Sacramento County, California Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border. The river was named by Spanish cavalry officer Gabriel Moraga for the Santisimo Sacramento (Most Holy Sacrament), referring to the Catholic Eucharist. The county seat Sacramento and the county was created February 18, 1850. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Sacramento County Courthouse 720 9th St. Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-874-5522 Sacramento County Website

County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1880. County Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records

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:

Biographies

 * Sacramento County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Surname Index to Sacramento County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
In 1864, the First Transcontinental Railroad started from Sacramento California. American Memory has an [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/home/www/data/gmd/gmd436/g4361/g4361p/rr001890.sid&style=gmd&itemLink=r?ammem/gmd:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28g4361p+rr001890%29%29&title=New%20enlarged%20scale%20railroad%20and%20county%20map%20of%20California%20showing%20every%20railroad%20station%20and%20post%20office%20in%20the%20state. online map] showing the railroads and each railroad station and post office.

Cemeteries

 * 1900-1959 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Church Records
Sacramento County Churches Alphabetical Index lists the names of churches.After you click on a name, on the next screen, you need to click on the name again in 'Search for' in the right column.The address, phone number and a map appear. Church histories may be on the county level. In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for. Films can be sent to FamilySearch centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan. Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Arcade
 * Carmichael
 * Homestead
 * Sacramento

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

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records Sacamento County Court Directory gives addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and links to the courts websites and online resources.. In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for and. Films can be sent to FamilySearch centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1848-1924 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1849-1910 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1849-1921 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1850 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1850-1900 (*); Sacramento City Assessor at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1850-1900 (*); Sacramento County County Assessor at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1850-1900 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1850-1900 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1851-1930 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1852-1883 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1855-1899 (*); Sacramento County County Assessor at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1860-1904 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1860-1925 (*); Sacramento County County Clerk at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1860-1935 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1870-1900 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1904-1921 (*); Sacramento County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1965-Current County Register for Deeds in Sacramento County
 * Index to Federal Land Office Records, Sacramento County (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories
Google Books has some books about the history and people in Sacramento County, California. Try various search terms, including the names of people.Books designated with "Full view" can be read online. In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento County, California, look at the list of records for and. Films can be sent to FamilySearch centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
 * 1891 Sacramento County 1891 (USGenWeb Archives)
 * California Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * For historical maps of Sacramento County,search the following free sites: • Maps of California (1850-1925)
 * Maps-Historical-Sate of California, the Carlifornia government's site. Links to American Memory (Library of Congress), California Missions, and the State Library
 * Historical Maps of California
 * California Maps - HSU Library, also lists and links to gazetteers
 * Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for California
 * For topographical maps of California mountains, rivers, etc., try the sites listed at USGS Topographic Maps of California.
 * For current maps, search Google Maps or MapQuest or other map services online.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

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

Early migration routes to and from Sacramento County for emigrant settlers included:
 * 1844-1869 California Trail 1844 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * 1844 Truckee (River) Trail 1844 crossed the Forty Mile Desert to the Truckee River to follow it west past Reno, Nevada to Donner Pass to Emigrant Gap to Sutter's Fort Sacramento, California). The exact route varied over the years, the most used being the Nevada City Road and Auburn Emigrant Road combination.
 * 1846 Roller Pass 1846 alternate to the Truckee Trail two miles south of Donner Pass through Emigrant Gap to Placerville, California
 * 1846 Applegate Trail 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.
 * 1848 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.
 * 1848 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


 * 1850 Nevada City Road 1850 branched off the Truckee Trail through Emigrant Gap to Nevada City, California the most important mining area 1850-1851
 * 1850 Auburn Emigrant Road 1850 believed to be from Nevada City to Auburn to Sacramento, California
 * 1850 Henness Pass Road 1850 branched off the Truckee Trail at Verdi, Nevada headed for Camptonville and steamboat service at Marysville, California. In 1860 it became a major route to the Comstock Lode silver mines in Nevada.
 * 1850 Beckwourth Trail 1850 left the Truckee Trail near present-day Sparks, Nevada going to Oroville and Marysville, California
 * 1850 Daggett Pass 1850 (aka Georgetown Pack Trail) Carson Valley, Nevada to Johnson's Cutoff near South Lake Tahoe, California
 * 1850-1851 Johnson's Cutoff 1850-1851 (aka Placerville Route, Lake Tahoe Route and Day's Route) from Carson City, Nevada past the south end of Lake Tahoe going south and then west to Placerville, California and Sacramento
 * 1851 Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California
 * 1851 Big Tree Road (Ebbetts Pass) 1851 from western Nevada to Markleeville, Murphys, Sonora, and Stockton, California
 * 1852 Grizzly Flat Road 1852 an extension of Carson Trail down the middle fork of the Consumnes River to Grizzly Flat and Placerville, California
 * 1852 Volcano Road 1852 from Coral Flat (Pioneer) on the Carson Trail to Volcano, California
 * 1852-1854 Sonora Road 1852-1854 from the Carson Trail south to the Walker River along the base of the Sierra Nevada until it ascends to Sonora Pass and then down to Strawberry and Sonora, California
 * 1854 Luther Pass Trail 1854 connected the Carson Trail and Johnson's Cutoff and allowed travelers to avoid Lake Tahoe. It became one of the routes to the Comstock Lode in Nevada
 * 1869 Central Pacific Railroad since 1869 from Sacramento, California to Ogden, Utah and Omaha, Nebraska

Military Records
The California State Military Museum has a great deal of historical information and links to other military websites.

