Santa Cruz County, California Genealogy

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

Historical Facts
The first European settlements in Santa Cruz County began with the founding of a Franciscan mission in 1791 near the San Lorenzo River in what is now the city of Santa Cruz. In 1797, a proprietary Spanish colony was founded near the mission church and named Branciforte. When California became part of the United States in 1850, Branciforte County was one of the original counties but the name was quickly changed to Santa Cruz County.

Geographically, the coastline gives way to coastal mountains which often come right down to the sea. Two significant rivers played a role in settlement, the San Lorenzo (Santa Cruz city) and the Pajaro River (Watsonville). California hightway route 1 passes through the county along the coast and route 17 provides a connection over the coastal mountains to the San Jose/Silicon Valley area. A railroad also came to the area in the late 1800s providing a shipping outlet for agricultural products of the coastal farmlands.

Earthquakes have affected the area destroying much of the mission church in 1857 and another doing major damage to the city of Santa Cruz in 1989 but they did not cause any significant loss of records.

Parent County
18 February 1850: Originally as Branciforte County. County seat: Santa Cruz

19 April 1850: Renamed Santa Cruz County.

Boundary Changes
No significant 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
Incorporated Cities (2000): Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Watsonville

Other populated places:

Amesti Aptos Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley Ben Lomond Bonny Doon Boulder Creek Brookdale Corralitos Davenport Day Valley Felton Freedom Interlaken La Selva Beach Live Oak Mount Hermon Opal Cliffs Rio del Mar Soquel Pasatiempo Twin Lakes

Neighboring Counties

 * Monterey, California
 * San Benito, California
 * San Mateo, California
 * Santa Clara, California

Cemeteries

 * 1850 - 1960 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps

 * Maps of California (1850-1925)



Civil War

 * - 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company A
 * - 7th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company K
 * - 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company A

Newspapers
Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz 1866-present 2011)

Santa Cruz Surfer (Santa Cruz 1889-1919)

Mountain Echo (Boulder Creek 1896-1916)

Register Pajaronian (Watsonville, 1868-present)

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

Archives, Libraries and Museums

 * Santa Cruz Central Library

224 Church Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060


 * Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County library

(housed in the Central Branch Library, significant collection of genealogies)

County Courthouse
Santa Cruz County 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz CA 95060

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Santa Cruz California Family History Center

Societies
Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown.

Vital Records
See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth

 * Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Public Health Department Birth Certificates

Marriage

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

Death

 * Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Public Health Department Death Certificates


 * Santa Cruz County, California Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Pajaro, Royal Oaks, Bonny Doon, Aptos and Freedom areas.


 * Santa Cruz County Recorder

701 Ocean Street, Room 230 Santa Cruz CA 95060 831/454-2800

For records generated since 2009 

Santa Cruz County Office of Vital Records 1430 Freedom Boulevard, Suite 101 Santa Cruz CA 95076 831/763-8430

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
Santa Cruz County, Genealogical Society Of P.O. Box 72 Santa Cruz 95063 Phone:861-427-7707 ext 5794 Website

Santa Cruz Historical Society P.O. Box 246 Santa Cruz 9506


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

Web Sites

 * Santa Cruz County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * California Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Santa Cruz County CAGenWeb
 * Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County http://scgensoc.org/
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives