Plumas County, California Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Hettinger
Organized: March 18, 1854
Parent County(s): Butte
Neighboring Counties
ButteLassenShastaSierraTehamaYuba
See County Maps
Courthouse
California, Plumas County Courthouse.png
Location Map
California Plumas Map.png

County Information

Description

Plumas County was created 1 Apr 1854[1] and was named for the Spanish Río de las Plumas (the Feather River), which flows through it. Its county seat is Quincy. It is located in the northeastern area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Plumas County Courthouse
520 Main Street
Quincy, CA 95971
Phone: 530-283-6305
Plumas County Website

County Clerk has divorce records from 1860.
County Recorder has birth, marriage, death and probate records from 1860.
County Museum Archives has biographies and photographs[3]

Plumas 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
1860 1860 1860 1860 1860 1860 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

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]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Plumas, 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.
1860 4,363
1870 4,489 2.9%
1880 6,180 37.7%
1890 4,933 −20.2%
1900 4,657 −5.6%
1910 5,259 12.9%
1920 5,681 8.0%
1930 7,913 39.3%
1940 11,548 45.9%
1950 13,519 17.1%
1960 11,620 −14.0%
1970 11,707 0.7%
1980 17,340 48.1%
1990 19,739 13.8%
2000 20,824 5.5%
2010 20,007 −3.9%
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

  • Portola

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 Plumas 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

Shasta CountyLassen CountySierra CountyYuba CountyButte CountyTehama CountyCA PLUMAS.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Plumas County for emigrant settlers included:[8][9]

Military Records

Civil War

Civil War service men in Plumas 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 Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company F
- 5th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company F

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

Museums

Societies

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

Plumas County Historical Society
P.O. Box 695
Quincy, CA 95971
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Plumas County, California" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumas_County,_California 05/04/2017.
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Plumas County, California. Page 86 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), Plumas 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. https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#PLUMAS
  6. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "Plumas County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumas_County,_California, accessed 19 September 2019.
  8. 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).
  9. Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail (accessed 5 August 2012).