Los Angeles County, California Genealogy

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

Description
Los Angeles County takes its name from the City of Los Angeles. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Los Angeles County Courthouse Hall of Records 320 W. Temple Street Los Angeles, Ca 90012 Phone: 562-462-2137 Los Angeles County Courthouse

The County Clerk has divorce records from 1880 and probate and court records from 1850. The 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:

History Timeline
The original County of Los Angeles covered a large part of Southern California including parts of what is now Kern County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Orange County. These areas split off to form San Bernardino County in 1853, Kern County in 1866, and Orange County in 1889. In 1893 part of San Bernardino County that had originally been part of Los Angeles County became part of Riverside County.

Biographies

 * Greater Los Angeles & Southern California portraits & personal memoranda at Ancestry ($). Very brief bios along with portraits; includes some general historical material.
 * Index to Los Angeles County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Los Angeles County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Index to Los Angeles County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)

Census Records
For information about Los Angeles city census records, see the Los Angeles wiki page.
 * 1850, 1860, 1870 Index to Los Angeles County Census Transcriptions (CAGenWeb Archives)

Church Records

 * 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 Baptist
 * Records of the First Baptist Church in Glendale, California as of June 1. 1929 can be searched here. Courtesy of the church and of the Southern California Genealogical Society.

 Lutheran
 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Los Angeles County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

 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 For the years from 1854 to 1938, the FamilySearch Library has a microfilm series of circuit court records for Los Angeles County and other areas. These include common rule books, equity, equity decree registers, Judgement registers, common law and other items. These may be available to be viewed at any FamilySearch center.

Directories

 * 1749-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1923-1924 Southwest Blue Book for 1923-1924 lists online the names and addresses and maiden names of society members, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Los Angeles Athletic Club members, and Pacific Fleet Officers as well as marriages of members in 1923: courtesy of CA Gen Web.
 * 1888-1890 Ancestry.com ($) has Los Angeles City Directories for 1888-1890.
 * 1873, 1875, 1878-1924 Fold3.com ($) has Los Angeles City Directories 1873, 1875, 1878-1924 (5 yrs. missing) available online. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
 * 1899-1966 Long Beach City Directories: 1899-1966: courtesy of the Long Beach Public Library
 * 1872 The first Los Angeles city and county directory, 1872, reprint edition is available at various libraries (World Cat)
 * 1948-1949 Los Angeles Directory Co's Ventura County, California, Directory, 1948 - 1949 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1951 Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, City Directory, 1951 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1958 Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, City Directory, 1958 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1960 Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, City Directory, 1960 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1947-1948 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Spanish missionaries founded California and thus Hispanics were and continue to be a significant part of the population. Some Italian and German settlers came early to this area as well. Los Angeles County also has a significant Asian American history. For more information about religious and minority groups, see the wiki page for the city of Los Angeles.

Genealogies
The American History and Genealogy Project has a webpage with links to much helpful information; biographies of early Glendale and El Monte residents and more, histories, and newspapers, and photos of early Southern California. Find that here.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1921 (*); Los Angeles County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1851-1921 (*); Los Angeles County Superior Court at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1854-1904 (*); Los Angeles County Judge at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1854-1920 (*); Los Angeles County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1885-1920 (*); Los Angeles County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1899-1921 (*); Los Angeles County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images
 * 1887-1917 (*); Land Office, Los Angeles, California at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images

Local Histories
- multiple local histories for Los Angeles County. Select option "Online" to view available histories online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Los Angeles County History Records (CAGenWeb Archives)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Los Angeles County for emigrant settlers included:
 * 1770s Camino Real de California 1770s linking Spanish Mission churches in California and Baja California
 * 1829 Old Spanish Trail 1829 Los Angeles, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico
 * 1846-1869 California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * 1847 Mormon Trail to Southern California 1847 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California
 * 1857-1861 Butterfield Overland Mail 1857-1861 from San Francisco via Los Angeles to Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri
 * 1859-1869 Central Overland Trail 1859-1869 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Carson City, Nevada (and usually on to northern California)
 * 1869 Union Pacific Railroad 1869 Ogden, Utah to Omaha, Nebraska
 * 1869 Central Pacific Railroad 1869 Ogden, Utah to Sacramento, California
 * 1881 Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway 1881 Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois
 * 1883 Southern Pacific Railroad 1883 Los Angeles, California to New Orleans, Louisiana
 * 1885 Atlantic and Pacific Railroad 1885 Los Angeles, California to Albuquerque, New Mexico (and the Santa Fe Railway)
 * 1906-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Military Records

