Shasta County, California Genealogy

Guide to Shasta 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 from 1880 County Recorder has birth, marriage and death records

www.co.shasta.ca.us/

Parent County
18 February 1850: Shasta County was created as an original county. County seat: Redding

Description
The county was named after Mount Shasta; the name "Shasta" is derived from the English equivalent for the name of an Indian tribe that once lived in the area. The county seat Redding and the county was created 1850. The County is located in the north 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
14 June 1853: All records were destroyed in the great fire of June 14th, 1853

Indian Reservations or Rancherias
The Big Bend Indian Rancheria is located in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Lassen
 * Modoc
 * Plumas
 * Siskiyou
 * Tehama
 * Trinity

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Shasta  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.


 * 1850 - 1960 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Church History and Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Redding
 * Shasta

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)



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


 * California Trail 1846 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.
 * Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California

Civil War

 * - 4th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company C

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
 * Anderson California Family History Center
 * Fall River California Family History Center
 * Redding 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
Shasta Genealogical Society P.O. Box 994652 Redding 96099-4652

Shasta Genealogical Society P.O. Box 493431 Redding, CA 96049-3431 Website

Shasta County Historical Society 1449 Market Street Redding, CA 96001 Phone: 530-243-3720 Website


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

Websites

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