Kern County, California Genealogy
Guide to Kern County, California ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Kern County was created 2 Apr 1866[1] and was named for the Kern River, which was named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Frémont's 1845 expedition.[2] Its county seat is Bakersfield. It is located in the south-central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Kern County Courthouse
1215 Truxtun Ave
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: 661-868-5393
Kern County Website
County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1850, divorce, probate court and voting record from 1866. [4]
Kern 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1850 | 1850 | 1950 | 1866 | 1850 | 1866 | 1850 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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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:[7]
History Timeline
- Historic chronology of Kern County. By Richard C. Bailey. Bakersfield, California : Kern County Museum, 1964. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- History of Kern County, California : with Biographical Sketches. By Wallace M. Morgan. Los Angeles, California : Historic Record Co., 1914. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
- History of Kern County, California : with Illustrations. San Francisco, California : Wallace W. Elliott, 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- History of Kern County, California : with Personal Sketches. 2 volumes. By Thelma Bernard Miller. Chicago : S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1929. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library.
- A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California. Compiled by Myron Angle. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co., [1892?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
- Kern County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
- Kern County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
- Kern County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project)
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For online censuses (state and federal) and for more information, see California Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1870 | 2,925 | — |
| 1880 | 5,601 | 91.5% |
| 1890 | 9,808 | 75.1% |
| 1900 | 16,480 | 68.0% |
| 1910 | 37,715 | 128.9% |
| 1920 | 54,843 | 45.4% |
| 1930 | 82,570 | 50.6% |
| 1940 | 135,124 | 63.6% |
| 1950 | 228,309 | 69.0% |
| 1960 | 291,984 | 27.9% |
| 1970 | 329,162 | 12.7% |
| 1980 | 403,089 | 22.5% |
| 1990 | 543,477 | 34.8% |
| 2000 | 661,645 | 21.7% |
| 2010 | 839,631 | 26.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1870 Kern County Census Records (USGenWeb Archives)
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.
- 1864-1985 California, Church Records, 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Bakersfield
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Court Records
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
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
- Index to Federal Land Records, Kern County (USGenWeb Archives)
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Kern County. Histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see California Local Histories.
- History of Kern County, California : with Biographical Sketches. By Wallace M. Morgan. Los Angeles, California : Historic Record Co., 1914. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
- History of Kern County, California : with Illustrations. San Francisco, California : Wallace W. Elliott, 1883. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- History of Kern County, California : with Personal Sketches. 2 volumes. By Thelma Bernard Miller. Chicago : S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1929. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library.
- A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California. Compiled by Myron Angle. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co., [1892?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
- Index to Kern County History Records (USGenWeb Archives)
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of California (1850-1925)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
- 1906-1935 California, Pioneer Migration Index, Compiled 1906-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Military Records
Civil War
- 1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883, Kern County (Genealogy Trails)
World War I
- 1914-1918 California, Geographical and Name Index of Californians who served in WWI, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
World War II
- Index to Kern County WWII Army Enlistees by Name (USGenWeb Archives)
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- Bakersfield Californian - 2700+ issues of the paper digitized and in the Google News Archive; covers 1907-1949.
- California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research
- California, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Obituaries
- Kern County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Kern County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
- Index to Kern County Obituaries - Scroll down to "Kern County Obituaries & Death Certificates" (CAGenWeb Project)
- Obituary Index at Kern County Genealogical Society
Other Records
Voting Records
- 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index ($)
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
- 1782-1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
California tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see California Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. The state has records since July 1905, although county records may start earlier. See California Vital Records for more information.
BMD records can be requested at the Kern County Hall of Records website birth-marriage-or-death-certificates
Birth
- 1812-1988 California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1905-1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
- 1905 Kern County Births, 1905 (Genealogy Trails)
- 1906 Kern County Births, 1906 (Genealogy Trails)
- Kern County Births (USGenWeb Archives)
Marriage
- 1800-2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
- 1850-1945 California Marriages, 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1850-1952 California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
- 1960-1985 California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
- Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
- Kern County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)
Death
- 1776-2000 California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1880-1900 Kern County Coroner's Reports, 1885-1900 (CAGenWeb Project)
- 1905-1939 California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1940-1997 California Death Index, 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
- Index to Kern County Deaths and Death Notices (USGenWeb Archives); Also at: MyHeritage($)
- Pre-1905 Kern County Death Index (CAGenWeb Project)
- 1891-2018 Obituary Index (Kern County Genealogy Society)
Divorce
- 1966-1984 California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Kern 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
- Bakersfield California FamilySearch Center
- Delano California FamilySearch Center
- Kern Valley California FamilySearch Center
- Wasco California FamilySearch Center
- Kern County Library - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Kern County. For state-wide library facilities, see California Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Kern County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see California Societies.
Kern County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2214
Bakersfield, CA 93303-2214
Website
Kern County Historical Society
P.O. Box 141
Bakersfield, CA 93302
Website
Facebook
Kern River Valley Historical Society
49 Big Blue Rd.
P.O. Box 651
Kernville, CA 93238-0651
Phone: 760-376-6683
Website
Kern-Antelope Historical Society
P.O. Box 325
Rosamond, CA 93560
Website
Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert
100 E. Las Floras Avenue
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
Website
Shafter Historical Society
PO Box 1088
Shafter, CA 93263
Website
Ridge Route Communities Historical Societies and Museum
Box 684
Frazier Park, CA 93225
Phone: 661-245-7747
Website
Websites
- Kern County CAGenWeb and CA GenWeb
- Kern County, California Genealogy Trails
- Kern County, CA Genealogy
- 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
- Kern Research Guide at California State Library
References
- ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kern County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kern_County,_California 5/03/2017.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Kern County, California Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/cal/kern/ 5/03/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kern County, California. Page 85 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kern 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kern County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kern_County,_California#Communities, accessed 14 September 2019.