Madera County, California Genealogy

United States

California

Madera County

Guide to Madera 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: Madera Organized: March 11, 1893 Parent County(s): Fresno Neighboring Counties Fresno • Mariposa • Merced • Mono • Tuolumne See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Madera County was created 16 May 1893 and was named for the town of Madera (Madera is the Spanish term for wood), named when the California Lumber Company built a log flume to carry lumber to the railroad there in 1876. Its county seat is Madera. It is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Madera County Courthouse
200 South G Street
Madera, CA 93637
Phone: 559-416-5599
Madera County Website

County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, divorce, probate court and land records from 1893 and some voting records.

Madera 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	1893	1893	1893	1893	1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

1906: Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Parent County(s): Created from Fresno 16 May 1893. County Seat: Madera 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
chowchilla	Madera
Unincorporated communities
Knowles North Fork	O'Neals Raymond	Ripperdan Sugar Pine
American Indian Communities
North fork Rancheria of Mono Indians	Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians
Census-designated places
Ahwahnee Bass Lake Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos Coarsegold Fairmead	La Vina Madera Acres Nipinnawasee Oakhurst	Parkdale Parkwood Rolling Hills Yosemite Lakes Park

Resources

Biographies

• Index to Madera County Biographies - Scroll down to "Biographies" (CAGenWeb Project)
• Madera County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Madera, California online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave CA GenWeb BillionGraves 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	6,364	—
1910	8,368	31.5%
1920	12,203	45.8%
1930	17,164	40.7%
1940	23,314	35.8%
1950	36,964	58.5%
1960	40,468	9.5%
1970	41,519	2.6%
1980	63,116	52.0%
1990	88,090	39.6%
2000	123,109	39.8%
2010	150,865	22.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• Madera County Census Records - Scroll down to "Census Records."

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
  

Funeral Homes

All Faiths Funeral Home in Madera Jay Chapel Directors in Madera Palm Memorial - Sierra Chapel in Oakhurst Palm Memorial - Worden Chapel in Chowchilla

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

• Madera County Index to Federal Land Patents (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 Madera County. Histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see California Local Histories.

• Madera County History (CAGenWeb Project)

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

• Madera County War Memorial (CAGenWeb Project)

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

• Madera County Surname Index to World War II Army Inductees (USGenWeb Archives)
• Madera County World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing (Genealogy Trails)

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• Madera County Naturalizations - Declarations of Intent (CAGenWeb Project)
• Madera County Naturalizations - Petitions for Citizenship (CAGenWeb Project)

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

• Index to Madera County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
• Madera County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1866-1910 California, Great Registers, 1866-1910 at MyHeritage - index($)
• 1871, 1872, 1880, 1894, 1900, 1898, 1920 Great Registers of Voters for Madera County - Scroll down to "Great Registers of Voters." (CAGenWeb Project)

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

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.

• 1800-1994 California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Birth

• 1812-1988 California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1878-1905 Madera County Births (CAGenWeb Project)
• 1905-1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1905-1915 Madera County Births (CAGenWeb Project)

Marriage

• 1800-2007 California, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1850-1945 California Marriages, 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1850-1952 California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images. Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1855-1897 [https://cagenweb.org/madera/FresnoMarriages1855.htm Fresno County Index to Marriage Licenses, Vol. 1, 1855-1897
• 1893-1905 Madera Marriages (CAGenWeb Project)
• 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
• 1850 1850 Mariposa County, California Mortality Schedule (Includes Madera County) (CAGenWeb Project)
• 1892-1905 Madera County, CA Record of Deaths (CAGenWeb Project)
• 1905-1939 California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1912-1913 Jay Chapel Funerals - Small Cemeteries (CAGenWeb Project)
• 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 Madera 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

• Fresno California East FamilySearch Center
• Fresno California FamilySearch Center
• Fresno California West FamilySearch Center
• Madera California FamilySearch Center
• Oakhurst California FamilySearch Center
• Fresno County Public Library - an affiliate library
• Madera County Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Madera County Library
121 N. G Street
Madera, CA 93637
Phone: 559-675-7871
Website
Multiple branches

Societies

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

Madera County Historical Society
P.O. Box 478
210 West Yosemite Avenue
Madera, CA
Phone: 559-673-0291

Madera Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 495
Madera, CA 93639
Phone: 559-673-0291
Website

Coarsegold Historical Society
P.O. Box 117
Coarsegold, CA 93614
Phone: 559-642-4448

Websites

• Madera County CAGenWeb
• USGenWeb Archives
• Madera County, California Genealogy Trails
• Madera 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

• Madera Research Guide at California State Library

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.

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

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.