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Santa Barbara County, California Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Santa Barbara
Organized: February 18, 1850
Parent County(s): Original
Neighboring Counties
San Luis Obispo • Kern • Ventura
See County Maps
Courthouse
California, Santa Barbara County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Ca-santabarbara-map.png


County Information

Description

Santa Barbara County was created 18 Feb 1850[1] and was named for the city of Santa Barbara, which was named for Saint Barbara. Its county seat is Santa Barbara. It is located in the west-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Santa Barbara
1100 Anacapa St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: 805-882-4520
Santa Barbara County Courthouse

Superior Court has divorce, probate, court and naturalization records.
Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1850.[3]

Santa Barbara 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
1850 1850 1850 1850 1850 1854 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

The following list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have websites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names. Information about the cemeteries can be found in these pages if known.

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


History Timeline

Santa Barbara area Native Americans were first contacted by several early explorers in the 1500s and 1600s but the first moves toward settlement by Europeans were Spanish in 1769. The Santa Barbara mission was founded in 1786 by Franciscan padres who were also the first record keepers.

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Santa Barbara, 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. %±
1850 1,185 —
1860 3,543 199.0%
1870 7,784 119.7%
1880 9,513 22.2%
1890 15,754 65.6%
1900 18,934 20.2%
1910 27,738 46.5%
1920 41,097 48.2%
1930 65,167 58.6%
1940 70,555 8.3%
1950 98,220 39.2%
1960 168,962 72.0%
1970 264,324 56.4%
1980 298,694 13.0%
1990 369,608 23.7%
2000 399,347 8.0%
2010 423,895 6.1%
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

  • Santa Maria

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society has free online databases and indexes to search at sbgen.org and maintains the Sahyun library open for research at 316 Castillo St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

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 Santa Barbara 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

San Luis Obispo CountyKern CountyVentura CountyCA SANTA BARBARA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War Service Men in Santa Barbara 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 Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company A
- 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry (Union), Company C

World War I

World War II

Vietnam War

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

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.

Santa Barbara Mission archives contain early births, baptisms, marriages and deaths.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County. For state-wide library facilities, see California Archives and Libraries.

County of Santa Barbara Library Services
Website
Lists and provides links to library "zones" within the county.

Museums

Societies

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

Santa Barbara Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution
Website

Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society
316 Castillo Street
P.O. Box 1303
Goleta, CA 93116-1303
Website

Santa Maria Valley Historical Society
616 S. Broadway
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Telephone: 805-922-3130
Email: smvhsmuseum@outlook.com
Website
Facebook

Vandenburg Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 81
Lompoc, CA 93438-0081

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Santa Barbara County, California," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santa_Barbara_County,_California&oldid=1215739973 (accessed April 4, 2024).
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Santa Barbara County, California. Page 87At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Santa Barbara 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. ↑ WorldCat 50140092 FS Catalog CollectionHandybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.] (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002)
  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, "Santa Barbara County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Barbara_County,_California, accessed 23 September 2019.
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