Calaveras County, California Genealogy

Guide to Calaveras 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
County Recorder has birth records from 1860, marriage, death and divorce records from 1882, probate and court records from 1866, land records from 1852 &amp; mining claims from 1850

Parent County
18 February 1850: Calaveras County was created as an original county. County seat: San Andreas

Description
The county was named for the word "skulls". Was named for the river Calaveras which had been reported by the Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga when he found many skulls of Native Americans on the banks of the river. They had either died from famine or from tribal wars. The county seat San Andreas and the county was created 1850. The County is located in the east central corner 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

 * Alpine
 * Amador
 * San Joaquin
 * Stanislaus
 * Tuolumne

Biography

 * Calaveras County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Calaveras County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)

Census

 * 1852 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1940 1940 U.S. Federal Census

Church History and Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1864-1985 — How to Use this Collection; index
 * FamilySearch Places

Gazetteers

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

History

 * Brief History of Calaveras County
 * California Pioneers Project

Land and Property

 * BLM Land Grants

Maps

 * Calaveras County Maps
 * Maps of California (1850-1925)
 * 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 1844 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California


 * Carson (River) Trail 1848 (aka Mormon Emigrant Trail) crossed the Forty Mile Desert past the west side of the Carson Sink to pick up the Carson River near Fallon, Nevada up to Hope Valley and Red Lake. The Devil's Ladder then climbed 700 feet (210 m) in half a mile so ropes, chains, and pulleys were required to lift the wagons. Carson Pass was followed by the relatively easy West Pass (Kirkwood, California) and then on to Pollock Pines, Placerville, and Sutter's Fort, California
 * Big Tree Road (Ebbetts Pass) 1851 from western Nevada to Markleeville, Murphys, and Stockton, California


 * California Pioneer Project


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

Civil War

 * - 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company H

World War I

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

World War II

 * World War II Enlistments, Calaveras County, A-L (USGenWeb Archives)
 * World War II Enlistments, Calaveras County, M-Z (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel, Calaveras County, CA (Genealogy Trails)

Vietnam War

 * Calaveras County Casualty List (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1831-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1852-1989 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1868-1958 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1915-1976 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)


 * Chronicling America LOC Newspaper Project
 * California Digital Newspaper Project

Obituaries

 * 1850-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * Index to Calaveras County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Calaveras County Obituary Index (Genealogy Trails)

Passenger Records

 * 1907-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1893-1953 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Probate Records

 * California 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

 * Calaveras County Historical Museum

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Murphys California Family History Center

Societies

 * Calaveras County Historical Society
 * California Pioneers Project

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
 * 1858 - 1974 Calaveras County Birth Records, 1858-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; microfilm
 * 1905 - 1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage($)

Marriage
Online Resources
 * 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($)
 * 1854 - 1885 Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1949 - 1959 California, Marriage Index, 1949-1959 at Ancestry.com $
 * 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

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
 * 1835 - 1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Voting Registers

 * 1850 - 1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1866 - 1898 - California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
 * 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index, ($)
 * 1905 - 1939 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1940 - 1997 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Also at: MyHeritage($)

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Calaveras County Historical Society P.O. Box 721 30 N. Main St. San Andreas 95249 Phone: 209-754-1058 Website

Calaveras County Archives 891 Mountain Ranch Road San Andreas, CA 95249 Office Phone: 209-754-3918 Website

Calaveras Genealogical Society PO Box 184 Angels Camp, CA 95222 Website website


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

Websites

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