El Dorado County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records County Recorder has birth, marriage, death burial, land and military records Historical Facts

Parent County
18 February 1850: El Dorado County was created ;as an original county. County seat: Placerville

Description
The county was named is derived from the Spanish meaning "the gilded/golden". The County Seat is Placerville and was founded February 18, 1850. It is located in the East 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
Fires in 1910 and 1920 destroyed most courthouse records.

Neighboring Counties
Alpine | Amador | Placer | Sacramento | Douglas County, Nevada | Carson City (Independent City), Nevada

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


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.

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


 * 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


 * 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
 * Daggett Pass 1850 (aka Georgetown Pack Trail) Carson Valley, Nevada to Johnson's Cutoff near South Lake Tahoe, California
 * Grizzly Flat Road 1852 an extension of Carson Trail down the middle fork of the Consumnes River to Grizzly Flat and Placerville, California
 * Volcano Road 1852 from Coral Flat (Pioneer) on the Carson Trail to Volcano, California
 * 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

Civil War

 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company B
 * - 4th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company F
 * - 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company G
 * - 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company H
 * - 7th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company G
 * - 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company K

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — images

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * El Dorado California Family History Center
 * Pacerville, California
 * South Lake Tahoe California Family History Center
 * South Lake Tahoe, California

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
El Dorado County Historical Society Fountain &amp; Tallman Museum 524 Main Street Placerville, California 95667 email:[mailto:edchistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Phone: 530-626-0773 Website

El Dorado County Historical Society 100 Placerville Drive Placerville,CA 95667

El Dorado Research Society PO Box 56 El Dorado,CA 95623

Heritage Association of El Dorado County PO Box 62 Placerville, CA 95667

Lake Tahoe Historical Society PO Box 404 South Lake Tahoe,CA 95705 Website

Mother Lode Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants 3580 Four Springs Drive Rescue, CA 95672-9530

Roots Gold Dust Genealogical Society PO Box 1354 Diamond Springs, CA 95619-1354


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

Web Sites

 * El Dorado County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * El Dorado County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site