 Civil War Ancestry.com has Records of California men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867 Civil War service men in Sacramento County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in this county:
 * 1883 Sacramento County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1886 Index to Rosters of Sacramento County G.A.R. Posts (USGenWeb Archives)
 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company A
 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company B
 * - 1st Regiment, California Cavalry (Union), Company F
 * - 1st Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company E
 * - 2nd Regiment, California Cavalry (Union), Company F
 * - 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company E
 * - 6th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company D
 * - 7th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company I
 * - 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company B
 * - 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company K

World War I
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 World War II
 * Index to Sacrament County World War II Army Enlistees (USGenWeb Archives)

 Vietnam War
 * Sacramento County Vietnam War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)

 Afghanistan War 
 * Sacramento County Casualties of the War in Afghanistan (Genealogy Trails)

 Iraq War 
 * Sacramento County Casualties of the War in Iraq (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1831-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * The California State Archives has records of Sacramento County for the years 1850 to 1903.
 * The FamilySearch Library also has Declarations of Intention for the years 1859 to 1906 in Sacramento County.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1848-1922 The California Digital Newspaper Collection has newspapers from 1848-1922. Search by keyword, including names, and/or by date.
 * California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research

Obituaries

 * Sacramento County Obituary Collection (Genealogy Trails)
 * Surname Index to Sacramento County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Obituaries for Sacramento County (CAGenWeb Project)

Voting Records

 * 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1866-1871 Extracts from the Sacramento records for 1866-1871 are available on the RootsWeb site, by clicking here.

California county clerks were to keep voting registers every other year from 1866 and well into the 20th century. These large books, called Great Registers, listed the men who registered to vote in that county. Besides name and age, the record may show place of birth, address, occupation, naturalization date and sometimes even a physical description.

These records are at the California State Library (1866-1944), and microfilmed copies are available through FamilySearch Centers (1866-1910). Ancestry ($) has a searchable database of Sacramento Great Registers from 1867-1898.

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

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for. Films can be sent to FamilySearch centers.

Vital Records
In the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for and. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Birth
The FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for and. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
 * 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Sacramento County Birth Notices by year (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage

 * 1800-2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho

The FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for and. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Death

 * 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Sacramento County Death Records (Genealogy Trails)

The FamilySearch Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for and. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.

Divorce

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

Archives

 * Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center 551 Sequoia Pacific Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95811 Phone: (916) 264-7072 Website By appointment to use the records. Older records of Sacramento are more likly located here than at any other facility.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Antioch California FamilySearch Center
 * Auburn California FamilySearch Center
 * Concord California FamilySearch Center
 * Elk Grove California FamilySearch Center
 * Fairfield California FamilySearch Center
 * Jackson California FamilySearch Center
 * Lodi California FamilySearch Center
 * Sacramento California FamilySearch Center
 * Stockton California FamilySearch Center
 * Vacaville California FamilySearch Center
 * Vallejo California FamilySearch Center
 * Woodland California FamilySearch Center

Libraries

 * Golden Nugget Library Established to furnish California databases for genealogical research Website
 * California Genealogical Society and Library web site has the CGSL catalog, discusses many useful California records, and has a list of links to other California Websites.

Societies

 * Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society Their library is located in the: California State Archives Building. 1020 O Street,-4th floor, Sacramento, CA. Hours: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Website
 * Genealogical Association of Sacramento They have a genealogy collection at the Sacramento Central Library, 828 "I" Street (9th &amp; I)- 4th Floor, Sacramento, CA Phone: 916-264-2920 Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10-8, Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 12-5pm Website
 * Sacramento Regional Genealogical Council The web site has a list with links for over 30 genealogical and historical organizations in the Sacramento Valley area. Website
 * Sacramento County Historical Society publishes online their "Golden Notes" articles about the history and life of early Sacramento. Website
 * Sacramento County Historical Society P.O. Box 1175 Sacramento 95806
 * Sacramento Genealogical Association P.O. Box 28297 Sacramento 95828
 * Sacramento German Genealogy Society P.O. Box 660061 Sacramento 95866
 * Sacramento River Delta Historical Society The Jean Harvie Community Center 14273 River Road P.O. Box 293 Walnut Grove, CA 95690 Website
 * Sacramento Genealogical Society – Root Cellar P.O. Box 265 Citrus Heights, CA 95611-0265 Website
 * Sacramento Historical Society Belle Cooledge Library 5600 South Land Park Drive P.O. Box 160065 Sacramento, CA, 95816-0065 Phone:916-443-6265 Website
 * G.A.S. Genealogical Society of Sacramento P.O. Box 292145 Sacramento, CA 95829-2145 Website

Websites

 * Sacramento County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Online California Death Records and Indexes links to California sites and Sacramento County sites
 * Sacramento County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Sacramento County CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

 * Sacramento Research Guide at California State Library