I’ve added a ton of new links to the “California Links” page. There are many resources specific to individual counties and cities, and quite a few immigration records for San Francisco and San Diego. There are a good number of links to newspapers for the state.
Here is an example of what you can find in that resource: Stanislaus County – Probate, 1854–1941*; Bonds, Letters, and Wills, 1911–1921*; Naturalization, 1856–1978*; Deeds, 1854–1902*; Homesteads, 1860–1904*; Birth, 1873–1905*; Marriage, 1854–1920*; Declaration of Intention, 1854–1976*. While these records are not necessarily digitized (parts are included in various databases), they are available onsite at the State Archives.
If you are doing California research you’ll want to bookmark this page!
Records for the Western States are being digitized and put online at a rapid pace, and it is an exciting time to discover more about your Wild West ancestors. Familysearch (www.familysearch.org) is leading the charge in access to free records. The content comes from over 3 million microfilms at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
I will be posting lists of records they have made available for Western States research, but check back often because each week new collections come online. Here are some great resources for California research:
California Records on Familysearch.org as of 17 Jul 2013
California collections at Familysearch.org as of 17 Jul 2013
A camera icon means a digital image of the actual record is available.
“Browse Images” means the collection has not been indexed yet, but it can be searched. Don’t let that scare you off. The collections are usually organized in a way – alphabetically or chronologically – that helps you find what you are looking for.
A number in the “records” column means the collection has been indexed and is searchable through the search template.
No camera icon means there are no digital images of actual records, but you will see an abstract of most pertinent information contained in the record.
And here’s a tip for you: Click on the column headings to sort by
1) Title
2) Number of records in the collections
3) Date the collections were updated
This is handy if you just want to know when the latest additions to the collections were made, or what is completely new. You can also see which collections are the largest and which have recently been indexed.
California Birth Index, 1905-1995, on Familysearch.org, Millard Gooch entry
I also like the California Death Index, 1905-1939. Did you know Ancestry.com only has the CA Death Index, 1940-1997? Most people don’t realize the Familysearch record goes all the way back to 1905. It is not indexed yet, but is arranged alphabetically. Here is what it looks like:
CA Death Index, 1905-1939, on Familysearch.org
And Matilda Lurch is nearly as good a name as Millard Gooch, don’t you think? Good thing they didn’t marry!
To find these records on Familysearch.org, click on “Search“:
And at the bottom of the page click on “United States” and then California:
Stay tuned for lists of other states’ digitized records found on Familysearch. I know I have been blogging a lot about FS recently, but there is a lot going on there I want to share with you. Ahhh, so much to learn!
Here’s a fun and informative website that is not just for California researchers, even though it is a part of the University of California system. “Calisphere” is loaded with interesting content in the form of primary sources—images and documents organized into subject areas or historical era.
Topics like “Everyday life” and “Popular culture”, along with “The Transcontinental Railroad” and “Japanese-American Relocation” are just a few of the interesting things to explore which could add perspective to a family history.
On Granny's Trail 