California Vital Records

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Introduction to Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the California Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also California Statewide Indexes and Collections at the Family History Library.

CSGA CA Research Aid - Birth and Marriage Records

CSGA CA Research Aid - Death Records

Birth Records Marriage Records  Death/Will Records 1905 - 1995 $ 1960 - 1985 $ 1940-1997

California Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online

The following is a list of online resources useful for locating California Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Check California Vital Records Online for more information about the resources listed below. Most online resources for California Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.

• California Databases listed on Rootsweb.com - Free
• USGenWeb.org California Site - Free
• Search for California Collections on FamilySearch.org under Canada, USA, and Mexico - Free. Scroll down to California from the Canada, USA, and Mexico link to see what is available for the state. This is a growing database. 
• See the California sections at Online Birth & Marriage Records Indexes and Online Death Records Indexes - Free/$
• Search the California Birth, Marriage & Death Records at Ancestry.com - $ 
• Order California Certificates This site from the National Center of Disease Control  gives addresses, information and fees for obtaining birth, death, marriage, and divorce records from the state of California as well as links to the agencies' websites.
• Search the Western States Marriage Index Online - Free
• California Vital Indexes
  

 Birth Records

Early - 1905

The church records in California provide the earliest evidences of births and deaths. County recorders eventually kept vital statistics. Monterey County, for example, recorded a few births as early as 1824. Most clerks kept better records in the decades following the Gold Rush.

1905 - Present

The Family History Library has been acquiring microfilmed copies of the original records from many counties. For example, the Family History Library has 81 microfilms of births from Los Angeles (1905-19, indexed 1905-23), and deaths (1877-1905, indexed 1873-1920). You can also write to each county clerk for information.

Delayed registration of births began in 1943. These records are kept by each county. You can write to the County Recorder for information.

The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of delayed birth records for many counties, such as Los Angeles, for the years 1943 to 1964.

The statewide registration of births and deaths began in July 1905, and was generally complied with by 1920.

California San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records 1835-1931 are available online at FamilySearch.org

 Birth Index (CABI) (1905-1995) is available for free at:

• California Birth Index
• California Births
• California Birth Menu

For additional information (including the mailing address) on ordering birth, marriage and death certificates from the state of California visit: A comprehensive resource for locating vital records.

Information in California Birth Records

Types of Information	early - 1905	1905 - present
Name of Child
Sex
Race
Parents' Names
Midwife/Doctor
Date & Place of Birth
Residence

Adoption Records

Open / closed/ state statutes

Marriage Records

Early to 1905  

When the county was formed county clerks were assigned to record marriages.

The first law that required the recording of marriages was passed in 1850. Each county usually kept these records as soon as it was organized.

There is no residence requirement to be married in California. Couples can get a marriage license in one county and get married in another, unless one of the parties is underage. For a time, couples had to get their marriage license in the county where the ceremony was to be performed.

The Family History Library has copies of the marriage records for many counties. For example, Los Angeles County marriage applications (1850-1905) and certificates (1851-1919) are available on 120 microfilms.

1905 - Present

The statewide registration of marriages began in 1905. The state records are indexed.

The Family History Library has copies of the marriages for many counties. For example, Los Angeles County marriage applications (1850-1905) and certificates (1851-1919) are available on 120 microfilms.

The index for 1960 to 1985 is available at the Family History Library The Family History Library has not obtained copies of the actual certificates from the state office. Write to the Office of Vital Records and Statistics or the County Recorder (if the county is known) for further information.

Marriage Indexes (1949-1986) are available at:

• California Marriages
  

Information in California Marriage Records

Types of Information	early - 1905	1905 - present
Name of Bride/Groom
Date of Marriage
Location of Marriage
Presiding Official
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Residence at Time of Marriage

• Gretna Greens. When an southern California couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, or Yuma, Yuma, Arizona. A favorite alternative for northern California was Reno, Washoe, Nevada.

Divorce Records

Divorce records have been kept by the superior court in the county where the divorces were granted. You can write to the clerk of the court for information. You can also write to the State Department of Health for records since 1962.

