Siskiyou County, California Genealogy

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

California Online Genealogy Records

County Courthouse
Siskiyou County Courthouse 311 Fourth Street PO Box 338 Yreka, CA 96097 Phone: 530.842.8084

County Reader has birth, marriage, death and burial records Court Services has divorce, probate and court records from 1852; County Cleark has election records, board of supervisor’s minutes from 1860

Parent Counties
22 March 1852: Siskiyou County was created from Shasta and former Klamath Counties. County seat: Yreka

Description
The county was named after the Siskiyou mountain range. The county seat Yreka and the county was created 1852. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

Boundary Changes
1852: County formed from Shasta and Klamath Counties.

1874: February, part of county given to newly formed Modoc County.

1874: May, Klamath County dissolved with Siskiyou County absorbing some of the area.

1887: Land exchanged with Del Norte County.

1901: Small area of land gained from Humboldt County.

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.

Places/Localities
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:

Populated Places (over 5,000 people)
Yreka

Populated Places (over 1,000 people)
Dunsmuir, Montague, Mount Shasta City, Tulelake, Weed

Populated Places (under 1,000 people)
Dorris, Etna, Fort Jones

Census Designated Places and Unincorporated Communities
Big Springs, Callahan, Carrick, Clear Creek, Edgewood, Forks of Salmon, Fort Goff, Gazelle, Greenview, Grenada, Hamburg, Hatfield, Happy Camp, Hilt, Hornbrook, Horse Creek, Klamath River, Klamathon, Lake Shastina, Lake Siskiyou, Macdoel, McCloud, Mount Hebron, Mugginsville, Sawyers Bar, Seiad Valley, Tennant, Thompson Creek

Additional and Former Populated Places
Mount Shasta City has had a number of names including Wagon Valley, Strawberry Valley and, until 1924, Sisson. Ager, Bartle, Beswick, Black Bear, Bogus, Butte, Cecilville, Chestnut, Coles, Copco, Cottage Grove, Deadwood, Francis, Gottsville, Hooperville, Igerha, Liberty, Little Shasta, Mott, Mountain, Oak Bar, Oro Fino, Schlitz, Scott Bar, Scott River, Scott Valley, Shasta Springs, Snowden, Somes Bar, Squaw Valley, Table Rock, Tailholt, Upper Soda Springs, Walker

Neighboring Counties

 * Del Norte
 * Humboldt
 * Jackson County, Oregon
 * Josephine County, Oregon
 * Klamath County, Oregon
 * Modoc
 * Shasta
 * Trinity

Biography

 * Index to Siskiyou County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Miscellaneous Siskiyou County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)

Church History and Records

 * 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Etna
 * FamilySearch Places

FamilySearch Catalog
California, Siskiyou Films

California, Siskiyou, Cecilville

California, Siskiyou, Dunsmuir

California, Siskiyou, Etna

California, Siskiyou, Forks of the Salmon

California, Siskiyou, Fort Jones

California, Siskiyou, Greenview Township

California, Siskiyou, Henley

California, Siskiyou, Hilt

California, Siskiyou, McCloud

California, Siskiyou, Montague

California, Siskiyou, Sawyers Bar

California, Siskiyou, Scott Valley Township

California, Siskiyou, Weed

California, Siskiyou, Yreka

Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

History

 * 1891 - Siskiyou County 1891 in Memorial And Biographical History Of Northern California (CAGenWeb Archives)

Land and Property

 * Index to General Land Office Records, Siskiyou County (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)
 * 1895 Atlas of Siskiyou County
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for emigrant settlers included:  :


 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California :


 * Applegate Trail since 1846 (avoided the Forty Mile Desert) by leaving the Humboldt River in Nevada early at present-day Rye Reservoir, Nevada and passing through the Black Rock Desert to Fandango Pass past Goose Lake on to the Lost River and eventually the Willamette Valley in Oregon


 * Yreka Trail 1851 from the Applegate Trail to Yreka, California

Online Records
 * 1906-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Military History and Records

 * 1850 - 1881 - Index to Militia Units of the State of California 1850-1881, listed by county. (CAGenWeb Project)
 * 1883 - Siskiyou County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)

Civil War

 * - 1st Battalion Mountaineers, California Infantry (Union), Company F
 * - 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company A


 * 1886 - Civil War Veterans, Gen. Geo. B. McClellan Post No. 84 G. A. R. 1886, Siskiyou County (USGenWeb Archives)

World War I

 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II

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

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research

Obituaries

 * Index to Siskiyou County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Siskiyou County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images

Archives, Libraries and Museums

 * Siskiyou County Library 719 4th Street Yreka, CA 96097
 * http://www.newspaperobituaries.net/california/siskiyou_county_obituaries.htm Searchable Siskiyou County Obituaries Index]
 * Siskiyou County Newspaper Index
 * SiskiyouHistory.org: A Digital Library of Primary Sources in Siskiyou County History

County Courthouse
Siskiyou County Assesor-Recorder 311 4th Street, Room 108 Yreka, CA 96097 Siskiyou County Clerk's Office 510 North Main Street Yreka, CA 96097

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Etna California Family History Center
 * Mount Shasta California Family History Center
 * Yreka California Family History Center

Societies
The Genealogical Society of Siskiyou County, California 912 S. Main St. Yreka, CA 96097 Phone: 530-842-0277 Email address: gssc1@att.net GSSC Website

Scott Valley Genealogical Group P.O. Box 623 Etna, CA 96027 Scott Valley Genealogical Group

Siskiyou County Genealogical Society PO Box 225 Yreka, CA 96097

Siskiyou County Historical Society 910 South Main Yreka, CA 96097

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

 * 1800 - 1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1812 - 1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1905 - 1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)


 * Early Siskiyou County Birth Notices by year (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage

 * 1800 - 2007 California, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1850 - 1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1850 - 1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1852 - 1910 - Siskiyou County Marriages, 1850 thru 1910 (CAGenWeb Project)
 * 1854 - 1885 Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($)

Divorce

 * 1966 - 1984 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Death

 * 1776 - 2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1800 - 1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1905 - 1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1940 - 1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)


 * 1860 - Siskiyou County Mortality Schedule, 1860 (Genealogy Trails)

Voting Registers

 * 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
 * 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
The Genealogical Society of Siskiyou County, California Website

Yreka Genealogy Society Of Siskiyou County Facebook


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

Websites

 * Siskiyou County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Siskiyou County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Siskiyou County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Siskiyou County, CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)