 * Los Angeles County Military Records (CAGenWeb Archives)
 * Los Angeles County Military Records (CAGenWeb Project)

 Historical
 * 1862-1871 Fort Drum 1862-1871 (Wilmington)
 * 1914-1974 Fort McArthur 1914-1974 (San Pedro)
 * 1854-1864 Fort Tejon 1854-1864 (Tejon Pass near Grapevine)

 Mexican War
 * Los Angeles County in the War With Mexico (Genealogy Trails)

 Civil War Civil War service men in Los Angeles 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:
 * - 1st Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company B
 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company C
 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company D


 * Los Angeles County List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)

 Spanish American War
 * Los Angeles County Spanish American War Pensions (Genealogy Trails)

 World War I Second to None has a short review of the WW I activities of this division of Marines, and detailed history of the Second Division Association of Los Angeles, and a some brief biographies of its members.
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Jackson, S. Melvin. 1933. Second to none. Los Angeles [California]: Sam Babcock, Sixth Marines. At various libraries (WorldCat).
 * Denson W. Gee, ed. Long Beach in the World War Long Beach, California : 1921

 World War II
 * Surname Index to Los Angeles County World War II Army Enlistees (CAGenWeb Archives)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1856-1886 The Los Angeles County Archives has records of Los Angeles County for the years 1856 to 1886.
 * 1831-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers
Courtesy of the Whittier Public Library:
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * California, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * The Los Angeles Public Library has made available on its website an index to newspaper and periodical articles containing obituary information on renowned actors, authors, journalists, and librarians. You can search the database by name, occupation, date of death, and cause of death. The data fields in the results returned may include full name, including married name, maiden name, and nickname; sex, occupation, death date, age, place of death, and information source.
 * Arcadia Bulletin - full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1940
 * Arcadia Daily Tribune - Google News Archive; 1930-1936
 * Arcadia Journal - Google News Archive; 1917-1931
 * Arcadia Tribune - Google News Archive; 1923-1936
 * Torrance Public Library: Historical Newspaper Archives (1913-1969)
 * Torrance Public Library: Historic City and Phone Directories (1922-1975)
 * Whittier Daily News, Whittier Register, Whittier News: 1888-2007
 * Historical Photograph Collection: Images of the establishment of Whittier-late 1800s to mid-20th century

Obituaries
The Southern California Genealogical Society has created The Los Angeles Times Obituary Index database searchable by either first name, last name or a combination of the two. If the name is found, the index provides the year of the obituary. If a copy of the obituary is desired, then it is necessary to purchase it from the Society. Currently the Index covers the period 1988 to 2004, with some gaps. Rose Hills Memorial Park has a searchable database with some online obituaries. [http://www.rosehills.com/dm20/en_US/main/rh/search/index.page? Burials:1914-present, Some Obituaries: 2011- present]
 * Index to Los Angeles County Obituary Collection (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Los Angeles County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Voting Records
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 ($) has a searchable database of Los Angeles Great Registers from 1873-1896.
 * 1866-1898 California, U.S. Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records

 Original Records Site to search index of probate and court records at Huntington Library
 * 1850-1900 Original records of cases filed in the Los Angeles County Court and District Court for Probate case files from 1850 through 1900 and for Civil case files from 1850 through June 1910 are stored at the Huntington Library Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
 * 1782-1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

School Records
Online School Indexes and Records Long Beach High School Yearbooks: 1900s-1950s: courtesy of the Long Beach Public Library

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

Vital Records
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (for Birth, Marriage and Death records going back at least to 1852)

Viewing Vital Records: The following will provide you with the procedure for viewing vital records. Certificates and indexes of birth, death and marriage records not exempt from public inspections may be examined at the Office of the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. In addition to certificates on file, there are indexes of birth, death and marriages available for public inspection as follows: Births prior to 1905 and from 1964 to the present; Deaths from 1877 to the present; and Marriages from 1852 to the present. Records of confidential marriages performed pursuant to Family Code Section 500 are not available for public review.

Birth

 * 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($)
 * 1905 Los Angeles County Birth Index (Genealogy Trails)
 * Los Angeles County Births (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Los Angeles County Birth Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage
For early marriages see the Matrimonial Investigation Records of the San Gabriel Mission, which span 1788–1861. These are notarized interviews with couples wanting to marry in the Roman Catholic Church, performed to establish the couples’ freedom to marry. The collection includes 165 investigations, with 173 men and 170 women, primarily from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. William McPherson donated the original documents to the Claremont Colleges. Click here to see those images.

