Riverside County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1893

Parent Counties
11 March 1893: Riverside County was created from San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. County seat: Riverside

Description
The county was named from the City of Riverside, christened when the upper canal of the Santa Ana River reached it in 1871. The county seat Riverside and the county was created 1893. The County is located in the southeast 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:

Banning | Beaumont | Blythe | Calimesa | Canyon Lake | Cathedral City | Coachella | Corona | Desert Hot Springs | Eastvale | Hemet | Indian Wells | Indio | Jurupa Valley | La Quinta | Lake Elsinore | Menifee | Moreno Valley | Murrieta | Norco | Palm Desert | Palm Springs | Perris | Rancho Mirage | Riverside | San Jacinto | Temecula | Wildomar

Unincorporated Locations
Aguanga | Alberhill | Anza | Belltown | Bermuda Dunes | Cabazon | Cherry Valley | Chiriaco Summit | Coronita | Crestmore Heights | Desert Beach | Desert Center | Desert Edge | Desert Palms | East Blythe | Eagle Mountain | Eagle Valley | East Hemet | El Cerrito | El Sobrante | French Valley | Garnet | Good Hope | Green Acres | Highgrove | Home Gardens | Homeland | Idyllwild | Indio Hills | Lake Mathews | Lake Riverside | Lake Tamarisk | Lakeland Village | Lakeview | Lost Lake | March ARB | Mead Valley | Meadowbrook | Mecca | Mesa Verde | Mountain Center | North Shore | Nuevo | Oasis | Pine Cove | Pinyon Pines | Rancho Capistrano | Ripley | Romoland | Sage | Sky Valley | Temescal Valley | Thermal | Thousand Palms | Valle Vista | Vista Santa Rosa | Warm Springs | Whitewater | Winchester | Woodcrest |

Neighboring Counties

 * Imperial
 * La Paz County, Arizona
 * Orange
 * San Bernardino
 * San Diego

Biography

 * Riverside County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Riverside County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Riverside  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

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Arlington
 * Blythe
 * Elsinore
 * Hemet
 * Indio
 * Palm Springs
 * Riverside

Germans
Archives, Libraries, and Museums Biographies Church Records Cemetery Records Court Records Histories Immigration/emigration/migration Maps Newspapers Societies

History

 * Riverside County History Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Land and Property

 * Riverside County Index to Federal Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Riverside County Geographic Information Services (select "Map My County" for current land records)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)

Migration

 * 1929-1954 - at FamilySearch — index

Military History and Records

 * Index to Riverside County Military Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Obituaries

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

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

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Corona Public Library 650 S. Main Street Corona, California 98992-3417 951-736-2386

County Courthouse
Riverside Hall of Justice 4100 Main Street, Riverside, Ca. 92501

Riverside Historic Courthouse

4050 Main Street, Riverside, Ca. 92501

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Anza California Family History Center
 * Blythe California Family History Center
 * Corona California Family History Center




 * Hemet Family History Library**


 * Jurupa California Family History Center (Riverside)
 * Lake Elsinore California Family History Center
 * Menifee California Family History Center (Sun City)
 * Moreno Valley California Family History Center
 * Murrieta California Family History Center
 * Palm Desert California Family History Center
 * Riverside California Family History Center

Societies
Corona Genealogical Society Meets in the Corona Public Library

Hemet-San Jacinto Genealogical Society, Inc P. O. Box 2516 Hemet, California 92546-2516 951-765-2372

Genealogical Society of Riverside

P. O. Box 2557 Riverside, CA 92516-2557

email: [mailto:gsor@gsor.org gsor@gsor.org]

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

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
 * Riverside County Marriage Notices (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

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Riverside County Historical Commission P.O. Box 3507 Riverside 92519

Riverside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2557 Riverside 92516

Coachella Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 124 Indio, CA 92202

Colorado River-Blythe Quartsite Genealogical Society PO Box 404 Blythe, CA 92226

Corona Genealogical Society 650 S. Main Street Corona, CA 92882-3417 Website

Desert Hot Springs Historical Society PO Box 1267 Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

Genealogical Society of Riverside PO Box 2557 Riverside, CA 92156-2557 Website

Hemet-San Jacinto Genealogical Society PO Box 2516 Hemet, CA 92343

Lake Elsinore Genealogical Society PO Box 807 Lake Elsinore, CA 92330 Website

Palm Springs Genealogical Society PO Box 2093 Palm Springs, CA 92263 Website

Palm Springs Historical Society PO Box 1498 Palm Springs, CA 92263

Pioneer Historical Society of Riverside PO Box 246 Riverside, CA 92502

Society Middletown First Settlers Descendants(1650-1700) 81641 Ave. 48, Space 89 Indio, CA 92201-6723

 Temecula Valley Genealogical Society 27475 Ynez Road, Ste. 291 Temecula,CA 92591 Website

 Temecula Valley Historical Society PO Box 157 Temecula, CA 92593


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

Websites

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