Kern County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Kern County Courthouse 1655 Chester Ave Bakersfield, CA 93301; Phone 661.868.6440

County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1850 divorce, probate court and voting record from 1866; An exchange of territory with San Bernardino Co took place in 1963

Parent Counties
2 April 1866: Kern County was created from Los Angeles and Tulare Counties. County seat: Bakersfield

Description
The county was named from the Kern River, which was named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Frémont's 1845 expedition, which crossed Walker Pass. The County Seat is Bakersfield and was founded 1866. It is located in the south-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.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Counties

 * Inyo
 * Kings
 * Los Angeles
 * Monterey
 * San Bernardino
 * San Luis Obispo
 * Santa Barbara
 * Tulare
 * Ventura

Biography

 * Kern County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
 * Kern County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Kern County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)

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


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.

Census

 * 1870 - Kern County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Church History and Records

 * 1864-1985 - at FamilySearch — index

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Bakersfield

History

 * Index to Kern County History Records (USGenWeb Archives)

Land and Property

 * Index to Federal Land Records, Kern County (USGenWeb Archives)

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)

Migration

 * 1906-1935 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War

 * 1883 - List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883, Kern County (Genealogy Trails)

World War II

 * Index to Kern County WWII Army Enlistees by Name (USGenWeb Archives)

Newspapers

 * Bakersfield Californian- 2700+ issues of the paper digitized and in the Google News Archive; covers 1907-1949.

Obituaries

 * Kern County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Kern County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Index to Kern County Obituaries - Scroll down to "Kern County Obituaries & Death Certificates" (CAGenWeb Project)

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 Family History Centers
 * Bakersfield California Family History Center
 * Bakersfield California East Family History Center
 * Bakersfield California South Family History Center
 * Delano California Family History Center
 * Frazier Park California Family History Center
 * Kern Valley California Family History Center (Mountain Mesa)
 * North Edwards California Family History Center
 * Taft California Family History Center
 * Tehachapi California Family History Center
 * Wasco California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

 * 1812 - 1988 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1905 - 1995 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1905 - Kern County Births, 1905 (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1906 - Kern County Births, 1906 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Kern County Births (USGenWeb Archives)

Marriage

 * 1800 - 2007 - California, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1850 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1850 - 1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Kern County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Divorce

 * 1966 - 1984 - at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1880 - 1900 - Kern County Coroner's Reports, 1885-1900 (CAGenWeb Project)
 * 1905 - 1939 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1940 - 1997 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Index to Kern County Deaths and Death Notices (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Pre-1905 - Kern County Death Index (CAGenWeb Project)

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Kern County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2214 Bakersfield, CA 93303-2214

Kern County Historical Society P.O. Box 141 Bakersfield, CA 93302

Kern River Valley Historical Society 49 Big Blue Rd. P.O. Box 651 Kernville, California 93238-0651 Phone: (760) 376-6683

Kern-antelope Historical Society P.O. Box 325 Rosamond 93560

Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert 100 E. Las Floras Avenue Ridgecrest CA 93555

Indian Wells Valley Genealogical Society 131 Los Flores Ridgecrest CA 93555

Kern River Valley Historical Society PO Box 651 Kernville CA 93239

Saint Ives Historical Society 8648 Lupine Loop Dr., #5 California City, CA 93505

Shafter Historical Society PO Box 1088 Shafter, CA 93263

Taft Genealogical Society PO Box 7411 Taft, CA 93268

Ridge Route Communites Historical Societies and Museum Box 684 Frazier Park, CA 93225 Phone: 661-245-7747 Website


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

Websites

 * Kern County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Kern County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Kern County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Kern County, CA Genealogy