 ''Online Records
 * 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($)
 * 1859-1974 Los Angeles County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1931 Los Angeles County Marriage Index (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
 * Los Angeles County Marriage Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Death
Los Angeles County Death Records at the FamilySearch Library: are available through the FamilySearch Library System. First, search the index film for the year the person died.Note that in 1958-1960, there are separate film sets for different cities in Los Angeles County, including Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Long Beach. Note that entries in the county wide index with certificate numbers preceded by an "L" pertain to the. The California Death Records 1940-1997 can be searched for free on Rootsweb. California Death Records
 * 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($)
 * Los Angeles County Deaths (USGenWeb Archives)

Divorce

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * East Los Angeles California (Spanish) FamilySearch Center
 * Los Angeles California Hispanic FamilySearch Center
 * Los Angeles California East FamilySearch Center
 * Los Angeles FamilySearch Center
 * California African American Museum - an affiliate site
 * Los Angeles Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Southern California Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
County of Los Angeles Public Libraries is a system of local libraries with some microfilmed newspapers and city directories and biographies. They will search for obituaries (Click the link above for their search policy.) This system has four ethnic centers: The Black Resource Center, the Asian Pacific Resource Center, the Chicano Resource Center, and the American Indian Resource Center.

Societies
Antelope Valley Genealogical Society 557 West Lancaster Blvd. Lancaster, CA 93534 Phone: 661-947-4558 Website Azusa Historical Society 213 E. Foothill Blvd. Azusa, CA 91702 California African American Genealogical Society PO Box 8442 Los Angeles, CA 90008-0442 Covina California Chapter, DAR 2441 S N. Cameron Avenue Covina, CA 91724 Covina Valley Historical Society 125 E. College Street Covina, CA 91723 Downey Historical Society PO Box 554 Downey, CA 90241 Duarte Historical Society PO Box 263 Duarte, CA 91010 Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society 2035 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock, CA 90041 El Monte Historical Society 3150 North Tyler Avenue El Monte, CA 91731 Encino Historical Society 16756 Moorpark Encino, CA 91436 Genealogical Society Family Research Library 417 Irving Drive Burbank, CA 91504 Phone: 818-843-7247 Website Genealogical Society of Hispanic America, Southern California P.O. BOX 2472 Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 German Genealogical Society of America 2125 Wright Avenue, C-9 La Verne, CA 91750 Glendora Genealogical Group PO Box 1141 Glendora, CA 91740 Website Glendora Historical Society PO Box 532 Glendora, CA 91740 Historical Society of La Verne PO Box 7761 La Verne, CA 91750 Historical Society of Long Beach 428 Pine Avenue Box 1869 Long Beach, CA 90801 Immigrant Genealogical Society 1310-B West Magnolia Boulevard, PO Box 7369 Burbank, CA Website Jewish Genealogical Society of LA PO Box 55443 Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-0443 La Puente Valley Historical Society PO Box 522 La Puente, CA 91744 Las Virgines Historical Society PO Box 124 Agoura Hills, CA 91301 Los Angeles Westside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 10447 Marina Del Rey, CA 90295 Website Little Landers Historical Society 10110 Commerce Avenue Tujunga, CA 91042 Los Angeles City Historical Society P.O. Box 41046 Los Angeles, CA 90041 Los Angeles Westside Genealogical Society PO Box 10447 Marina del Rey, CA 90295 Nordic Genealogical Society of Southern California Website Pacific Palisades Historical Society PO Box 1299 Los Angeles, CA 90272 Pasadena Genealogy Society PO Box 94774 Pasadena,CA 91109-4774 Pasadena Historical Society 470 West Walnut Street Pasadena, CA 91103 Polish Genealogical Society of California PO Box 307 Buena Park, CA 90621-0307 Website Pomona Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 286 Pomona, CA 91768-0286 Pomona Valley Historical Society 1569 North Park Pomona, CA 91768 Questing Heirs Genealogical Society PO Box 15102 Long Beach, CA 90813 Redondo Beach Historical Society PO Box 978 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 San Fernando Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 3486 Winnetka, CA 91396-3486 Sons of the Revolution Library 600 South Central Avenue Glendale, California 91204-2009 Phone: 818-240-1775 Website Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library 417 Irving Dr. Burbank, CA 91504 Phone: 818-843-7247 Website TRW Genealogical Society One Space Park, S-1435 Redondo Beach, CA 90278 Whittier Area Genealogical Society PO Box 4367 Whittier, CA 90607 Website

Websites

 * Los Angeles County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Los Angeles County Genealogy (California Genealogy)
 * Online Los Angeles Death Records and Indexes
 * Los Angeles County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Los Angeles 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.