Tehama County, California Genealogy

Guide to Tehama County, California ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. California Online Genealogy Records

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1889 marriage records from 1856 and military records from 1944

Parent Counties
9 April 1856: Tehama County was created from Butte, Colusa and Shasta Counties. County seat: Red Bluff

Description
The county was named for the City of Tehama. The county seat Red Bluff and the county was created 1856. The County is located in the north central 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

 * Butte
 * Glenn
 * Mendocino
 * Plumas
 * Shasta
 * Trinity

Biography

 * Index to Tehama County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Tehama County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Tehema County Transcribed 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

Corning List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Gazetteers

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

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 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * The Lassen Cutoff 1848 was established by gold rushers from Oregon going to California. It branched off the Applegate Trail at Davis Creek, went through Devil's Garden to the Pit River passing east of Mt. Lassen, and turning west to Lassen Rancho, California, and from there to Sacramento. In some years as much as 1/3 of emigrants mistakenly took the Applegate Trail-Lassen Cutoff, a much longer and more difficult trail than the Truckee or Carson routes.
 * Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California

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

Military History and Records

 * 1883 Tehama County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)

Civil War

 * 1886 Roster of Civil War Veterans, J. K. Mansfield Post No. 75, G. A. R. 1886 (USGenWeb Archives)

World War I

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

World War II

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

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

 * Tehama County Obituary Index (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Tehama 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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Anderson California Family History Center
 * Chico California Family History Center
 * Corning California Family History Center
 * Paradise California Family History Center
 * Quincy California Family History Center
 * Red Bluff California Family History Center
 * Redding California Family History Center

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 Tehama 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($)
 * 1854 - 1885 Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1854 - 1860 Tehama County Marriage Index, 1854-1860 (CAGenWeb Project)
 * 1960 - 1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Early Tehama County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)

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($)

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
Tehama County Genealogical and Historical Society P. 0. Box 415 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Website


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

Websites

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