Madera County, California Genealogy

Guide to Madera 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 birth, marriage, death, divorce, probate court and land records from 1893 and some voting records

Parent County
11 March 1893: Madera County was created from Fresno County. County seat: Madera

Description
The county was named from the town of Madera, named when the California Lumber Company built a log flume to carry lumber to the railroad there in 1876. The county seat Madera and the county was created 1893. 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
1906: Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

Neighboring Counties

 * Fresno
 * Mariposa
 * Merced
 * Mono
 * Tuolumne

Biography

 * Index to Madera County Biographies - Scroll down to "Biographies" (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Madera County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)

Cemeteries
The following web site may have additional information on Madera  County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.

Census

 * Madera County Census Records - Scroll down to "Census Records."

History

 * Madera County History (CAGenWeb Project)

Land and Property

 * Madera County Index to Federal Land Patents (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)



Military History and Records

 * Madera County War Memorial (CAGenWeb Project)

World War II

 * Madera County Surname Index to World War II Army Inductees (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Madera County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Madera County Naturalizations - Declarations of Intent (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Madera County Naturalizations - Petitions for Citizenship (CAGenWeb Project)

Obituaries

 * Index to Madera County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madera County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
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
 * Madera California Family History Center
 * Oakhurst California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1850 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Madera County Historical Society P.O. Box 478 210 West Yosemite Avenue Madera, CA; (559) 673-0291

Madera Genealogical Society P.O. Box 495 Madera 93639 Phone: 559-673-0291

Coarsegold Historical Society P.O. Box 117 Coarsegold, CA 93614 Phone (559) 642-4448


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

Websites

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