Alameda County, California Genealogy

From FamilySearch Wiki
(Redirected from Alameda County, California)


Guide to Alameda County, California ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Oakland
Organized: March 25, 1853
Parent County(s): Santa Clara, Contra Costa
Neighboring Counties
Contra Costa • San Francisco • San Joaquin • San Mateo • Santa Clara • Stanislaus
See County Maps
Courthouse
California, Alameda County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Map of California highlighting Alameda County.PNG

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Alameda County was created 25 Mar 1853[1] and was named after either "a grove of poplars...or a tree-lined street". The name was originally used to describe the Arroyo de la Alameda. The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early Spanish explorers of a road lined with trees. Although a strict translation to English might be "Poplar Grove Creek", the name of the principal stream that flows through the county is now simply "Alameda Creek". Its county seat is Oakland. It is located in the west-central area of the state[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Alameda County Courthouse
1221 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-891-6000
Alameda County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1854, probate, divorce, court and land records, birth records 1919-1988 (some from 1873) and death records 1905-1988 (some from 1876).[3]

Alameda County, California Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1873 1854 1873 1853 1853 1853 1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Historic communities
  • Alameda Township
  • Brooklyn Township
  • Oakland Township
  • Washington Township


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Alameda, California online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See California Cemeteries for more information

Census Records[edit | edit source]

For online censuses (state and federal) and for more information, see California Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1860 8,927 —
1870 24,237 171.5%
1880 62,976 159.8%
1890 93,864 49.0%
1900 130,197 38.7%
1910 246,131 89.0%
1920 344,177 39.8%
1930 474,883 38.0%
1940 513,011 8.0%
1950 740,315 44.3%
1960 908,209 22.7%
1970 1,073,184 18.2%
1980 1,105,379 3.0%
1990 1,279,182 15.7%
2000 1,443,741 12.9%
2010 1,510,271 4.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. Usually listed on the town level, they may contain ages, dates (baptism, christening, birth, marriage, death), maiden names, and more. See also California Church Records.

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  • Alameda
  • Berkeley
  • Berkeley 1
  • Berkeley 2
  • Carquinez
  • Claremont
  • Dimond (Oakland)
  • Eastmont
  • Elmhurst (Oakland)
  • Hayward
  • Martinez
  • Maxwell Park (Oakland)
  • Napa
  • Oakland
  • Richmond
  • San Leandro

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Alameda Court records Instructions.

Alameda County Court Directory gives addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and links to the courts web sites and online resources..

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records provide exact location of land, often reveal family relationships, and give names of witnesses and neighbors. They include deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents. See California Land and Property for online resources, including early land grants.

  • Clerk-Recorder's Office has records prior to 1969 on film that must be searched there. From 1969 to the present, the records are online.

Online Land Indexes and Records

  • Index to Federal Land Records, Alameda County, CA (USGenWeb Archives) — 1) Search this index by name to learn the Section, Range, Township, date and DocID. 2) If you want the images, go to the 1853-1866 item below
  • 1853-1866 Land Patents 1857-1892(*); Alameda County Recorder at FamilySearch Library Catalog — images; NOTE: Patents NOT indexed. For images: 1) Scroll to the image set for year (learned in USGenWeb index above); 2) Navigate to patents in the set; 3) Browse images (organized by date recorded)
  • Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Alameda County. Histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see California Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

San Francisco CountyContra Costa CountySan Joaquin CountySan Mateo CountySanta Clara CountyStanislaus CountyCA ALAMEDA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

For historical maps,search the following free sites:

Links to American Memory (Library of Congress), California Missions, and the State Library

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

Civil War service men in Alameda County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in this county:

World War I

Korean War

Vietnam War

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Voting Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate records include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. They may give the decedent's date of death, names and residences of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, and others. For online records and more information, see California Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

California tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see California Taxation.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. The state has records since July 1905, although county records may start earlier. See California Vital Records for more information.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Alameda County. For state-wide facilities, see California Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Alameda County. For state-wide library facilities, see California Archives and Libraries.

Alameda County Library
Website

Alameda Free Library
Website

J. A. Freitas Library
Website
Portuguese history and literature

Livermore Public Library
Website

Oakland Public Library
Website

Pleasanton Library
Website

San Leandro Public Library
Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Alameda County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see California Societies.

Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society
Telephone: (925) 371-0789
Email: president@L-AGS.org
Website
Facebook

Livermore Heritage Guild
Website

Hayward Area Historical Society
22380 Foothill Blvd
Hayward CA, 94541
Telephone: (510) 581-0223
Email: info@haywardareahistory.org
Website
Facebook

California Genealogical Society and Library
Website

Macintosh Genealogical Society
Website

San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 305
Diablo, CA 94528-0305
Contact Form
Email: webmaster@srvgensoc.org
Website
Facebook

Alameda Historical Society
2324 Alameda Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501

Alameda County Historical Society
672 11th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Phone:510-238-3234
Website

African American Genealogical Society of Northern California
PO Box 27485
Oakland, CA 94602-0985
510-496-2740
Email: aagsnc.org
Website

Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society
PO Box 573
Pleasanton, CA 94566

Berkeley Historical Society
1931 Center Street
Berkeley,CA 9470
Website

East Bay Genealogical Society
PO Box 1648
Alameda, CA 94501-0182
510-451-9599
Email: caebaygs@gmail.com
Website

Hayward Area Genealogical Society
PO Box 754
Hayward, CA 94543-0754
Email: hags754@gmail.com
Website

San Leandro Historical Commission
300 Estudillo Avenue
San Leandro, CA 94577
Email: sanleandrohistory@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Surveyors' Historical Society
31457 Hugh Way
Hayward, CA 94544

Washington Township Historical Society
PO Box 3045
Fremont, CA 94539
Website
Facebook

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alameda County, California" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_County,_California 04/28/2017.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alameda County, California. Page 84 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alameda County, California. Page 84-88 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 81-83.
  5. ↑ https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#ALAMEDA
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Alameda County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_County,_California#Communities, accessed 11 September 2019.
v • d• e
Links to California-related articles
Topics
Counties
Extinct Co.
Major
 Repositories
Bancroft Library · California State Library · Sutro Library · California State Archives · California Historical Society · Society of California Pioneers Library · State Lands Commission · California Genealogical Society and Library · Carlsbad City Library · Chinese Historical Society · Fresno City and County Historical Society Archives · Huntington Beach Central Library · Immigrant Genealogical Society Library · Long Beach Public Library · Los Angeles Public Library · Los Angeles FamilySearch Center · Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County · County of Los Angeles Public Libraries · Napa Valley Genealogical Society and Library · Oakland California FamilySearch Center · San Diego California FamilySearch Center · Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown · Sons of the Revolution Library · Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library · Southwest Museum Braun Research Library · Tuolumne County Genealogical Society Library · National Archives at Riverside · National Archives at San Francisco · FamilySearch Library
Migration
 Routes

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Alameda_County,_California_Genealogy&oldid=6210230"