Riverside County, California Genealogy
Guide to Riverside 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
Riverside County was created 2 May 1893[1] and was named for the City of Riverside, christened when the upper canal of the Santa Ana River reached it in 1871.[2] Its county seat is Riverside. It is located in the southern area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Riverside County Courthouse
4050 Main St
Riverside, CA 92501
Phone: 951-777-3147
Riverside County Website
County Clerk Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1893.[4]
Riverside 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 |
| 1893 | 1893 | 1893 | 1893 | 1893 | 1893 | 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]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| American Indian Communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
|
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| Ghost towns | ||
|
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Unincorporated Locations
Aguanga | Alberhill | Anza | Belltown | Bermuda Dunes | Cabazon | Cherry Valley | Chiriaco Summit | Coronita | Crestmore Heights | Desert Beach | Desert Center | Desert Edge | Desert Palms | East Blythe | Eagle Mountain | Eagle Valley | East Hemet | El Cerrito | El Sobrante | French Valley | Garnet | Good Hope | Green Acres | Highgrove | Home Gardens | Homeland | Idyllwild | Indio Hills | Lake Mathews | Lake Riverside | Lake Tamarisk | Lakeland Village | Lakeview | Lost Lake | March ARB | Mead Valley | Meadowbrook | Mecca | Mesa Verde | Mountain Center | North Shore | Nuevo | Oasis | Pine Cove | Pinyon Pines | Rancho Capistrano | Ripley | Romoland | Sage | Sky Valley | Temescal Valley | Thermal | Thousand Palms | Valle Vista | Vista Santa Rosa | Warm Springs | Whitewater | Winchester | Woodcrest |
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- Riverside County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
- Riverside County Biographies (USGenWeb Archives)
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For online censuses (state and federal) and for more information, see California Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1900 | 17,897 | — |
| 1910 | 34,696 | 93.9% |
| 1920 | 50,297 | 45.0% |
| 1930 | 81,024 | 61.1% |
| 1940 | 105,524 | 30.2% |
| 1950 | 170,046 | 61.1% |
| 1960 | 306,191 | 80.1% |
| 1970 | 459,074 | 49.9% |
| 1980 | 663,166 | 44.5% |
| 1990 | 1,170,413 | 76.5% |
| 2000 | 1,545,387 | 32.0% |
| 2010 | 2,189,641 | 41.7% |
| 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.
- 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
- Arlington
- Blythe
- Elsinore
- Hemet
- Indio
- Palm Springs
- Riverside
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
- Riverside County Index to Federal Land Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- Riverside County Geographic Information Services (select "Map My County" for current land records)
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Riverside 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 Riverside County, California : with Biographical Sketches, by Elmer Wallace Holmes, et al. Los Angeles, California : Historic Record Co., 1912. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties : with Selected Biography, by John Brown Jr. and James Boyd. Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co., c1922. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. 1-3.
- The Story of Riverside County, by W. W. Robinson. Los Angeles, California : Title Insurance and Trust Co., c1957. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
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
- Index to Riverside County Military Records (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
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
- Riverside County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
- Riverside 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 ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
California tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see California Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. The state has records since July 1905, although county records may start earlier. See California Vital Records for more information.
Birth
- 1800-1994 California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1812-1988 California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1905-1995 California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
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($)
- Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho
- Riverside County Marriage Notices (Genealogy Trails)
Death
- 1776-2000 California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1800-1994 California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1905-1939 California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1940-1997 California Death Index, 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at: MyHeritage($)
Divorce
- 1966-1984 California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Riverside 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
- Hemet California FamilySearch Center
- Lake Elsinore California FamilySearch Center
- Manifee California FamilySearch Center
- Moreno Valley California FamilySearch Center
- Riverside California FamilySearch Center
- Huntington Beach Central Library - an affiliate library
- South Orange County California Genealogical Society Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Riverside County. For state-wide library facilities, see California Archives and Libraries.
Corona Public Library
650 S. Main Street
Corona, CA 98992-3417
Phone: 951-736-2386
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Riverside County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see California Societies.
Society Middletown First Settlers Descendants(1650-1700)
81641 Ave. 48, Space 89
Indio, CA 92201-6723
Website
Hemet-San Jacinto Genealogical Society, Inc
P.O. Box 2516
Hemet, CA 92546-2516
Phone: 951-765-2372
Website
Genealogical Society of Riverside
P.O. Box 2557
Riverside, CA 92516-2557
Email: gsor@gsor.org
Facebook
Riverside Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2557
Riverside 92516
Website
Corona Genealogical Society
650 S. Main Street
Corona, CA 92882-3417
Website
Desert Hot Springs Historical Society
P.O. Box 1267
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
Website
Genealogical Society of Riverside
P.O. Box 2557
Riverside, CA 92156-2557
Website
Hemet-San Jacinto Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2516
Hemet, CA 92343
Website
Lake Elsinore Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 807
Lake Elsinore, CA 92330
Website
Palm Springs Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2093
Palm Springs, CA 92263
Website
Palm Springs Historical Society
P.O. Box 1498
Palm Springs, CA 92263
Website
Pioneer Historical Society of Riverside
P.O. Box 246
Riverside, CA 92502
Temecula Valley Genealogical Society
27475 Ynez Road, Ste. 291
Temecula, CA 92591
Website
Temecula Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 157
Temecula, CA 92593
Website
Websites
- Riverside CAGenWeb and CA GenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives
- Riverside County, California Genealogy Trails
- 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
References
- ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Riverside County, California Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/cal/riverside/ 05/05/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Riverside County, California" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_County,_California 05/04/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Riverside County, California. Page 86 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Riverside 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, "Riverside County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_County,_California, accessed 19 September 2019.