California, United States Genealogy

''This article is about a state of the United States. For other uses, see California (disambiguation)''. United States California Welcome to California, the Golden StateMost unique genealogical features:
 * Spanish mission (church records) list many of the earliest settlers
 * CA took an 1852 state census
 * About 14% of CA immigrants before the railroad are in CA Pioneer Project
 * Starting 1866 most CA counties have Great Registers (voter lists)

Counties
Extinct or Renamed Counties:  Branciforte· Klamath· Lake (Nevada)· Pahute· Roop· Nataqua Territory

Click on the map below to go to a county page. Hover over a county to see its name. To see a larger version of the map, click here.

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Major Repositories
California State Archives· California State Library· Sutro Library· California Historical Society· California Genealogical Society· UC Berkeley Bancroft Library· Los Angeles Public Library· Chinese Historical Society· National Archives Pacific Region (Riverside)· National Archives Pacific Region (San Francisco)· Family History Library

Migration Routes
Applegate Trail· Butterfield Overland Mail· California Trail· Camino Real de California· Central Overland Trail· Mormon Trail to Southern California· Old Spanish Trail· Atlantic and Pacific Railroad· Central Pacific Railroad· Santa Fe Railway· Southern Pacific Railroad· Texas and Pacific Railway· Union Pacific Railroad· Ship Passenger Arrivals

Research Tools

 * The California State Genealogical Alliance's Online Research Guide briefly tells about early settlement, research facilities in the state.
 * Finding Aids for the collections of university libraries, public libraries, state and county archives, historical societies, genealogical societies and other record repositories are collected together in the Online Archive of California

Things You Can Do
In order to make this wiki a better research tool, we need your help! Many tasks need to be done. You can help by:

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * California, Birth Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California 1852 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Divorce Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Great Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Marriage Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, San Diego Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * San Francisco California Area Funeral Home Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, San Francisco Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, Los Angeles Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, San Mateo County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Califormia, San Mateo County, Colma, Italian, Cemetery Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)