California, Pioneer Migration Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This 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 These Records Tell Me?
The cards may contain 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?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * 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 the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the County
 * 2) Select  the Record Type, Year Range and Volume Number or Letter 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?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information and to find additional information

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

 * Use the information found in the record to find other records such as emigrations, port records, and ship’s manifests.
 * Use the record to learn your ancestor’s foreign and “Americanized” names, if they were different.
 * Use the record to learn the place of origin and find their church and vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land and probate records.
 * Use the record to see if other family members who may have immigrated with the person you are looking for are listed and have additional information or leads; you may also find additional information on new family members in censuses.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who 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, Pioneer Migration Index, Compiled 1906-1935." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing California State Library, Sacramento, California.
 * Collection Citation:

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