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Inyo County, California Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Independence
Organized: March 22, 1866
Parent County(s): Mono, Tulare
Neighboring Counties
Clark (NV) • Esmeralda (NV) • Fresno • Kern • Mono • Nye (NV) • San Bernardino • Tulare
See County Maps
Courthouse
California, Inyo County Courthouse.png
Location Map
California Inyo Map.png

County Information

Description

Inyo County was created 22 Mar 1866[1] and was named for the Imperial Valley, which was named for the Native American word for the mountains in the area. The meaning of the word inyo is "dwelling place of the great spirit."[2] Its county seat is Independence. It is located in the east-central area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

Inyo County Courthouse
168 N Edwards St.
Independence, CA 93526
Phone: 760-872-3038
Inyo County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1904, marriage and land records from 1866 and mining records from 1872[4]

Inyo 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[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1904 1866 1904 1866 1866 1866 1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

  • Inyo Co. Courthouse was destroyed by an earthquake March 26, 1872. On June 30, 1886 a fire broke out in a vacant building in Independence and destroyed thirty-eight buildings. Although the county records and most of the furniture were saved, the courthouse was one of the buildings destroyed.

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:[8]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Inyo, 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. %±
1870 1,956 —
1880 2,928 49.7%
1890 3,544 21.0%
1900 4,377 23.5%
1910 6,974 59.3%
1920 7,031 0.8%
1930 6,555 −6.8%
1940 7,625 16.3%
1950 11,658 52.9%
1960 11,684 0.2%
1970 15,571 33.3%
1980 17,895 14.9%
1990 18,281 2.2%
2000 17,945 −1.8%
2010 18,546 3.3%
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.

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

  • Bishop

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 Inyo 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

Mono CountyFresno CountyTulare CountyKern CountySan Bernardino CountyEsmeralda CountyNye CountyClark CountyCA INYO.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

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 Inyo 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 Inyo County. For state-wide library facilities, see California Archives and Libraries.

Inyo County Libraries (Genealogy Trails)Website

Museums

Bishop Museum & Historical Society
P.O. Box 363
Bishop, CA 93514,
Phone: 760-873-5950
Website

Friends of the Eastern California Museum
P.O. Box 206
155 Grant Street
Independence, CA 93526
Phone: 760-878-364 or 760-878-0259-8
Website

Societies

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

Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert
P.O. Box 2001
230 W Ridgecrest Blvd.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
Phone: 760-675-8465
Website

Searles Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 630
Trona, CA 93592

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  2. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Inyo County, California Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/cal/inyo/, accessed 5/03/2017.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Inyo County, California," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Inyo_County,_California&oldid=1191648373 (accessed January 15, 2024).
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Inyo County, California. Page 85 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Inyo 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.
  6. ↑ https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#INYO
  7. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Inyo County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inyo_County,_California#Communities, accessed 14 September 2019.
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