California Genealogical Toolbox

General     Census     Vital Records     Directories     Military     Newspapers      City, Town and County Records

Here are links to various California genealogical records & sites that we believe you'll find useful. Many are free, others require a subscription but most will allow you to search for free for a one or two week period. Do it yourself, or have us conduct a search for you by calling or submitting a request for a Free Estimate. If you find any invalid links, please let us know.

California Archives

Historical Society

State Gen. Society

California GenWeb

General Resources

View all Ancestry databases for California

California and Californians, Vol. 1

California and Californians, Vol. 2

California and Californians, Vol. 3

California and Californians, Vol. 4

The missions of California

The missions of California and the old Southwest

California Narratives: Early Voyages to California

California Narratives: California for Health, Pleasure and Residence

Who's who in the Pacific Southwest : a compilation of authentic biographical sketches of citizens of Southern California

California Pioneers, 1542-1848

California, its history and romance

The Negro trail blazers of California

The pioneer steamer California, 1848-1849

The romantic southland of California

Historical El Dorado County, California

California Census, 1790-1890

Monterey, California Census, 1850-1860

Vital Records

Order California Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates online!

California Birth Index, 1905-1995

Birth place, age, residence, etc., of the officers, Supreme Court, and members of the Legislature of California

Obituary Collection

California Cemetery Inscription Sources

California Death Index, 1940-1997

Early California wills

A Guide to church vital statistics records in California

Directories

California City Directories with 1,583,300 names

A Directory of churches and religious organizations in Alameda County, California, 1940

Los Angeles, California City Directories, 1888-90

Nevada County, California Directory, 1895

Ojai Valley, California Directory, 1938

Pomona, California Directory, 1896-97

San Francisco, California Directories, 1889-91

Shasta County, California Register, 1898

The western shore gazetteer and commercial directory for the state of California 1870

Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, Butte, and Tehama Counties, California Directory, 1885

California State Military Museum

California State Roster, 1899 Government and Military records

California State Roster, 1911 Government and Military records

California State Roster, 1909 Government and Military records

Register of the California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

Record of Eighty-sixth Company California Military Reserve

Register of officers of the National Guard and Naval Militia of California

Records of California men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867

Newspapers

Appeal Democrat (Marysville, California)

Arcadia Tribune (Arcadia, California)

The Argus (Fremont, California)

Daily Alta California (San Francisco, California)

The Daily Report (Ontario, California)

Fresno Weekly Republican (Fresno, California)

Hayward Review (Hayward, California)

Humboldt Standard (Eureka, California)

The Independent (Pasadena, California)

Independent Journal (San Rafael, California)

La Verne Leader (La Verne, California)

Long Beach Independent (Long Beach, California)

Modesto Evening News (Modesto, California)

Montclair Tribune (Montclair, California)

The Mountain Democrat and Placerville Times (Placerville, California)

Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California)

Oxnard Courier (Oxnard, California)

Progress Bulletin (Pomona, California)

Red Bluff Daily News (Red Bluff, California)

Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, California)

Sacramento Bee newspaper 1859, Obituaries, Marriages, Births

Sacramento California, Sacramento Bee Newspaper 1889 - 1890: vital records

Sacramento California, Sacramento Bee Newspaper 1891: vital records

Sacramento California, Sacramento Bee Newspaper 1892: vital records

San Mateo Times (San Mateo, California) 1,098,366 names

The Times Herald (Vallejo, California) 170,800 names

The Upland News (Upland, California)

Vallejo Times Herald (Vallejo, California) 864,004 names

Valley News (Van Nuys, California)

Woodland Daily Democrat (Woodland, California)

Towns, Cities and Counties

Inventory of the county archives of California

History of Alameda County, California

The centennial year book of Alameda County, California

Balboa Park, San Diego, California

History of Butte County, California

Early records, Butte and Tehama Counties, California

The history of Colusa County, California

The history of Contra County, California

Historical souvenir of El Dorado County, California

History of Fresno County, California

Fresno County, California

Fairfield's pioneer history of Lassen County, California

Greater Los Angeles & Southern California : portraits & personal memoranda

History of Humboldt County, California with biographical sketches of the leading men and women

History of Imperial County, California

An Illustrated history of Los Angeles County, California

History of Marin County, California

History of Mendocino County, California

History of Merced County, California

History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California

History of Napa and Lake Counties, California

Bean's history and directory of Nevada County, California

History of Riverside County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women

An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California

History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women

An Illustrated history of San Joaquin County, California

History of San Jose, California : narrative and biographical

History of San Luis Obispo County, California : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers

History of San Mateo County, California

The early days of Santa Barbara, California

History of Santa Barbara County, California

History of Santa Clara County, California

History of Santa Cruz County, California

History of Shasta County, California

History of Solano and Napa Counties, California : with biographical sketches

History of Solano County, California

History of Sonoma County, California

Historical and descriptive sketch of Sonoma County, California

History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California

A History of Tuolumne County, California

A History of Yolo County, California

Historical and biographical record of southern California

The history of the first pastorate of the Howard Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, California, 1850-1862

A Memorial and biographical history of Northern California

A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California

A Memorial and biographical history of the counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California

Oakhill Cemetery Inscriptions, Oakhurst, California

Old cemeteries of San Joaquin County, California

Trinity Church, San Jose, California : Advent, 1860, to Easter, 1903