California Guided Research

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

Select the type of information you are looking for.

Birth

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Search a birth index

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• 1800s-1990s:

California Birth Collections

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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

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Search a marriage index

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• 1820s-1990s:

California Marriages Collections

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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

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Search a death index

Start here:

• 1820s-1990s:

California Death Collections

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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, 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

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

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