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Genealogical Holdings
and other Notes (extracted from San Diego Public Library website):
SDPL subscribes to
AncestryPlus. The database can be used only at library locations.
California Room, Local History, and Genealogy RCC and RGY 2nd floor. Phone
menu - press 1, then 6.
Newspapers are an
important resource for local history and Ben Dixon's unpublished history of
the San Diego Herald documents San Diego's earliest newspaper. The
newspaper collection includes archival files and microfilm of the San Diego
Herald which began in 1851 and the San Diego Union which purchased the
Herald in 1860. The two newspapers are made accessible for research by a
microfiche index which covers the years 1851-1903 and 1930-1983 [The index
for 1981-1983 is on cards].
Indexing of the
newspaper articles since 1983 is available from an on-line computer system
compiled and marketed, with the cooperation of the San Diego Union, by
DataTimes, Inc. The DataTimes index dates from 1984 to within the past six
days. Searches for citations may be requested in the California Room. This
non-fee service is for subjects concerning San Diego County, Imperial
County, and Baja California, the same subjects covered in the original San
Diego Public Library index. Searches for subjects other than these are
referred to DataTimes for fee-based service.
The newspaper archives
include many other local newspaper files including Baja California
newspapers, and are supplemented by extensive clippings files covering
numerous topics from nineteenth century San Diego pioneers to historical and
current San Diego business and company information. Government
publications in the California Room include the San Diego Great Registers of
Voters, which date from 1866 through 1909. The Registers give country of
origin and occupation of the registrant and are frequently used by
historians and genealogists. Members of the San Diego Genealogical Society
have indexed some of the Registers and the indexes are available in the
Genealogy Room at the Library.
Other local government
publications in the California Room are San Diego Tax Books (1855-1861), and
three volumes of City Attorney letters dated 1895 to 1903. A especially
poignant collection are the papers of the California War History Committee:
San Diego County (1914-1925), containing descriptions and pictures of
servicemen from San Diego who served during the First World War. Related
items are the Red Cross Scrapbooks (1917-1918).
The first directory
published in the San Diego area was a handwritten one, made in 1807 when San
Diego was still part of Spain. Authored by Carlos Fuentes, it lists
eighty-four residents from Enrique Acosta to Carlos Zaragosa No women were
mentioned. This directory is part of an invaluable collection of directories
which includes San Diego city and county directories from 1886 through 1984,
and San Diego telephone directories from 1906 through the present. Community
directories other than the well-known Polk books, are also included.
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