Kings County, California Genealogy

United States

California

Kings County

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

California Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Hanford Organized: March 23, 1893 Parent County(s): Tulare Neighboring Counties Fresno • Kern • Monterey • San Luis Obispo • Tulare See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Kings County was created 23 May 1893 and was named for the Kings River, which was originally named the El Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings) after the Three Wise Men of the Bible. Its county seat is Hanford. It is located in the central area of the state

County Courthouse

Kings County Courthouse
1640 Kings County Drive
Hanford, CA 93230
Phone: 559-582-1010
Kings County Website

County Clerk has birth marriage, death, divorce, probate, court land and naturalization records from 1893

Kings 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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1893	1893	1993	1893	1893	1893	1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

Parent County(s): Created from Tulare County, on 23 March 1893. County Seat: Hanford California Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county California Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating California county 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: Cities Avenal Corcoran Hanford Lemoore Unincorporated communities Acebedo Cimarron Gepford Guernsey Halls Corner Hamblin Helm Corner Hub Hydril Island District Kettleman Station Lakeside Lucerne Murray Pitco Reef Station Remnoy Rossi Shell Shirley South Corcoran Vanguard American Indian Communities Santa Rosa Rancheria Census-designated places Armona Grangeville Hardwick Home Garden Kettleman City Lemoore Station Stratford History Timeline Resources Bible Records Biographies History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California : with Biographical Sketches. By Eugene L. Menefee and Fred A. Dodge. Los Angeles, California : Historical Record Co., 1913. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). Kings County Biographies (Genealogy Trails) Index to Kings County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives) Kings County Biographies (CAGenWeb Project) Business, Commerce, and Occupations Cemeteries Cemeteries of Kings, California online and in print Tombstone Transcriptions Online Find a Grave BillionGraves CA GenWeb Interment.net USGW Tombstone Transcription Project Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete) FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat.org List of Cemeteries in the County Find a Grave FamilySearch Places 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. %± 1900 9,871 — 1910 16,230 64.4% 1920 22,031 35.7% 1930 25,385 15.2% 1940 35,168 38.5% 1950 46,768 33.0% 1960 49,954 6.8% 1970 64,610 29.3% 1980 73,738 14.1% 1990 101,469 37.6% 2000 129,461 27.6% 2010 152,982 18.2% Source: "Wikipedia.org". 1870, 1910 Index to Kings 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 Avenal Hanford 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 Bledsoe Funeral Chapel in Corcoran Bynum's Pleasant Valley Mortuary in Avenal People’s Funeral Chapel in Hanford Phipps-Dale Funeral Chapel in Lemoore Whitehurst-McNamara Funeral Service in Hanford Yost & Webb Funeral Care in Hanford 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 Kings County Land Records (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 Kings County. Histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see California Local Histories. The History of Kings County. By Robert R. Brown. Hanford, California : A.H. Cawston, c1940. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California : with Biographical Sketches. By Eugene L. Menefee and Fred A. Dodge. Los Angeles, California : Historical Record Co., 1913. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). The Story of Kings County, California. By James L. Brown. Berkeley, California : Lederer, Street & Zeus, 1941. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Maps and Gazetteers Click a neighboring county 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 1886 Civil War Veterans, McPherson Post No. 51, G. A. R. 1886 (USGenWeb Archives) 1886 Civil War Veterans, Union Post No. 99, G. A. R. 1886 (USGenWeb Archives) 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 Kings County WWII Army Enlistees (USGenWeb Archives) Korean War Kings County Vietnam War Casualties (Genealogy Trails) Vietnam War Kings County Deceased Vietnam War Veterans (CAGenWeb Project) Naturalization and Citizenship Newspapers 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($) California Digital Newspaper Collection at UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research California, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index at Ancestry — index & images ($) Obituaries Kings County Obituary Index (Genealogy Trails) Kings County Obituary Indexes (CAGenWeb Project) Index to Kings County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives) 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 ($) Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search School Records Social Security Records 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information. 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index Tax Records California tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see California Taxation. Vital Records Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. The state has records since July 1905, although county records may start earlier. See California Vital Records for more information. Birth and Death Indexes Searches - free. (CAGenWeb Project) Birth 1812-1988 California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index 1905-1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($) 1905-1910 Kings County Birth Index (Genealogy Trails) Marriage 1800-2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($) 1850-1945 California Marriages, 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images 1850-1952 California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images. Also at: MyHeritage($) 1902-1915 Kings County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails) 1960-1985 California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($) Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho Death 1776-2000 California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index 1905-1939 California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images 1940-1997 California Death Index, 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($) Divorce 1966-1984 California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index Research Facilities Archives Listed below are archives in Kings 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 Corcoran California FamilySearch Center Hanford California FamilySearch Center Fresno County Public Library - an affiliate library Tulare Public Library - an affiliate library Libraries Listed below are libraries in Kings County. For state-wide library facilities, see California Archives and Libraries. Museums Societies Listed below are societies in Kings County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see California Societies. Highland Historical Society 161 Mansion House Rd. P.O. Box 63 McDowell, VA 24458 Phone: (540) 396-4478 Email: highlandhist@mgwnet.com Contact Form Website Facebook Kings County Historical Society, Inc. 14060 Hackett Street, Hanford CA P.O. Box 564 Hanford CA 93232 Phone: (559) 772-9334 Email: KCHS.Ca@yahoo.com Facebook Websites Kings County CAGenWeb and Ca Genweb USGenWeb Archives Kings County, California Genealogy Trails Kings County, CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com) 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 Kings Research Guide at California State Library References