California, Pioneer Migration Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States California 

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

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The cards usually contains 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 the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know at least some of the following:
 * The name of you ancestor
 * The approximate date they came to California
 * The death date of your ancestor

Compare the information on the image to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if it is the correct family or person. You may need to compare several images before you find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Pagethen select the appropriate Surname Range.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the names and places of residence to locate other records such as census, land and church records.
 * Use the death date to search for a death record and probate records.
 * Use the occupations listed to find other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the information in each record to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family member’s records to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

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

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of California, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the California Archives and Libraries.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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