Sacramento County, CaliforniaEdit This Page
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United States 
California Sacramento County
Guide to Sacramento County California genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Sacramento County, California | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of California | |
 Location of California in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 18, 1850 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Sacramento |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Sacramento County Courthouse 600 8th Street PO Box 839 Sacramento, CA 95812-0893 Phone: 916.874.6334 |
County Courthouse
County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1880
County Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records[1]
Historical Facts
{{Wikipedia|Sacramento County, California]]
Parent County
18 February 1850: Sacramento County was created as an original county. County seat: Sacramento [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
1854: Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.
For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Populated places in Sacramento County include:
- Arcade
- Carmichael
- Citrus Heights
- Courtland
- Elk Grove
- Elverta
- Fair Oaks
- Florin
- Folsom
- Freeport
- Galt
- Rio Linda
- Sacramento
- Sheldon
- Sloughhouse
- Walnut Grove
Neighboring Counties
Resources
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
The following web sites have entries for people buried in Sacramento County. None have complete lists especially for currently active cemeteries where burials are occurring regularly, types of data available on the sites may vary:
- Find A Grave
- Fair Oaks Cemetery District
- Interment.Net
- USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project section for Sacramento County
- BillionGraves. Individual cemeteries covered by this site are below, each cemetery is directly linked to.
BillioGraves: Has pages for individual cemeteries, each one where there is data can be searched, photos, Google map, and GPS coding for each headstone.
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Cemeteries. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
US Vol. 21 page 3 - New Helvetia Cemetery, Sacramento
Census
For tips on accessing Sacramento County, California census records online, see: California Census.
Church History and Records
Sacramento Metro Churches lists churches in various metro areas in the county with links to the web sites of the churches.
Sacramento County Churches Alphabetical Index lists the names of churches. After you click on a name, on the next screen, you need to click on the name again in 'Search for' in the right column. The address, phone number and a map appear.
Church records are usually found in the towns rather than on the county level. Search the Family History Library Catalog in FamilySearch.org Place Search for the appropriate town in Sacramento County.
Church histories may be on the county level. In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Church history. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
LDS Ward and Branch Records
- Arcade
- Carmichael
- Homestead
- Sacramento
Court Records
Sacamento County Court Directory gives addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and links to the courts web sites and online resources..
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Court records and Court records - Indexes. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
Crime and Criminals
Directories
Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
Germans
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Google Books has some books about the history and people in Sacramento County, California. Try various search terms, including the names of people. Books designated with "Full view" can be read online.
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento County, California, look at the list of records for History and History - Indexes. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
Land and Property
For information about deeds and other land records in Sacramento County, see the Service Directory.
For deeds, 1965 to the present, see County Register.
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento County, California, look at the list of records for Land and property and Land and property - Indexes and Land and property - Maps. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
Maps
For historical maps of Sacramento County,search the following free sites:
• Maps-Historical-Sate of California, the Carlifornia government's site. Links to American Memory (Library of Congress), California Missions, and the State Library
• Historical Maps of California
• California Maps - HSU Library, also lists and links to gazetteers
• David Rumsey Collection for Sacramento, California
• Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for California
For topographical maps of California mountains, rivers, etc., try the sites listed at USGS Topographic Maps of California.
For current maps, search Google Maps or MapQuest or other map services online.
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Sacramento County, California for emigrant settlers included:[3][4]
- California Trail 1844 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
- Truckee (River) Trail 1844 crossed the Forty Mile Desert to the Truckee River to follow it west past Reno, Nevada to Donner Pass to Emigrant Gap to Sutter's Fort (Sacramento, California). The exact route varied over the years, the most used being the Nevada City Road and Auburn Emigrant Road combination.
- Roller Pass 1846 alternate to the Truckee Trail two miles south of Donner Pass through Emigrant Gap to Placerville, California
- Nevada City Road 1850 branched off the Truckee Trail through Emigrant Gap to Nevada City, California the most important mining area 1850-1851
- Auburn Emigrant Road 1850 believed to be from Nevada City to Auburn to Sacramento, California
- Henness Pass Road 1850 branched off the Truckee Trail at Verdi, Nevada headed for Camptonville and steamboat service at Marysville, California. In 1860 it became a major route to the Comstock Lode silver mines in Nevada.
- Beckwourth Trail 1850 left the Truckee Trail near present-day Sparks, Nevada going to Oroville and Marysville, California
- Applegate Trail 1846 (avoided the Forty Mile Desert) by leaving the Humboldt River in Nevada early at present-day Rye Reservoir, Nevada and passing through the Black Rock Desert to Fandango Pass past Goose Lake on to the Lost River and eventually the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
- The Lassen Cutoff 1848 was established by gold rushers from Oregon going to California. It branched off the Applegate Trail at Davis Creek, went through Devil's Garden to the Pit River passing east of Mt. Lassen, and turning west to Lassen Rancho, California, and from there to Sacramento. In some years as much as 1/3 of emigrants mistakenly took the Applegate Trail-Lassen Cutoff, a much longer and more difficult trail than the Truckee or Carson routes.