Many of the early marriages for the state are searchable online at no cost in the Western States Marriage Index.

 Death Records

Early to 1905

The Family History Library has been acquiring microfilmed copies of the original records from many counties. For example, the Family History Library has microfilms of death records (1877-1905, indexed 1873-1920). You can also write to each County Recorder for information.

1905 - Present

 Death Index  (CADI) (1940-1997) is available for free at:

• California Death Index
• California Death Indexes
• California Death Index
• California Death Index Family Tree Legends
• Rootsweb Death Search
• Pre 1905 California Death Index Project

The death index includes: Deceased's full name, date of birth and country or state of birth, death date and death place in California, Social Security Number, and mother's maiden name.

Information in California Death Records

Types of Information	before - 1905	1905 - present
Name of Deceased
Date of Death
Place of Death
Date of Birth/Age
Place of Birth
Place of Burial
Parents' Names/Maiden
Occupation of Deceased
Marital Status

In the statewide indexes prepared by California each county was assigned a number. The chart below will assist you in utilizing the indexes .........

Vital Records Code - California-County and City

1 Alameda	13 Imperial	25 Modoc	37 San Diego	49 Sonoma	Cities
2 Alpine	14 Inyo	26 Mono	38 San Francisco	50 Stanislaus	60 Alameda
3 Amador	15 Kern	27 Monterey	39 San Joaquin	51 Sutter	70 Los Angeles
4 Butte	16 Kings	28 Napa	40 San Luis Obispo	52 Tehama	80 San Diego
5 Calaveras	17 Lake	29 Nevada	41 San Mateo Cities	53 Trinity	90 San Francisco
6 Colusa	18 Lassen	30 Orange	42 Santa Barbara	54 Tulare
7 Contra Costa	19 Los Angeles	31 Placer	43 Santa Clara	55 Tuolumne
8 Del Norte	20 Madera	32 Plumas	44 Santa Cruz	56 Ventura
9 El Dorado	21 Marin	33 Riverside	45 Shasta	57 Yolo
10 Fresno	22 Mariposa	34 Sacramento	46 Sierra	58 Yuba
11 Glen	23 Medocino	35 San Benito	47 Siskiyou	59
12 Humboldt	24 Merced	36 San Bernardino	48 Solano

Inventory of Vital Records

You can learn more about the history and availability of vital records in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in California.

Destroyed, Lost and Missing Records

Records Loss due to earthquakes - San Francisco

Substitute Records

These links will take you to wiki pages describing alternate sources for birth, marriage and death records.

• Church Records: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death.

• Cemetery Records: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information.  These records may also reveal family relationships.

• Census Records: Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine approximate time of death when the individual disappear from the census. This is a good place to begin a search.

• Newspapers: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices.  Also check newspaper social columns for additional information. 

• Periodicals: Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals which may contain abstracted early birth, marriage and death information.

• Military Records:  Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information,  In addtion, soldiers' homes records can included this same information.

• Probate Records: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.

• History:  Local histories, family histories and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the Family History Library catalog.

More Online Links

• California Links from fhlfavorites.info - Free
• California Databases listed on Rootsweb.com - Free
• The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for California - Free/$
• See the California sections at Online Birth & Marriage Records Indexes and Online Death Records Indexes - Free/$
• Linkpendium Links for California Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$ 
• Progenealogists Links for the United States. Press Ctrl + F on the keyboard to search for California or CA - Free/$
• Order California Certificates online - $ 
• Search the [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Western_States_Marriage_Index

Tips 

• Information listed on vital records is given by an informant.  Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the subjects(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
• If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial.  A family Bible may have been used to record family births, marriages and deaths.
• Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records.  Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct realative.
• If the survival of a baby was in question, the birth may not have been recorded. If the child survived search for a delayed birth cetificate.
• Search for Vital Records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records.  Search for California to locate records filed by the State and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by that county.

Archives, Libraries and Societies

California Archives and Libraries

California Societies

References

California County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)