Lassen County, California Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
The new Lassen Superior Court Hall of Justice opened at their new location on Riverside Drive in May of 2012.

The County Clerk and Recorder's Office is in the old courthouse located at 220 S. Lassen Street, Susanville, CA 96130 (phone 530.251.8216). The County Clerk has divorce, probate court and naturalization records from 1864. The County Recorder has marriage records from 1864, land records from 1857, birth and death records from 1907, some prior to 1907 but incomplete before 1929.

Parent Counties
1 April 1864: Lassen County was created from Plumas and Shasta Counties. County seat: Susanville

Description
The county was named from Mount Lassen which was named for Peter Lassen, one of General John C. Fremont's guides and a famous trapper, frontiersman and Indian fighter. He was murdered under mysterious circumstances near the Black Rock Desert in 1859. The County Seat is Susanville and was founded 1864. It is located in the northeastern 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

 * Modoc
 * Plumas
 * Shasta
 * Sierra
 * Washoe County, Nevada

Biography

 * Surname Index to Lassen County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Lassen County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)

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


 * Interment.net California cemetery records by County.

Census

 * 1870, 1920 - Lassen 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


 * Susanville
 * Westwood

Court Records

 * Lassen Superior Court Defendant Index (Tim Purdy Presents Exploring Lassen County's Past and more)

History

 * Index to Lassen County Historical Records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Lassen County History (CAGenWeb Project)
 * Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County, California by Asa Merrill Fairfield, 1916

Land and Property

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

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for emigrant settlers included:


 * California Trail 1844 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * The Lassen Cutoff 1848 was established by gold rushers from Oregon going to California. It branched off the Applegate Trail at Davis Creek, went through Devil's Garden to the Pit River passing east of Mt. Lassen, and turning west to Lassen Rancho, California, and from there to Sacramento. In some years as much as 1/3 of emigrants mistakenly took the Applegate Trail-Lassen Cutoff, a much longer and more difficult trail than the Truckee or Carson routes.
 * Beckwourth Trail 1850 left the Truckee Trail near present-day Sparks, Nevada going to Oroville and Marysville, California
 * Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California


 * 1906-1935 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War

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

World War I

 * Lassen County World War I Era Honor Roll (Genealogy Trails)

World War II

 * Lassen County, Index to World War II Army Enlistees (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Lassen County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel (Genealogy Trails)
 * Lassen County World War II Era Honor Roll (Genealogy Trails)

Korean War

 * Lassen County Korean War Veterans Honor Roll (Genealogy Trails)

Vietnam War

 * Lassen County Vietnam War Honor Roll (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1831-1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Obituaries

 * Lassen County Obituary Index (Tim Purdy Presents Exploring Lassen County's Past and more)
 * Index to Lassen County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
 * Lassen County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Probate Records
Online Probate Records


 * 1782 - 1999 - California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com - index and images $
 * 1891 - 1955 - Lassen County California list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills - free
 * 1833 - 1991 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Index to Lassen County Probate Records (Tim I. Purdy Presents Exploring Lassen County's Past and more . . .)

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Susanville California Family History Center

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

 * 1800 - 1994 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1812 - 1988 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1870 - 1940 - Lassen County Birth Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1905 - 1995 - at FamilySearch — index

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
 * 1889 - 1940 - Lassen County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1960 - 1985 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1966 - 1984 - at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1800 - 1994 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1905 - 1939 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1931 - 1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1940 - 1997 - at FamilySearch — index

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Lassen County Historical Society P.O. Box 321 Susanville 96130 Phone:530-257-2996

Lassen Historical Museum 105 N. Weatherlow Street P.O. Box 321 Susanville, CA 96130 Phone (530) 257-4584 Website


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

Websites

 * Lassen County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Lassen County CAGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * FamilySearch Catalog
 * Lassen County, California Genealogy Trails
 * Lassen County CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)