- Nobles Road 1851 from the Applegate Trail at Rabbithole Springs in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada to Shasta City, California
- Carson (River) Trail 1848 (aka Mormon Emigrant Trail) crossed the Forty Mile Desert past the west side of the Carson Sink to pick up the Carson River near Fallon, Nevada up to Hope Valley and Red Lake. The Devil's Ladder then climbed 700 feet (210 m) in half a mile so ropes, chains, and pulleys were required to lift the wagons. Carson Pass was followed by the relatively easy West Pass (Kirkwood, California) and then on to Pollock Pines, Placerville, and Sutter's Fort, California
- Johnson's Cutoff 1850-1851 (aka Placerville Route, Lake Tahoe Route and Day's Route) from Carson City, Nevada past the south end of Lake Tahoe going south and then west to Placerville, California and Sacramento
- Daggett Pass 1850 (aka Georgetown Pack Trail) Carson Valley, Nevada to Johnson's Cutoff near South Lake Tahoe, California
- Big Tree Road (Ebbetts Pass) 1851 from western Nevada to Markleeville, Murphys, Sonora, and Stockton, California
- Grizzly Flat Road 1852 an extension of Carson Trail down the middle fork of the Consumnes River to Grizzly Flat and Placerville, California
- Volcano Road 1852 from Coral Flat (Pioneer) on the Carson Trail to Volcano, California
- Sonora Road 1852-1854 from the Carson Trail south to the Walker River along the base of the Sierra Nevada until it ascends to Sonora Pass and then down to Strawberry and Sonora, California
- Luther Pass Trail 1854 connected the Carson Trail and Johnson's Cutoff and allowed travelers to avoid Lake Tahoe. It became one of the routes to the Comstock Lode in Nevada
- Central Pacific Railroad since 1869 from Sacramento, California to Ogden, Utah and Omaha, Nebraska[5]
Military History and Records
The California State Military Museum has a great deal of historical information and links to other military web sites.
Ancestry.com has Records of California men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867
Naturalization and Citizenship
- The California State Archives has records of Sacramento County for the years 1850 to 1903.
- The Family History Library also has Declarations of Intention for the years 1859 to 1906 in Sacramento County.
Newspapers
The California Digital Newspaper Collection has newspapers from 1848 through 1922. You can search by keyword, including names, and/or by date.
Obituaries
Periodicals
Probate Records
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Probate records. Films can be sent to family history centers.
Railroads
In 1864, the First Transcontinental Railroad started from Sacramento California.
American Memory has an online map showing the railroads and each railroad station and post office.
Repositories
Archives, Libraries and Museums
- Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center
551 Sequoia Pacific Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (916) 264-7072
Researchers must have an appointment to use the records. More old records from the City and County of Sacramento are located here than probably at any other facility.
County Courthouse
County Clerk/Recorder 600 8th Street Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-874-6334
Family History Centers
Societies
- California Genealogical Society and Library web site has the CGSL catalog, discusses many useful California records, and has a list of links to other California web sites.
- Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society
Their library is located in the:
California State Archives Building.
1020 O Street,-4th floor,
Sacramento, CA.
Hours: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday.
- Genealogical Association of Sacramento
They have a genealogy collection at the Sacramento Central Library, 828 "I" Street (9th & I)- 4th Floor, Sacramento, CA
Phone: 916-264-2920
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10-8, Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 12-5pm
- Genealogical & Historical Council of Sacramento Valley
The web site for this organization has a list with links for over 30 genealogical and historical organizations in the Sacramento Valley area.
Taxation
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Taxation. Films can be sent to family history centers.
Vital Records
In the Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Vital records and Vital records - Indexes. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
Birth
The Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder has birth and death certificates for the county of Sacramento. These can be ordered in person, by mail, by fax, by email and online. For more information, see the Sacramento County web site.
County Clerk/Recorder, 600 8th Street Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 916-874-6334
Sacramento County can only issue:
- Birth certificates for children born in Sacramento County since 1850. Certificates for births prior to 1850 are not available.
At Ancestry is the California Birth Index, 1905-1995 ($)
The Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Vital records and Vital records - Indexes. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
Marriage
The Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder has marriage certificates for the county of Sacramento. These can be ordered in person, by mail, by fax, by email and online. For more information, see the Sacramento County web site.
County Clerk/Recorder, 600 8th Street Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 916-874-6334
Sacramento County can only issue:
- Copies of marriage certificates for licenses issued in Sacramento County since 1905.
The Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Vital records and Vital records - Indexes. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
Divorce
Death
The Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder has death certificates for the county of Sacramento. These can be ordered in person, by mail, by fax, by email and online. For more information, see the Sacramento County web site.
County Clerk/Recorder, 600 8th Street Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 916-874-6334
Sacramento County can only issue: Certificates for deaths which occurred in Sacramento County since 1850. Certificates for deaths prior to 1850 are not available.
The Family History Library Catalog Place Search on FamilySearch, for Sacramento, California, look at the list of records for Vital records and Vital records - Indexes. Films can be sent to family history centers. Public libraries may have copies of the books or can obtain them through Interlibrary Loan.
At RootsWeb is an index to California Death Records 1940-1997 (free)
Voting Registers
Websites
- Sacramento County CAGenWeb
- Linkpendium
- USGenWeb Archives
- USGenWeb Archives backup site
- FamilySearch Family History Library Catalog
- Online California Death Records and Indexes links to California sites and Sacramento County sites
- Genealogy Trails section on Sacramento County, California Genealogy and History
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Sacramento County, California. Page 86 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail (accessed 5 August 2012).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "First Transcontinental Railroad" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad (accessed 5 August 2011).
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- This page was last modified on 9 April 2013, at 17:34.
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