Yolo County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth, marriage, death and land records divorce, probate and court records from 1850

Parent County
18 February 1850: Yolo County was created as an original county. County seat: Woodland

Description
The county was named from a Native American name variously believed to be a corruption of a tribal name Yo-loy meaning "a place abounding in rushes" or of the name of the chief, Yodo, or of the village of Yodoi. The county seat Woodland and the county was created 1850. The County is located in the north central 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

 * Colusa
 * Lake
 * Napa
 * Sacramento
 * Solano
 * Sutter

Biography

 * Yolo County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Yolo County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Searchable Index to Yolo County Biographical Sketches (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Index to Yolo County Biographies List (CAGenWeb Project)

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Yolo  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.


 * 1850 - 1960 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Church History and Records

 * 1864-1985 - at FamilySearch — index

History

 * Index to Yolo County History Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Research Guide to Yolo County History

Land and Property

 * Index to Yolo County Federal Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)

Migration

 * 1929-1954 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War

 * 1883 - Yolo County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1886 - Yolo County, Civil War Veterans Rosters, G.A.R. Posts (USGenWeb Archives)

World War II

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1831-1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Obituaries

 * Yolo County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Surname Index to Yolo County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Yolo County Obituary Sources - Scroll down to "Yolo County Queries, Obituaries, etc." (CAGenWeb Project)

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — images

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Woodland California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

 * 1800 - 1994 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1812 - 1988 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1905 - 1995 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Early Yolo County Birth Notices by year (Genealogy Trails)

Marriage

 * 1800 - 2007 - California, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1850 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1850 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Early Yolo County Marriages by year (Genealogy Trails)
 * Early Yolo County Marriage Notices by year (Genealogy Trails)

Divorce

 * 1966 - 1984 - at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1800 - 1994 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - 1939 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1940 - 1997 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Yolo County, California Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winter, Dunnigan, Zamora, and Clarksburg areas.

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Yolo County Historical Society P.O. Box 1447 Woodland, CA 95776 Phone:530-661-2212 Website

Davis Genealogical Club c/o The Davis Senior Center 646 – A Street Davis, CA 95616-3602

Davis Historical Society c/o Dennis Dingemans, 645 "C" Street Davis, CA 95616

Friends of Yolo County Archives 226 Buckeye Street Woodland, CA 95695-2600

Yolo County African American Heritage Association PO Box 1749 Woodland, CA 95776-1749

West Sacramento Historical Society P.O.Box 1202 324 Third Street W. Sacramento, CA 95691 Phone: 916-374-1849 Website


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

Websites

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