California Census

Additional information may be found on the United States Census Portal page.

Availability
1850-1930 Censuses--The Family History Library has the U.S. federal censuses for the state of California for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. The 1890 census has been destroyed.

1940 to 2000 can be obtained for named persons, heirs or legal representatives. There is a legal charge mandated fees for this service. Transcript form B.C.600 can be obtained from:                                                                                                       History Staff, US census Bureau  Washington, D.C. 20233. Telephone (301) 457-1167

Historical Background
1848 California was ceded into the United States The California constitution provided for a census to be taken during 1852 and 1855 and every 10 years there after.

Indexes
California Census years 1850, 1860, and 1870 are indexed. They are available at the Californina State Library and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

1850 census is not complete. Several counties are missing.

Mortality
1850-1880 Mortality schedules--Mortality schedules for the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses are at the California State Library. A published index to the 1850 schedule is available at the Family History Library.

Web Sites
Ancestry: http://www.ancestry.com

Heritage Quest Online: http://www.heritagequestonline.com

Census Finder: http://www.censusfinder.com/california.htm

Census Online: http://www.census-online.com/links/CA/

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/census/california.htm

Distant Cousin: http://www.distantcousin.com/Links/Census/CA/

Genealogy Today: http://dir.genealogytoday.com/ca/census.htm

National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/ California States archives and Libraries: http://statearchives.us/california.htm

California Historical Society: http://www.californiahistory.org/

US Census internet site: http://www.census.gov

Federal

Many federal census records are at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The Census section of the United States Research Outline provides more detailed information on these records.

Statewide indexes are available in book format for the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses. Soundex (phonetic) indexes are available on microfilm for part of the 1880 and all of the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses.

Colonial and State

Pre-statehood lists (called padrons) of Spanish, Mexican, and Indian residents have been published in The Quarterly (Historical Society of Southern California), Volumes 15, 18, 41-43, 54 (FHL book 979.4 B2s). Especially helpful are the Los Angeles censuses of 1790, 1836, and 1844. The original records are scattered among various archives. The Family History Library has copies on microfilm.

The California State Library and the Family History Library have copies of a state census of 1852 (FHL films 909229-34). This census gives information on the entire household, including an individual's state or country of birth and last residence.

The California State Archivesalso has some censuses for California cities covering the period 1897 to 1938. These generally contain only the names and addresses of the persons enumerated, although some records give more information. The Family History Library has copies of several of these censuses through 1910, including:


 * Los Angeles and San Jose (1897)
 * San Diego (1899)
 * Oakland (1902)

Web Sites 

Ancestry has all of the US censuses indexed, digitized and online at www.ancestry.com. Some of these are free databases and others are only accessible through a subscription to the site.

www.heritagequestonline.com also has most of the federal censuses but is only accessible through your local public library.