California, Pioneer Migration Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of a card file located at the California State Library, Sacramento. The index is for persons who were California pioneers or migrated to California from other states.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The cards may contain the following information:
 * Name
 * Place and date of birth
 * Parents
 * Spouse
 * Place and date married
 * Date of arrival in California
 * Whether came overland or by vessel
 * Name of vessel
 * States lived in before coming to California
 * Places of residence in California
 * Profession or occupation
 * Public offices held
 * Where educated
 * Principle events in history of California
 * Place and date of death
 * Signature
 * Miscellaneous notes

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of you ancestor
 * The approximate date they came to California
 * The death date of your ancestor

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information and to find additional information

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the record to learn the place of origin and find vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage
 * Use the information found in the record to find land and probate records
 * Use the record to see if other family members who may have migrated

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even initals

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * California Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-Present

Related Family History Library Holdings

 * Pioneer Index File,1906-1953.
 * Robert E. Lester. The American West : Overland journeys, 1841-1880 : research collections on the American West.

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

 * Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868.
 * California State Census, 1852

Related Digital Books

 * C.W. Haskins. The argonauts of California : being the reminiscences of scenes and incidents that occurred in California in early mining days by a pioneer.Reprint. Originally published: New York, Fords, Howard & Hulbert, 1890. 1 v.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.