California, County Birth and Death Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States California

What is in the Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1800 to 1994.

The collection consists of images of registers, records, and certificates of county birth and death records acquired from county courthouses. This collection contains some delayed birth records, as well. Some city and towns records are also included. Records have not been acquired for the following counties:

Collection Content
Death records may include the following information:


 * Death date
 * Place of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Age at death
 * Gender
 * Nativity
 * Cause of Death
 * Attending physician

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name
 * Date of the event
 * Place of the event

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "County/Town" category ⇒Select the “Record Type, Date Range and Volume" category which takes you to the images

Look at each image. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Make a photocopy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the names and relationships as a basis for compiling family groups.
 * Use the names, date, and residence or place to locate the individual or family in the census.
 * Use the names and places to locate additional records about the individual or family such as church and land records.
 * Use ages listed to determine approximate birth dates.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings.
 * If the record is a death record look for burial and probate records in the same location.
 * If the record is a birth record look for records of the parents.

What If I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the images.
 * Search the records of neighboring counties.
 * Search for an index. Local historical and genealogical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * California Department of Public Health
 * California State Vital Record Search
 * http://www.californiabirthindex.org/ California Birth Index]

Related Wiki Articles

 * California
 * California, Birth Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, Death Index, 1905-1939 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California, Death Index, 1940-1997 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * California Vital Records

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.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: