California Guided Research

Give feedback on your
Guided Research experience

FamilySearch identified the most complete online indexes for birth, marriage, and death information.

Select the type of information you are looking for.

Birth

[hide]

Search a birth index

Start here:

• 1800s-1990s:

California Birth Collections

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

at FamilySearch

- (List of collections)

California Birth Index, 1905-1995
California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988
California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994
California, Church Records, 1864-1985

If the birth record was not found, try this next:

• 1905-1995: California Births at MyHeritage ($)

What else you can try:

• Additional online resources
• Substitute records
• Improve searching
• Why the record may not exist

Marriage

[hide]

Search a marriage index

Start here:

• 1820s-1990s:

California Marriages Collections

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

at FamilySearch

- (List of collections)

California County Marriages, 1843-1918
California Marriage Index, 1960-1985
California Marriages, 1850-1945
California, County Marriages, 1850-1952
California, Church Records, 1864-1985
California, San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997
California, San Mateo County Records, 1851-1991
United States Western States Marriage Index

If the marriage record was not found, try this next:

• 1800-1990s: United States Marriages, California at FindMyPast ($)

What else you can try:

• Additional online resources
• Substitute records
• Improve searching
• Why the record may not exist

Death

[hide]

Search a death index

Start here:

• 1820s-1990s:

California Death Collections

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

at FamilySearch

- (List of collections)

California Death Index, 1905-1939
California Death Index, 1940-1997
California, Church Records, 1864-1985
California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994
California Cemetery Transcriptions, 1850-1960
California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979
California, Lassen County, State Board of Health, Burial Permits, 1931-1988
California, Fresno and Napa Counties, Obituaries, 1974-1997
California, Napa and Butte Counties, Obituaries, 1866-1992
California, San Joaquin, County Public Library Obituary Index, 1850-1991
California, Oakland, Alameda County, Newspaper Record Collection, 1985-2011
California, Sacramento Cemetery Records, 1900-1959
California, Oakland, Mountain View Cemetery Records, 1857-1973
United States Social Security Death Index
Find A Grave Index
BillionGraves Index
GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
California, Santa Clara County, San Jose, Oak Hill Cemetery Headstone Inscriptions, 1838-1985
California, Mendocino County, Ukiah, Russian River Cemetery District, Index to Burials, 1850-1990

If the death record was not found, try this next:

• 1940-1997: California, Death Index at Ancestry ($)

What else you can try:

• Additional online resources
• Substitute records
• Improve searching
• Why the record may not exist

Online Map  · What is Guided Research?  · Recent Updates