California, Shasta County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection include images of naturalizations, marriage applications, veteran burials and probate records from the Superior Court in Redding, California for the years 1851 to 1950.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Marriage license applications may include:
 * Name of the bride and groom
 * Names of the parents
 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Residences of the bride and groom
 * Age and races of the bride and groom
 * Family History Library Microfilm and item numbers for the source materials

Wills and probate records and estate case files may include:
 * Name of testator or deceased
 * Event year
 * Event place
 * Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
 * Sometimes the date of death

Naturalization records may include:
 * Name of the immigrant
 * Country of birth
 * Arrival date
 * Date of Declaration of Intent or Naturalization
 * Names of witnesses
 * Signature of judge or court official

In post-1906 records, you may also find:
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Age
 * Race
 * Last foreign residence
 * Current residence
 * Arrival place
 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse
 * Maiden name of wife
 * Birth date of spouse
 * Residence of spouse

Veterans’ grave sites may include:
 * Name of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Date and place of birth
 * Date and place of death
 * War in which veteran served
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Next of kin
 * Date and place of enlistment
 * Branch of service, rank and unit of service
 * Discharge date and place
 * Cemetery record includes grave number, book number and page of record
 * Source of information

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of California marriages, click here.

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age or date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record Category
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Record Description, and Year Range to view the images.

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?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the California, Shasta County Recorder.

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

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other county or California Vital Records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the United States Census, 1870 (FamilySearch Historical Records) or the United States Census, 1900 (FamilySearch Historical Records). Search the state censuses as well.
 * Use the information found in the record to find [California Probate Records].
 * Use the information found in the record to find [California Land and Property].
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index.
 * If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

I Can’t Find the Person 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. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process.
 * Check other possible ports of entry

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.

"California, Shasta County Records, 1851-1950." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Superior Court of California, Shasta County, Redding.
 * Collection Citation:

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