Lassen County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
The new Lassen Superior Court Hall of Justice opened at their new location on Riverside Drive in May of 2012.

The County Clerk and Recorder's Office is in the old courthouse located at 220 S. Lassen Street, Susanville, CA 96130 (phone 530.251.8216). The County Clerk has divorce, probate court and naturalization records from 1864. The County Recorder has marriage records from 1864, land records from 1857, birth and death records from 1907, some prior to 1907 but incomplete before 1929.

Parent Counties
1 April 1864: Lassen County was created from Plumas and Shasta Counties. County seat: Susanville

Description
The county was named from Mount Lassen which was named for Peter Lassen, one of General John C. Fremont's guides and a famous trapper, frontiersman and Indian fighter. He was murdered under mysterious circumstances near the Black Rock Desert in 1859. The County Seat is Susanville and was founded 1864. It is located in the northeastern 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.

Neighboring Counties

 * Modoc
 * Plumas
 * Shasta
 * Sierra
 * Washoe County, Nevada

Biography

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

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


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.

Census

 * 1870, 1920 - Lassen County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Church History and Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Susanville
 * Westwood

Court Records

 * Lassen Superior Court Defendant Index (Tim Purdy Presents Exploring Lassen County's Past and more)

History

 * Index to Lassen County Historical Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Lassen County History (CAGenWeb Project)

Land and Property

 * Lassen County Index to Federal Land Patents (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)



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


 * California Trail 1844 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.
 * Beckwourth Trail 1850 left the Truckee Trail near present-day Sparks, Nevada going to Oroville and Marysville, California
 * Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1782 - 1999 - California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com - index and images $
 * 1891 - 1955 - Lassen County California list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills - free
 * 1833 - 1991 - at FamilySearch — images

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Susanville California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Marriage

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

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Lassen County Historical Society P.O. Box 321 Susanville 96130 Phone:530-257-2996

Lassen Historical Museum 105 N. Weatherlow Street P.O. Box 321 Susanville, CA 96130 Phone (530) 257-4584 Website


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

Websites

 * Lassen County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Lassen County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Lassen County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Lassen County CA Genealogy (LDS Genealogy)