User:Aduclos/Sandbox

United States California Alameda

Guide to Oakland, Alameda County,Newspaper Record Collection, 1985-2011: '''birth announcements, marriage/anniversary records, and obituary/death records.

What's in this Collection?
This collection consists of card file indexes created from local newspapers and includes obituaries, wedding announcements, anniversaries, and birth announcements. The obituaries are mixed with biographical news stories. Some obituaries are included from the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register of persons who were natives of Oakland or the Bay Area and died in southern California. The card files for 1985-2002, 2003-2006 and 1986-2011 are located at the Oakland Family History Center. This collection is being published as images become available.

Image Gallery
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Sample of Record Content
The various records in this collection may contain the following information:

How Do I Search This Collection?
Look at each image or record comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images or records and compare the information about the individuals listed to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind there may be more than one person in the records with the same name and you will want to look carefully at dates, places and relations to identify your ancestor from another person. You also may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name if they were known by a nickname or changed their name from the original birth record name. Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life and may be listed in records with any of those variations.

Search Collection by Name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches.

Browse Collection Images: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Category" ⇒Select the "Record Type, Volume, and Year Range" category which takes you to the images

What Do I Do Next?
Once you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These records are often brief so it can be easy to confuse individuals. Compare what information is given with what you already know about your ancestor to make sure it is the correct person.

Next, look at the pieces of information given in the record for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married or died nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use age at marriage or death to calculate approximate birth year and then search for a birth certificate in the county of birth to verify parents, learn mother's maiden name, and more clues to this family.
 * Use the event date or year to search for original birth, marriage, or death records in the county of the event. [LINK TO SOURCE OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS]
 * Search census records from this town/county/state to find this person as a child in the birth family and also as a parent in their adult family. Record names of family members listed, immigration dates, occupation, residence, birthplace, parents birthplace, and other information leading to more clues about your ancestor. [LINK TO CENSUS RECORDS]
 * Use the locality and relative’s names to locate church and land records.[LINK TO CHURCH AND LAND RECORDS]
 * Find more detail about the death or burial information by searching for grave markers, sexton's records, or a civil or religious death record.[LINK TO CEMETERIES]
 * If the officiator of a marriage was a minister, you may be able to determine to which religion or congregation your ancestor belonged. Look for church records of the marriage which may provide more information on the family. [LINK TO CHURCH RECORDS]
 * Sometimes a person is buried in a city or town in which they did not die. Do not assume that a burial place is the same as a death place. Look for death records in the place of death. [LINK TO DEATH RECORDS]
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they were born, married or died, then try searching the records of a nearby locality.[HYPERLINK TO REPOSITORY}
 * If you cannot find your ancestor in civil records, try searching church records of baptisms, marriages or deaths. Oftentimes church records pre-date civil records.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries.[LINK TO CEMETERIES]
 * Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies [LINK]

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: