Modoc County, California Genealogy

Guide to Modoc County, California ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. California Online Genealogy Records

County Courthouse
County Clerk has divorce, probate, court and voter regisitration records from 1874 County Recorder has birth, marriage and death records

Parent County
17 February 1874: Modoc County was created from Siskiyou County. County seat: Alturas

Description
The county was named from the Modoc people who lived in what is now northern California, near Lost River and Tule Lake. The county seat Alturas and the county was created February 17, 1874. The County is located in the northeastern area of the state.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating California county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation California County Boundary Maps" (1850-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Klamath County, Oregon
 * Lake County, Oregon
 * Lassen
 * Shasta
 * Siskiyou
 * Washoe County, Nevada

Biography

 * Modoc County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Modoc County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)

Census

 * Modoc County Census Records (CAGenWeb Project)

Church History and Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * FamilySearch Places

Gazetteers

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

Land and Property

 * Modoc County Land and Tax Records (CAGenWeb Project)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for emigrant settlers included:


 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Applegate Trail since 1846 (avoided the Forty Mile Desert) by leaving the Humboldt River in Nevada early at present-day Rye Reservoir, Nevada and passing through the Black Rock Desert to Fandango Pass past Goose Lake on to the Lost River and eventually the Willamette Valley in Oregon
 * The Lassen Cutoff 1848 was established by gold rushers from Oregon going to California. It branched off the Applegate Trail at Davis Creek, went through Devil's Garden to the Pit River passing east of Mt. Lassen, and turning west to Lassen Rancho, California, and from there to Sacramento. In some years as much as 1/3 of emigrants mistakenly took the Applegate Trail-Lassen Cutoff, a much longer and more difficult trail than the Truckee or Carson routes.


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

Civil War

 * 1883 Modoc County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Modoc County Civil War Veterans (USGenWeb Archives)

World War I

 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Index to Modoc County World War I Draft Registrations (USGenWeb Archives)

World War II

 * Index to Modoc County World War II Army Enlistees (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Modoc County Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel (Genealogy Trails)

Korean War

 * Modoc County Korean War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)

Vietnam War

 * Modoc County Vietnam War Casualties (Genealogy Trails)

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research

Obituaries

 * Modoc County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Modoc County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images

Family History Centers

 * Alturas California Family History Center
 * Cedarville California Family History Center
 * Fall River California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

 * 1812 - 1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1905 - 1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)


 * Modoc County Birth Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage

 * 1800 - 2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $


 * 1854 - 1885 Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Modoc County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Divorce

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

Death

 * 1776 - 2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1905 - 1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1940 - 1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)

Voting Registers
California county clerks were to keep voting registers every other year from 1866 and well into the 20th century. These large books, called Great Registers, listed the men who registered to vote in that county. Besides name and age, the record may show place of birth, address, occupation, naturalization date and sometimes even a physical description.

These records are at the California State Library (1866-1944), and microfilmed copies are available through Family History Centers (1866-1910). Ancestry ($) has a searchable database of Modoc Great Registers from 1875-1898.

The Modoc records for 1874 are available on the RootsWeb site, by clicking here.
 * 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
 * 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Modoc County Historical Society Museum 600 South Main Street Alturas, California 96101 Phone: (530) 233-2944 Website


 * List of California Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Websites

 * Modoc County CAGenWeb
 * Modoc County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Modoc County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Modoc County CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)