860-1900 (Ventura County Genealogical Society)

Church History and Records

 * 1864-1985 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Ventura Congregational Church Baptisms to 1900, Ventura

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Ventura

Court Records
Guardianship record index, A-L Surnames, M-Z Surnames (Ventura County Genealogical Society)

Directories

 * Miscellaneous County Directories (scroll down to "City Directories")

History

 * Victims of the St. Francis Dam Disaster, 1928 (Ventura County Genealogical Society)

Land and Property

 * 1873 - 1917 - Index to Grantors
 * 1873 - 1917 - Index to Grantees
 * Spanish and Mexican Land Grants in Ventura County
 * Ventura County Federal Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * 1974 - present - Index to Deeds

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)

Migration

 * 1929-1954 - at FamilySearch — index

Military History and Records

 * Veterans of Various Wars buried in Nordoff Cemetery, Ojai (Ventura County Genealogical Society)

Civil War

 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company A
 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company C


 * 1883 - Ventura County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1886 - Civil War Veterans Rosters, G.A.R. Posts, Ventura County (USGenWeb Archives)

World War I

 * Index of Men from Ventura County who served in WWI (June 1919) (Ventura County Genealogical Society)

World War II

 * Index of Ventura County World War II Army Enlistments (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Ventura County, World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel (USGenWeb Archives)

Vietnam War

 * Vietnam Casualties from Ventura County (Ventura County Genealogical Society)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Declaration of Intent Book 1 (1873-1879) and Book 3 (1880-1906)
 * Declarations of Intent Book 7 (March 1907 through November 1911)
 * Certificates of Citizenship 1873-1903
 * Naturalization Book 8 1907-1914

Newspapers
Ojai Valley News 1890s-1983

Obituaries

 * Index to over 80,000 Ventura County Obituaries (Ventura County Genealogical Society)
 * Index to Ventura County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Ventura County Obituary Sources (CAGenWeb Project)

Probate Records

 * Wills & Probate Records (Ventura County Genealogical Society Local Records page) Scroll down to Wills and Probate Records.

Online Probate Records


 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — images

Archives, Libraries and Museums

 * Scandinavian Center. Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation at California Lutheran University. Large oral history recordings collection; many early works about Scandinavian churches in Midwest United States. See library catalog at CLU.


 * Ventura County Museum of History and Art The museum is currently closed for renovation, though a temporary exhibit space and gift shop are open on California St. The Librarian is available to answer question by phone. Once the museum is reopened the Library is an excellent research resource.

County Courthouse
County Clerk and Recorder County Recorder's Office Hall of Admin., Main Plaza 800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura, CA 93009-1260

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Camarillo California Family History Center
 * Fillmore California Family History Center
 * Newbury Park California Family History Center
 * Ojai California Family History Center
 * Oxnard California 2nd Family History Center
 * Simi Valley California Family History Center
 * Thousand Oaks California Family History Center
 * Ventura California Family History Center

Societies

 * Ventura County Genealogical Society


 * Conejo Valley Genealogical Society


 * Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth
The County Recorder maintains records from 1873. Prior to that the Santa Barbara Recorder has the records. Ventura County Recorder fees: $14 to search and/or copy birth records.


 * Ventura County Recorder.

Online Records


 * 1812 - 1988 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1905 - 1995 - at FamilySearch — index

Marriage
The County Recorder maintains records from 1873. Prior to that the Santa Barbara Recorder has the records. Ventura County Recorder fees: $12 to search and/or copy marriage records.


 * Ventura County Recorder.

Online Records


 * 1800 - 2007 - California, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1850 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1850 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1966 - 1984 - at FamilySearch — index

Death
The County Recorder maintains records from 1873. Prior to that the Santa Barbara Recorder has the records. Ventura County Recorder fees: $14 to search and/or copy of death records.


 * Ventura County Recorder.

Online Records


 * 1872 - 1941 - Ventura County Death Records Index, 1872-1908; Coroner's Inquest Records, 1873-1941 - Scroll down to Death Records. (Ventura County Genealogical Society)
 * 1905 - 1939 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1940 - 1997 - at FamilySearch — index

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Conejo Valley Genealogical Society P. O. Box 4977 West Lake, CA 91359-1977 Website

Conejo Valley Historical Society PO Box 1692 Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Fillmore Historical Society PO Box 314 Fillmore, CA 93015

Jewish Genealogical Society of Conejo Valley and Ventura County 6052 Hackers Lane Agura Hills, CA 91301 Website

Los Californianos 2531 Aztec Court Ventura,CA 93001

Moorpark Historical Society PO Box 662 Moorpark,CA 93020

Ojai Valley Historical Society PO Box 204 Ojai, CA 93023

Ojai Valley Museum

130 West Ojai Avenue

Ojai, CA 93023 Website

Simi Valley Historical Society 137 Strathearn Place Simi Valley, CA 93065

Ventura County Genealogical Society  PO Box 24608 Ventura, CA 93002 Website

Ventura County Historical Society 100 East Main Street Ventura,CA 93001-2698


 * List of California Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Websites

 * Ventura County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Ventura County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Ventura County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Ventura County CA Genealogy