Shasta County, California Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Redding
Organized: 18 February 1850
Parent County(s): Original
Neighboring Counties
LassenModocPlumasSiskiyouTehamaTrinity
See County Maps
Courthouse
California, Shasta County Courthouse.png
Location Map
California Shasta Map.png

County Information

Description

Shasta County was created 18 Feb 1850[1] and was named for Mount Shasta, which was named after the Shasta people. Its county seat is Redding. It is located in the north-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Shasta County Courthouse
1500 Court St.
Redding, CA 96001
Phone: 530-245-6789
Shasta County Website

County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1880.
County Recorder has birth, marriage and death records.[3]

Shasta 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
1873 1852 1873 1880 1852 1880 1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

  • 14 June 1853: All records were destroyed in the great fire of June 14th, 1853

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

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

Indian Reservations or Rancherias

The Big Bend Indian Rancheria is located in this county.

History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Shasta, 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 378
1860 4,360 1053.4%
1870 4,173 −4.3%
1880 9,492 127.5%
1890 12,133 27.8%
1900 17,318 42.7%
1910 18,920 9.3%
1920 13,361 −29.4%
1930 13,927 4.2%
1940 28,800 106.8%
1950 36,413 26.4%
1960 59,468 63.3%
1970 77,640 30.6%
1980 115,715 49.0%
2000 163,256 41.1%
2010 177,223 8.6%
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

  • Redding
  • Shasta

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 Shasta 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

Siskiyou CountyModoc CountyLassen CountyPlumas CountyTehama CountyTrinity CountyCA SHASTA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

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

Military Records

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Shasta 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:

- 4th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company C

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

Museums

Societies

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

Shasta Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 493431
Redding, CA 96049-3431
Email: contact@shastagen.org
Contact Us
Website
Facebook

Shasta County Historical Society
1449 Market Street
Redding, CA 96001
Phone: 530-243-3720
Email: shs@shastahistorical.org
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Shasta County, California," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shasta_County,_California&oldid=1215740298 (accessed April 4, 2024).
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Shasta 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), Shasta 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#SHASTA
  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, "Shasta County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shasta_County,_California, accessed 24 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).