Alameda County, California Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named the Spanish word alameda means "a place where poplar trees grow," a name originally given to the Arroyo de la (Poplar Grove Creek). The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early explorers of a road lined with trees, also known as an alameda. The county seat Oakland and the county was created March 25, 1853. The County is located in the west central corner of the state.

County Courthouse
Alameda County Courthouse 1221 Oak Street Oakland, CA 94612 Phone: 510-891-6000 Alameda County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1854, probate, divorce, court and land records, birth records 1919-1988 (some from 1873) and death records 1905-1988 some from 1876

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:

Biographies

 * Alameda County Biographies, Surnames A-L (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Alameda County Biographies, Surnames M-Z (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Index to Alameda County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Alameda County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project, part of the USGenWeb Project)

Census Records

 * Alameda County Census Records (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Alameda County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Church Records
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Alameda Churches, short list but with links to transcriptions of some records
 * Alameda
 * Berkeley
 * Berkeley 1
 * Berkeley 2
 * Carquinez
 * Dimond (Oakland)
 * Eastmont
 * Elmhurst (Oakland)
 * Hayward
 * Martinez
 * Maxwell Park (Oakland)
 * Napa
 * Oakland
 * Richmond
 * San Leandro
 * San Leandro

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records
Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Alameda Court records Instructions. Alameda County Court Directory gives addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and links to the courts web sites and online resources..

Land and Property Records

 * Clerk-Recorder's Office has records prior to 1969 on film that must be searched there. From 1969 to the present, the records are online.


 * Index to Federal Land Records, Alameda County, CA (USGenWeb Archives) — 1) Search this index by name to learn the Section, Range, Township, date and DocID. 2) If you want the images, go to the 1853-1866 item below


 * 1853-1866 (*); Alameda County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images; NOTE: Patents NOT indexed. For images: 1) Scroll to the image set for year (learned in USGenWeb index above); 2) Navigate to patents in the set; 3) Browse images (organized by date recorded)

Local Histories

 * History of Alameda County, California: including its geology, topography, soil, and productions: together with a full and particular record of the Spanish grants...1883, by M. W. Wood. Digitized book online from archive.org.
 * The centennial year book of Alameda County, California: containing a summary of the discovery and settlement of California ... also, a gazetteer of each township, useful local and general statistical information, appropriate for the present time, to which are added biographical sketches of prominent pioneers and public men  1876, by William Halley. Digitized book online from archive.org.
 * Past and present of Alameda County, California, 1914, 2 volumes, by Joseph Eugene Baker. Digitized book online from archive.org: Volume 1 Volume 2
 * History of Washington Township, Alameda County, California, 1904. Digitized book online from archive.org.
 * California Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers
For historical maps,search the following free sites: Links to American Memory (Library of Congress), California Missions, and the State Library
 * Maps of California (1850-1925)
 * Maps-Historical-Sate of California, the California government's site.
 * Historical Maps of California
 * California Maps - HSU Library, also lists and links to gazetteers
 * Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for California
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

 * 1906-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Military Records

 * The California State Military Museum has a great deal of historical information and links.
 * Alameda County Military Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * California, Alameda County, Emeryville, Veterans of Foreign Wars : Post 1010 membership records, 1920-1989 San Leandro, California
 * Alameda County, war dead, 1919-1995(*) at FamilySearch Catalog

 Civil War Civil War service men in Alameda 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:
 * Ancestry.com has Records of California men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867
 * Alameda County - List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company A

World War I
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 Korean War
 * Alameda County Korean War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)

 Vietnam War
 * Vietnam War Casualties, Alameda County (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1831-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1852-1989 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * The California Digital Newspaper Collection has newspapers from 1848 through 1922. You can search by keyword, including names, and/or by date.
 * The major newspaper published in Alameda county is The Oakland Tribune, which has been published under variations of the current name since 1874. Ancestry.com has broken runs from 1874 to 1977. Newspapers.com has all publications from 1874 to 1975.
 * Berkeley Daily Gazette - more than 8,000 issues spanning 1911-1946 freely available in Google Newspaper Archive.

Obituaries

 * Index to Alameda County Obituaries, by name and by year. (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Alameda County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Voting Records

 * 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
 * Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Probate and Guardianship
 * 1782-1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1833-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1857-1920 Alameda County California list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - free

School Records

 * Index to Alameda County School Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Oakland High School Memorial Pages. Search by name or by year. (CAGenWeb Project)

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

Birth

 * 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1905 Index to Alameda County Birth Records, 1905 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Alameda County Birth Notices listed by year. (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage

 * 1800-2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1840-1940 Alameda County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho

Death

 * 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Alameda County, California Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, Livermore, Pleasanton and Union City areas.
 * Robert Graham Mortuary Records (Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society, listed in the CAGenWeb Project)
 * Callaghan Mortuary Records, listed by year. (Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society listed in the CAGenWeb Project)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Concord California FamilySearch Center
 * Danville California FamilySearch Center
 * Fremont California FamilySearch Center
 * Hayward California FamilySearch Center
 * Livermore California FamilySearch Center
 * Oakland California Large Multi-stake FamilySearch Center
 * Pleasanton California FamilySearch Center
 * California Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library
 * California FamilySearch Center/ Sacramento Family Search Library a FamilySearch Library

Libraries
Public, college, and university libraries in Alameda County Website Online genealogical resources at the California State Library Website Livermore and Pleasanton Public Libraries & FamilySearch Centers Website Alameda County Library, Dublin Library Website Alameda Free Library Website

Societies
Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society Website Livermore Heritage Guild Website Hayward Area Historical Society Website California Genealogical Society and Library Website East Bay Genealogical Society Website Hayward Area Genealogical Society Website Macintosh Genealogical Society Website San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society Website Alameda Historical Society 2324 Alameda Avenue Alameda, CA 94501 Alameda County Historical Society 672 11th Street Oakland, CA 94607 Phone:510-238-3234 Website African American Genealogical Society of Northern California PO Box 27485 Oakland, CA 94602-0985 510-496-2740 Email: [mailto:aagsnc.org aagsnc.org] Website Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society PO Box 573 Pleasanton, CA 94566 Berkeley Historical Society 1931 Center Street Berkeley,CA 9470 East Bay Genealogical Society PO Box 1648 Alameda, CA 94501-0182 510-451-9599 Email:[mailto:caebaygs@gmail.com caebaygs@gmail.com] Website Hayward Area Genealogical Society PO Box 754 Hayward, CA 94543-0754 Email:[mailto:hags754@gmail.com hags754@gmail.com] Website San Leandro Historical Commission 300 Estudillo Avenue San Leandro, CA 94577 Surveyors' Historical Society 31457 Hugh Way Hayward, CA 94544 Washington Township Historical Society PO Box 3045 Fremont, CA 94539

Websites

 * Alameda County CAGenWeb, part of | CAGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Genealogy Trails, Alameda County California History &amp; Genealogy
 * Alameda County CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
 * Alameda County, California Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)


 * – 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.

Research Guides

 * Alameda Research Guide at California State Library