California Research Guide

Genealogy Societies

California Genealogical Society and Library

Resource Compilations

• CAGenWeb Project (California-wide)

Vital Records

Ancestry.com (for a subscription) includes indices for California birth, marriage, divorce and death records.

California Death Records

Rootsweb hosts a free database of California Death Records, 1940-1997. It is searchble by name, father's name, mother's maiden name, birth year and place and death year and place. The parents name fields are not fully populated.

A more complete, but more difficult to use, database can be found at Vital Search. Records go from 1905 to 2000, but unless you pay a fee, you can only search by last name. They have scanned the actual index pages, which are fairly cryptic. You need to use the explanations provided on the site to decipher the columns and the county of death.

Birth Records

VitalSearch also has Birth Records 1905-1995.

A directory of all birth records offices in California.

People at WeRelate Researching California

add a link to your User page if you're researching this state!

• Jillaine Smith (Glunz, Jauch)

• Randy Seaver (Seaver, Carringer, Auble, Leland, Schaffner, McKnew, Paul)