Step-by-Step California Research, 1905-Present

California Step-by-step research 1905--present Step-by-Step California Research, 1850-1905 Step-by-step research 1905--present

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What information can relatives help with??
In order to extend research on ancestors, look for names, dates, and places. Any information about when and where a relative lived is a clue to a new record search. Be sure to ask questions that lead to that information, including about their occupations, military service, or associations with others, such as fraternal organizations. See also:


 * Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews What to Ask the Relatives
 * Genealogy: 150 questions to ask family members about their lives
 * Creating Oral Histories

Step 2. Find your ancestors in every possible census record, 1900-1940, online.
A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day. For each person living in a household you might find (depending on the year) their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military.

Using the clues in home records to lead to census record searches.
In the obituary on the left, notice that Census records for 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950 in California should identify his wife and all of his children. '''
 * Herman G. Gauger died in 1975 at age 89, giving him a birth year of 1885-1886.
 * Although he was born in Ohio, it appears that he lived in California for most of his life.

Step 3: Find birth, marriage, and death certificates for ancestors and their children.
States, counties, or (even towns in some states) recorded births, marriages, and deaths.
 * In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations. *A marriage certificate might list the parents of the bride and groom.
 * A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Using the census clues to lead to a birth certificate.
Census information gives approximate birth years and probable birth places, and that information leads to finding important birth records. In addition to basic birth date and place, a birth certificate can give age, birthplace, occupation, etc. about the parents.



Using census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
Finding marriage records can:
 * establish the full identity of the wife, with her maiden name and possible birth details.
 * find the names of the parents of the bride and groom.



Using census clues to lead to a death certificate.
Moving forward in time, older generations stop showing up in the census. That is a clue that they probably died in the last 10 years. The death certificate is important because of all the possible secondary data beyond just the date and place of death: - Examples of indexes: 'The examples shown above are index entries''. That means for each of them an actual, original, full certificate exists'''. It is highly advisable to order the original certificate. It will contain many details not given in the index. Instructions are given below on obtaining the original certificate. -
 * birth date and place of the deceased
 * maiden name of the wife
 * names of the deceased's parents
 * birth places of the deceased's parents.

How to Find the Records
There are basically three ways to find these indexes or full original certificates:
 * online databases
 * writing to a county courthouse (prior to state civil registration beginning in 1867)
 * purchasing them through the mail

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find your ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.



Obituaries

 * Frequently, a death is announced in the newspaper with an obituary.
 * These obituaries may supply missing birth or death dates and name the parents of the deceased.
 * Obituaries may also name family members, their spouses, their current residences, and whether they died before the person or are still surviving, especially in obituaries written in the last half of the 20th Century.
 * Try these California links:
 * Online California Death Records and Indexes: A Genealogy Guide for Finding Obituaries, Cemetery Burials and Death Records by county.

Cemeteries

 * Cemetery records may only give the names and dates stated on the tombstone, but as in the case of FindAGrave, sometimes pictures of the deceased and their tombstone, children's or parents' names and links to their graves, and marriage information have been added. Always verify information added by others.
 * Frequently family members are buried in the same cemetery often in neighboring plots.
 * Try these California links:

NOTE: Each database covers different cemeteries, although some may overlap. Don't be discouraged if you do not locate your individual in the first database. Check each collection.
 * , index.
 * California, Mortuary and Cemetery Records, 1801-1932 Index and images ($)
 * California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985 Index and images ($)
 * Images only.
 * California Cemetery Records at Findagrave.com
 * California Cemetery Records at Interment.net
 * BillionGraves California Cemeteries
 * USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project
 * California Cemetery Records

This example of an online cemetery record is from FindAGrave

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.

 * There are many different types of military records, some covered in online collections, some microfilmed, and some requiring you to order them from government repositories with a fee. For more information, read the U.S. Military Records Class Handout. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information.

World War I Draft Registration



 * One of the most helpful military records is the draft registration of 1917-1918. During three separate registrations, men born between 1873-1897 were required to register in the draft for World War I. Cards may give birth date, birth place, residence, occupation, employer, physical description, next of kin (usually the wife or mother), and number of dependents. Search for your male relatives born in this time period at.



World War II Draft Registration
Likewise, the World War II draft in 1942 may give birth date, birth place, residence, occupation, employer, and other family members as contacts. Search for your male relatives born in this time period at
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch Historical Records

 * 1864-1985 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1812-1988 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1850-1945 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
 * 1776-2000 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection

Congregational

 * Records of the American Missionary Association (Congregational) among the Chinese : principally in California

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

-
 * For help with church records kept in California, see California Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: California
 * Early California Wills at Ancestry ($), index and images
 * 1782-1999 California, Wills and Probate Records, 1782-1999 at Ancestry ($), index and images
 * 1833-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1850-1953 California, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1850-1953 at Ancestry ($), index and images

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each California county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources: California Counties

For more information, see California Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that your ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records are the next goal. Immigration refers to people coming into a country, such as the United States, and emigration refers to people leaving a country to go to another. Usually these records are passenger lists of the ships they sailed on. A typical record will show name, age, and country of origin, but in ship lists after 1906 you can find the actual town of birth, the next of kin still living in the old country and their residence, and the names of relatives in the place they are traveling to.

