Mariposa County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse


County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records County Recorder has birth, marriage, death and burial records

Parent County
18 February 1850: Mariposa was created as an original county. County seat: Mariposa

Description
The county was named from Mariposa Creek, which was so named by Spanish explorers in 1806, when they discovered great clusters of butterflies ("mariposas" in Spanish) in the foothills of the Sierras. The county seat Mariposa and the county was created 1850. The County is located in the central 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.

Neighboring Counties

 * Madera
 * Merced
 * Stanislaus
 * Tuolumne

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Mariposa  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.


 * 1850 - 1960 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)



Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1833 – 1991 at FamilySearch — images

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Mariposa California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth
Notices of vital events (births, marriages, and deaths), 1919-1921, abstracted from the Mariposa Gazette by William Disbro.

Marriage

 * 1850 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1919 - 1921 - Notices of vital events (births, marriages, and deaths), 1919-1921, abstracted from the Mariposa Gazette by William Disbro.
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death
Notices of vital events (births, marriages, and deaths), 1919-1921, abstracted from the Mariposa Gazette by William Disbro.

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Mariposa Museum and History Center 5119 Jessie Street Mariposa, California 95338 Phone:209-966-2924 Website

Northern Mariposa County History Center 10301 Highway 49 Coulterville, CA 95311 Phone: 209-878-3015


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

Websites

 * Mariposa County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Mariposa County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site