California, San Francisco County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1824 to 1997.

The collection consists of records from San Francisco County, California, and includes the following:


 * General index
 * Alphabetical newspaper clipping file of the "San Francisco Examiner"
 * Death reports
 * Deeds and indexes
 * Marriage certificates, licenses and indexes
 * Naturalization records and indexes
 * Coroner's records
 * Alien registrations

This collection is being published as images become available.

For a list of record categories currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in the Naturalization Indexes May include the following information:




 * The name of registrar
 * Where registrar is living at time of registration
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Nativity (Where born)
 * When Naturalized
 * Where Naturalized
 * Date of Registration

The key genealogical facts found in the Probate Indexes generally include the following information:




 * Full name of individual
 * Deceased, Incompetent, or Minor
 * Volume and Page number

The key genealogical facts found in the Marriage Licenses generally include the following information:




 * Name of groom
 * Age of groom
 * Name of bride
 * Age of bride
 * When and where couple was married
 * Names of witnesses

The key genealogical facts found in the Death Reports generally include the following information:




 * Name of person reporting case
 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Age, gender, civil status, occupation, and race of deceased
 * Residence
 * Cause of death

How to Use the Record
To search the collection, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the “Browse" link on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the “Record Category” category ⇒ Select the “Record Type, Volume, and Year Range” category which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred
 * The approximate date the event occurred
 * The name of the individual or individuals, such as the bride and groom

Identify the record to be searched
From the Record Description list, identify the kind of record you would like to search (land, naturalization, marriages, etc.) and click on the title link to select it.

Find the image
Search the individual images or pages until you locate a possible match to your ancestor. Compare the information in the records to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents’ birth places to find former residences and establish a migration pattern for the family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records, such as employment or military records.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites
Genealogy and History for San Francisco Bay Area

Related Wiki Articles

 * California Naturalizaton and Citizenship
 * California Vital Records
 * San Francisco County, California

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"California, San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997," images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org: accessed 4 April 2012), Marriages &gt; Marriage Certificate Index (Brides), S-Z, 1971-1975 &gt; image 15 of 200 images, Albert E Ellison and Heather L Sanders, May 17, 1974; citing California, San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997, San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, California, United States.