Immigration records
This two page illustration is of a 1917 San Francisco passenger arrival list: Passenger lists and border crossing lists are the most common immigration records. There are many immigration records available. Click here to see a complete list of available immigration records online. Notice that they are listed by state, but under the letter "U" there is a long list of records that cover all of the United States. Unless family information tells you the port where family arrived, you will need to search all of the United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records for the time period when your ancestors arrived.

There are also many immigration records unique to California:


 * One Step Webpages by Stephen Morse Links to free and $ online passenger lists
 * California Bound Passenger list of those bound from NY to CA for the Gold Rush.
 * Native Daughters of the Golden West, Index to the Roster of California Pioneers
 * San Francisco Ship Passenger Lists Vol. I (1850-1864), Vol. II (1850-1851), Vol. III (November 7, 1851 to June 17, 1852) ($)
 * , index.
 * California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959 Index and images ($)
 * California, Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Wilmington Passenger Lists, 1900-1948, ($). Index.
 * Images
 * Border Crossings:From Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964 Index and images ($)
 * Images
 * San Francisco Chinese Exclusion List ($)
 * San Diego, California, Airplane Passenger and Crew List Arrivals, 1929-1954 Index and images ($)
 * San Francisco Chinese Exclusion List ($)
 * San Diego, California, Airplane Passenger and Crew List Arrivals, 1929-1954 Index and images ($)
 * San Francisco Chinese Exclusion List ($)
 * San Diego, California, Airplane Passenger and Crew List Arrivals, 1929-1954 Index and images ($)
 * San Francisco Chinese Exclusion List ($)
 * San Diego, California, Airplane Passenger and Crew List Arrivals, 1929-1954 Index and images ($)
 * San Diego, California, Airplane Passenger and Crew List Arrivals, 1929-1954 Index and images ($)

Naturalization (Citizenship) Records
Naturalization is the process of becoming a citizen. Records can include the immigrant's declaration of intent to become a citizen, petitions for citizenship, and final certificate of naturalization. Naturalization records after 1906 can show birth date and place, spouse's name, marriage date and place, and lists of children with their birth dates.

California naturalization records could be recorded at the county court or the Federal District or Circuit Court. You must look for them in both locations. Try searching first in any county where the person lived, unless the census tells you the year they were naturalized, and you have evidence of where they lived that year. If you cannot locate them in the county records, try searching for them in the Federal courts.

California Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * Online California Naturalization Records and Indexes
 * Browse only images
 * California, Naturalization Records, 1887-1991 ($)
 * California, State Court Naturalization Records, 1850-1986 ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1851-1904 - U.S. District Court Declarations ($)
 * Free!
 * Shasta county, California, Naturalization Records: 1852 - 1932 ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1853-1867- U.S. District Court ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1854-1906- U.S. District Court, Certificates of Naturalization ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1855-1912 - U.S. Circuit Court Certificates of Citizenship ($)
 * Naturalization Index Cards from the Superior Court of San Diego, CA, 1868-1958 ($)
 * Naturalizations - Naturalization Records of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, CA, 1876-1915 ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Superior Court of Los Angeles, California, 1876-1915 ($)
 * U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for California, 1876-1940 - U.S. District and Superior Courts ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1879-1903- U.S. Circuit Court ($)
 * Naturalization Records in the Superior Court of San Diego, CA, 1883-1958 ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Superior Court of San Diego, California, 1883-1958 ($)
 * California, Federal Naturalization Records, 1887-1991, index & images ($).
 * Naturalization Petitions for the Southern District Of California, 1887-1940 ($)
 * Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940 ($)
 * San Francisco, California, Surrendered Alien Certificates, 1906-1946, ($).
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1906-1928- U.S. District Court, Declarations and Petitions ($)
 * U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, 1906-1928- U.S. District Court, Declarations and Petitions ($)

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * California, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * California, United States Historical Images, Old Version

California Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in California Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the California Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * California Online Genealogy Records

Step 12: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in California.
This article focused more on California state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in California. This can help you with other records kept on a county level.  Alameda Alpine Amador Butte Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte</li> El Dorado</li> Fresno</li> Glenn</li> Humboldt</li> Imperial</li> Inyo</li> Kern</li> Kings</li> Lake</li> Lassen</li> Los Angeles</li> Madera</li> Marin</li> Mariposa</li> Mendocino</li> <li>Merced</li> <li>Modoc</li> <li>Mono</li> <li>Monterey</li> <li>Napa</li> <li>Nevada</li> <li>Orange</li> <li>Placer</li> <li>Plumas</li> <li>Riverside</li> <li>Sacramento</li> <li>San Benito</li> <li>San Bernardino</li> <li>San Diego</li> <li>San Francisco</li> <li>San Joaquin</li> <li>San Luis Obispo</li> <li>San Mateo</li> <li>Santa Barbara</li> <li>Santa Clara</li> <li>Santa Cruz</li> <li>Shasta</li> <li>Sierra</li> <li>Siskiyou</li> <li>Solano</li> <li>Sonoma</li> <li>Stanislaus</li> <li>Sutter</li> <li>Tehama</li> <li>Trinity</li> <li>Tulare</li> <li>Tuolumne</li> <li>Ventura</li> <li>Yolo</li> <li>Yuba</li> </ul>