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El Dorado County, California Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Placerville
Organized: February 18, 1850
Parent County(s): Original
Neighboring Counties
Alpine • Amador • Placer • Sacramento • Douglas (NV) • Carson City (Independent City), Nevada
See County Maps
Courthouse
California, El Dorado County Courthouse.png
Location Map
California El Dorado Map.png

County Information

Description

El Dorado County was created 18 Feb 1850[1] and derived its name from the Spanish words meaning "the gilded/golden". Its county seat is Placerville. It is located in the east-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

El Dorado County Courthouse
2850 Fairlane Court
Placerville, CA 95667
Phone: 530-621-5490
El Dorado County Website

County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records.
County Recorder has birth, marriage, death burial, land and military records Historical Facts[3]

El Dorado County, California Record Dates

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
1878 1851 1907 1850 1851 1850 1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

  • Fires in 1910 and 1920 destroyed most courthouse records.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

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
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of El Dorado, 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

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

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 20,057 —
1860 20,562 2.5%
1870 10,309 −49.9%
1880 10,683 3.6%
1890 9,232 −13.6%
1900 8,986 −2.7%
1910 7,492 −16.6%
1920 6,426 −14.2%
1930 8,325 29.6%
1940 13,229 58.9%
1950 16,207 22.5%
1960 29,390 81.3%
1970 43,833 49.1%
1980 85,812 95.8%
1990 125,955 46.8%
2000 156,299 24.1%
2010 181,058 15.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

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.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Local histories are available for El Dorado 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

Placer CountySacramento CountyAmador CountyAlpine CountyDouglas CountyCA EL DORADO.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Green check.png
The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.


Early migration routes to and from El Dorado County for emigrant settlers included:[7][8]

Military Records

Civil War

Civil War service men in El Dorado 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:

- 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company B
- 4th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company F
- 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company G
- 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company H
- 7th Regiment, California Infantry (Union) , Company G
- 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company K


Spanish American War

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Voting Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

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

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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

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

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

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

FamilySearch Centers

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

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


Museums

Societies

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

El Dorado County Historical Society
Fountain & Tallman Museum
524 Main Street
Placerville, CA 95667
Email: edchistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Phone: 530-626-0773
Website
Facebook

Lake Tahoe Historical Society
PO Box 404
South Lake Tahoe, CA 95705
Website
Facebook

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "El Dorado County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado_County,_California 4/11/2017.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), El Dorado 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), El Dorado 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. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "El Dorado County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado_County,_California, accessed 12 September 2019.
  7. ↑ National Park Service, "California Trail" (map) in California National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/upload/CALImap1-web.pdf (accessed 5 August 2011).
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail (accessed 5 August 2012).
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