Lake County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1867, mining and miscellaneous records; Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records

Parent County
20 May 1861: Lake County was created from Napa County. County seat: Lakeport

Description
The county was named from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California. The County Seat is Lakeport and was founded May 20, 1861. It is located in the northwest area of the state.

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation California County Boundary Maps" (1850-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1867 Courthouse burned down and all earlier records were destroyed.

Neighboring Counties

 * Colusa
 * Glenn
 * Mendocino
 * Napa
 * Sonoma
 * Yolo

Biography

 * Index to Lake County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Lake County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)

Cemeteries
The following web site may have additional information on Lake  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.

Census

 * 1870 - Index of Lake County Census Records by Location (USGenWeb Archives)

History

 * Lake County, in Memorial And Biographical History Of Northern California (USGenWeb Archives)

Land and Property

 * Index to Federal Land Patents, Lake County (USGenWeb Archives)

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Highlands California Family History Center
 * Lakeport California Family History Center

Societies
Lake County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1323 Lakeport 95453 Website

Lake County Historical Society P.O. Box 1011 Lakeport 95453 Website

Marriage

 * 1850 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Websites

 * Lake County CAGenWeb
 * Lake County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site
 * FamilySearch Catalog