Santa Maria California FamilySearch Center

BEFORE YOU COME...
If you have a FamilySearch account, don't forget to bring your Username and Password for logging into your account. If it has been awhile since you logged into FamilySearch, we also encourage you to bring your cell phone, if you have one, and your email account Username and Password as well. This will allow you to retrieve a code from FamilySearch just in case you have trouble with your sign-in process. If you don't have a FamilySearch account, we can help you set up a FREE account - just be prepared to access either your cell phone or email (via your cell phone) as listed above.

Map:

 * Location Map

Address:

 * 908 Sierra Madre Avenue, Santa Maria, CA 93454 United States.
 * Entrance and parking are at the southwest corner of the large church building.
 * Please ring the bell for entrance to the FamilySearch Center.
 * Language: English is our main language, but we also offer Spanish, Finnish, German, and Latin help by appointment.

Phone:

 * 1-805-928-4722
 * If we don't answer the phone, please leave a message and we will call you as soon as possible.

Email:

 * ca_santamaria@familyhistorymail.org

Hours:

 * Sundays: by appointment only, or occasionally we may offer classes
 * DAYS: Tues-Wed-Thurs: 10:00am-2:00pm
 * EVENINGS: Tues-Wed: 6:30pm-8:30pm

2023 Center Closures:

 * New Year's Day
 * Thursday, March 2 - due to RootsTech being shown online worldwide
 * 1st weekend of April and October
 * Easter Sunday, Mother's Day, and Father's Day
 * Thanksgiving week beginning with the Sunday before Thanksgiving
 * The Sunday before Christmas through New Year's Day

Family Discovery Day

 * To be determined at a later date.

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog: FamilySearch Centers worldwide no longer have the ability to order microfilms and microfiche listed in the FamilySearch Catalog, and many of the films and fiche have been returned to FamilySearch in Salt Lake City. All of the films and fiche in the Catalog have been digitized and most are available online for viewing images. Those images that are not viewable online are due to contractual limitations imposed upon FamilySearch by the record-holders. We apologize for such restrictions and appreciate your understanding that we are bound by those contracts.


 * Our FamilySearch Center has returned most of its original film holdings but we still have a few on hand for patron use. Presently we still have most of our microfiche collection.


 * We also have a Reference Library housing over 1,000 books and periodicals to help you with research throughout the world.

Databases and Software
Our Center has access to the FamilySearch Center Portal which offers free access in the Center to premium family history software and websites. Often these sites will charge subscription fees but here in the Center, there is no charge for patrons to use them. The Portal currently offers the following:


 * 19th Century British Library Newspapers - This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900. These support the study of colonial history, genealogical research, politics, urban studies, and media courses.
 * Alexander Street
 * Social and Cultural History : Personal accounts of well-known historical figures. The American Civil War Research Database
 * The American Civil War - Letters and Diaries : Contains approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs, including 4,000 pages of previously unpublished manuscripts, such as the letters of Amos Wood and his wife and the diary of Maryland planter William Claytor. The American Civil War Letters and Diaries
 * The American Civil War - Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera : Provides a vivid history of the American Civil War with over 1,400 images. Images of the American Civil War: Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera
 * Women and Social Movements in the United States : Organized around the history of women in social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000 A.D.
 * American Ancestors - Advance your family history research today with AmericanAncestors.org! Created by the expert staff at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America'S founding genealogical organization, AmericanAncestors.org is the portal to the nation's leading resource for the highest-quality, comprehensive family history services. Read the most significant original scholarship and important publications in genealogy. Access millions of exclusive and sought-after records online. Learn with in-depth online courses and webinars from expert staff. Explore the largest collection of original family history research materials in America.
 * Ancestry Institution - Ancestry gives you access to thousands of collections of records from around the world, including immigration, census, voter, vital, and military records; newspapers and periodicals; family trees; photos and images; directories, maps, court records, land records, wills and financial records, stories, memories, and histories; and detailed records about births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, and much more. Ancestry is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.
 * ArkivDigital - ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents.
 * FamNet - The online family history network for those who have New Zealand roots.
 * Findmypast - Findmypast makes it easy to research your United Kingdom ancestry and create your family tree. Search census records, and trace births, marriages, and deaths to bring your family history to life. Please note that not all of the content from Findmypast is available in FamilySearch centers.
 * Fold3 (Military records research) - Search or browse millions of historical documents and photos. Fold3 has refocused their efforts on gathering the best online collection of military records and stories. The Fold3 name reflects military history and honor, since traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world.
 * Geneanet - With 3 billion referenced individuals and 600,000 trees online, Geneanet is the first site dedicated to genealogy in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The Geneanet community has 2 million members who exchange genealogical information. This resource contains English parish records, directories, census, civil registration, surname mapping, and selected army and navy lists.
 * Irish Ancestors - Irish Ancestors aims to be the one-stop starting point for all Irish ancestral research, mapping surnames and surname variants in all the major sources and providing easy links back to all the underlying records.
 * MyHeritage Library Edition - Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.
 * NewspaperArchive - The largest historical newspaper database online, contains tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1607 to present. Every newspaper in the archive is fully searchable by keyword and date, making it easy for you to quickly explore historical content.
 * Paper Trail - Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.
 * Puzzilla - Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.

Hardware and Equipment

 * Multiple computer workstations with printer access
 * 1 Lexmark Laser Black & White Printer/Copier (no charge for copies)
 * 1 Northwest Microfilm Reader
 * 1 Microfiche Reader
 * 1 Canon Microfiche/Microfilm Scanner-Copier
 * 1 Epson Flatbed Photo Scanner (scans photos, negatives, and slides)
 * 1 Epson Upright-Feeding Document Scanner
 * 1 12" Paper Trimmer/Cutter
 * 1 Heavy-Duty 3-Hole Punch (punches up to 130 sheets at a time of 20 pound paper)

Staff Research Specialties
We have friendly and experienced volunteers who have various skill sets and English is our main language, but we also offer translation help by appointment in the following languages:
 * Spanish
 * Finnish
 * German
 * Latin

Resources in the Local Area
Santa Maria Public Library: Special Collections 421 S. McClelland St. Santa Maria, CA 93454

Santa Maria Valley Genealogical Society www.SMVGS.org


 * The Society meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 2:15-4pm here at the Santa Maria FamilySearch Center. They do not meet in June, July, August or December. The Society can be reached for volunteer help through the Santa Maria Public Library: 805-925-0994 or by email at Roots@smvgs.org. If you are just getting started, new to the area, or need something special in your research they are another source of help.

Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum 616 S. Broadway Santa Maria, CA 93454

Links
The "Links" below offer in-depth information and education on the subject of each link and there are many more links contained within each page of information. Click the link to learn more about a particular subject and what is available to help you in your research.


 * California Genealogy


 * Family History for Beginners


 * Genealogy Research Forms


 * Latter-day Saint Online Genealogy Records


 * Mexico Genealogy


 * National Archives at San Francisco


 * Santa Barbara County, California


 * United States Genealogy

Maintained by: Ramona Cashmore, Director 

Last modified: 9 August 2023