Valencia California FamilySearch Center

Interested in your genealogy? Are you seeking information about your roots? Want to know who you came from? Have you wondered who your great-great-great grandfather was? You can start or continue your family search FREE of charge for everyone at the Valencia FamilySearch Center. Established in 1978, it is open to the public 24 hours each week. The all-volunteer staff of research experts assist interested patrons, who have made more than 2,200 visits to the Center each year. In addition to providing personal assistance, the center’s equipment include computers with free access to premium websites, printer, scanner, and a book library. For 24-hour recorded information or to speak with someone at the Center, call 661-259-1347.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 24443 W. McBean Pkwy Valencia California 91355 United States


 * Language: English

Phone:


 * 1-661-259-1347

E-Mail:


 * ValenciaFHC@outlook.com or CA_Valencia@familyhistorymail.org

OPEN HOURS:


 * Mon: 9:00am-12:30pm
 * Tue: 9:00am-4:00pm  (Evening by appointment only 661-803-3469)
 * Wed: 9:00am-4:00pm (Evening by appointment only 661-803-3469)
 * Thu: 9:00am-12:30pm  (Evening by appointment only 661-803-3469)
 * Fri: 9:00am-Noon - INDEXING ONLY
 * Sat: By appointment only 661-803-3469

2023 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE - CLOSED:


 * Mon Sep 4 Labor Day
 * Mon Oct 9 Columbus Day
 * Fri Nov 10 Veteran's Day
 * Wed, Thurs, Fri Nov 22, 23, 24  Thanksgiving
 * Dec 20-Jan 3 Christmas Week and New Years

2024 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE - CLOSED:


 * Mon-Wed Jan 1-3 New Years
 * Mon Jan 15 Martin Luther King Day
 * Mon Feb 19 Presidents Day
 * Mon May 27 Memorial Day
 * Wed June 19 Juneteenth Day
 * Thurs Jul 4 Independence Day
 * Mon Sep 2 Labor Day
 * Mon Oct 14 Columbus Day
 * Mon Nov 11 Veteran's Day
 * Wed, Thurs, Fri Nov 27, 28, 29  Thanksgiving
 * Dec 20-Jan 5 Christmas Week and New Years

FamilySearch Center Class Schedule for - 2023 - Fall classes to be announced
'''Classes are free and open to the general public. All dates shown are on Thursday - Instruction from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. To be added to our email list and be notified of upcoming seminars and events, send message to glennarae5@yahoo.com'''

August 10, 2023
No class due to summer break

September 12, 2023
Class topic:

Description:

Presenter:  Class level: Beginner

October 10, 2023
Class topic:

Description:

Presenter: Class level: Beginner

November 14, 2023
Class topic:

Description:

Presenter:  Class level: Beginner

December 12, 2023
No class due to Christmas Break

Free commercial websites at the Valencia California FamilySearch Center
FamilySearch Center Portal: This center has access to the FamilySearch Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions as follows:

The 19th Century British Library Newspapers digital archive
This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900. These support the study of colonial history, genealogical research, politics, urban studies, and media courses.

Alexander Street Press, American Civil War

 * Research Data: Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs.


 * Letters and Diaries: Contains approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs, including 4,000 pages of previously unpublished manuscripts, such as the letters of Amos Wood and his wife and the diary of Maryland planter William Claytor


 * Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera: Provides a vivid history of the American Civil War with over 1,400 images.


 * Social and Cultural History: Personal accounts of well-known historical figures.


 * Women and Social Movements in the United States: Organized around the history of women in social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000 A.D.

American Ancestors
Advance your family history research today with AmericanAncestors.org! Created by the expert staff at New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America's founding genealogical organization, AmericanAncestors.org is the portal to the nation's leading resource for the highest-quality comprehensive family history services. Consult with our expert staff, some of the most respected genealogists in the profession. Read the most significant original scholarship and important publications in genealogy. Access millions of exclusive and sought-after records online. Learn with in-depth online courses and webinars from expert staff. Explore the largest collection of original family history research materials in America.

Ancestry.com
Ancestry gives you access to thousands of collections of records from around the world, including immigration, census, voter, vital, and military records; newspapers and periodicals; family trees; photos and images; directories, maps, court, land, wills and financial records, stories, memories, and histories; and detailed records about births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, and much more. It is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.

ArkivDigital Online
ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents. Click the link from the Premium Family History Websites page to install the current client version of ArkivDigital Online.

findmypast
findmypast makes it easy to research your UK ancestry and create your family tree. Search census records and trace births, marriages, and deaths to bring your family history to life. Please note that not all of the content from Findmypast is available in FamilySearch centers. 1911 British Census (accessed through the Findmypast website)—The 1911 UK Census is a record of everyone who lived in England and Wales in 1911. It provides a unique snapshot of the lives of those who lived at that time.

Fold3
(formerly Footnote.com)  Search or browse millions of historical documents and photos. Fold3 has refocused their efforts on gathering the best online collection of military records and stories. The Fold3 name reflects military history and honor, since traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world.

Geneanet
With 3 billion referenced individuals and 600,000 trees online, Geneanet is the first site dedicated to genealogy in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The Geneanet community has two million members who exchange genealogical information.

Kinpoint Premium
Kinpoint is designed to make it easier for you to do your family history by letting you see what to work on at a glance; quickly find missing information in your family tree; and discover insights into the lives of your ancestors.

MyHeritage—Library Edition
Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more. MyHeritage is an online genealogy platform with web, mobile, and software products and services that was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company MyHeritage in 2003. Users of the platform can browse through photos, and search billions of global historical records, among other features. As of 2015, the service supports 42 languages and has around 80 million users worldwide. In January 2017 it was reported that MyHeritage has 35 million family trees on its website. The company is headquartered in Or Yehuda, Israel with additional offices in Tel Aviv, Lehi, Utah, and Burbank, California.

Newspapers.com
"Newspapers.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive. Featuring billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world, NewspaperARCHIVE makes exploring history and genealogy easy and fun. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old—including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more—to fill in the life stories you are interested in. And share those stories with others through our community at Our NewspaperARCHIVE. All of our historical newspapers are full-page and fully searchable. Try exploring above, and discover your history today!"

Paper Trail
Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.

Puzzilla (Premium Version)
Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.

Hardware and Equipment

 * Our FamilySearch Center is equipped with:
 * Nine (9) large screen personal computers for your family history use. Four (4) laptop personal computer
 * One (1) copier, printer (laser) and scanner that can scan to your FamilySearch account or personal flash drive.
 * Collection of family history books and publication

Children's Center
You can bring your children to the center while you get help with your family history. We have a children's section where children 3-11 years of age can learn about their ancestors with books, games, stories, etc.

Staff Research Specialties
19 experienced staff consultants to personally help with research        See the Bountiful and Chattanooga FSC pages for examples

Resources in the Local Area
(This section is to highlight other resources in your area that will be helpful for individuals doing research there in your location, if there are any, such as government offices, historical societies, etc.)

Links
(Include links to other websites of interest to those who visit your center such as links to the city, county and state wiki pages where your center is located.)

Volunteer at the Center
If you would like to volunteer at our FamilySearch Center, send an e-mail to ValenciaFHC@outlook.com and we will contact you.