Kern County, California Genealogy

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

Description
Kern County takes its name from the Kern River, which was named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Frémont's 1845 expedition. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Kern County Courthouse 1215 Truxtun Ave Bakersfield, CA 93301 Phone: 661-868-5393 Kern County Website

County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1850, divorce, probate court and voting record from 1866.

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

 * Historic chronology of Kern County. By Richard C. Bailey. Bakersfield, California : Kern County Museum, 1964. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Biographies

 * History of Kern County, California : with Biographical Sketches. By Wallace M. Morgan. Los Angeles, California : Historic Record Co., 1914. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
 * History of Kern County, California : with Illustrations. San Francisco, California : Wallace W. Elliott, 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * History of Kern County, California : with Personal Sketches. 2 volumes. By Thelma Bernard Miller. Chicago : S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1929. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California. Compiled by Myron Angle. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co., [1892?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
 * Kern County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Kern County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Kern County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)

Census Records

 * 1870 Kern 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
 * Bakersfield

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

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Index to Federal Land Records, Kern County (USGenWeb Archives)

Local Histories

 * History of Kern County, California : with Biographical Sketches. By Wallace M. Morgan. Los Angeles, California : Historic Record Co., 1914. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
 * History of Kern County, California : with Illustrations. San Francisco, California : Wallace W. Elliott, 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * History of Kern County, California : with Personal Sketches. 2 volumes. By Thelma Bernard Miller. Chicago : S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1929. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California. Compiled by Myron Angle. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co., [1892?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
 * Index to Kern County History Records (USGenWeb 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

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

Military Records
 Civil War
 * 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883, Kern County (Genealogy Trails)

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

 World War II
 * Index to Kern County WWII Army Enlistees by Name (USGenWeb Archives)

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Bakersfield Californian- 2700+ issues of the paper digitized and in the Google News Archive; covers 1907-1949.
 * California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research
 * California, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

 * Kern County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Kern County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Index to Kern County Obituaries - Scroll down to "Kern County Obituaries & Death Certificates" (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Obituary Index at Kern County Genealogical Society

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
 * 1782-1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

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
BMD records can be requested at the Kern County Hall of Records website birth-marriage-or-death-certificates

Birth

 * 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1905 Kern County Births, 1905 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1906 Kern County Births, 1906 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Kern County Births (USGenWeb Archives)

Marriage

 * 1800-2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
 * Kern County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Death

 * 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1880-1900 Kern County Coroner's Reports, 1885-1900 (CAGenWeb Project)
 * 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Index to Kern County Deaths and Death Notices (USGenWeb Archives); Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Pre-1905 Kern County Death Index (CAGenWeb Project)

Divorce

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bakersfield California FamilySearch Center
 * Bakersfield California East FamilySearch Center
 * Bakersfield California South FamilySearch Center
 * Delano California FamilySearch Center
 * Kern Valley California FamilySearch Center
 * Kern County Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Kern County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2214 Bakersfield, CA 93303-2214 Kern County Historical Society P.O. Box 141 Bakersfield, CA 93302 Website Kern River Valley Historical Society 49 Big Blue Rd. P.O. Box 651 Kernville, CA 93238-0651 Phone: 760-376-6683 Website Kern-Antelope Historical Society P.O. Box 325 Rosamond, CA 93560 Website Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert 100 E. Las Floras Avenue Ridgecrest, CA 93555 Website Shafter Historical Society PO Box 1088 Shafter, CA 93263 Website Ridge Route Communities Historical Societies and Museum Box 684 Frazier Park, CA 93225 Phone: 661-245-7747 Website

Websites

 * Kern County CAGenWeb and CA GenWeb
 * Kern County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Kern County, CA Genealogy


 * – 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

 * Kern Research Guide at California State Library