California

 

United States

 

 

 

 

An Introduction

Gen-Tool Kit

Researching

 by Surname

 

 

Researching

by Location

Internet Resources

Contact Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Introduction

Introduction

 

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     California is the most populous state of the United States. Located on the Pacific coast of North America, it is bordered by Oregon, Nevada and Arizona in the United States, and Baja California in Mexico. The state's four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco. The state has 58 counties. It comprised the territory of Las Californias.

     Inhabited by indigenous people for millennia, California was first colonized by the Spanish in 1769, and after Mexican independence in 1821, continued as part of Mexico. Following a brief period as the independent California Republic in 1846, California was annexed by the United States that same year, and was admitted to the Union as the thirty-first state on September 9, 1850.

     California's diverse geography ranges from the sandy beaches of the Pacific to the rugged, snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in the east. The central portion of the state is dominated by the California Central Valley, one of the most vital agricultural areas in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

gen tool

Gen-Toolkit

 

Genealogical Archives & Libraries

 

Archives & California State History Museum 
Books Online Index - California     
(Source: United States Internet Genealogical Society)
California Genealogy & History Archives 
California Genealogy Records     
(Source: The Records Project)
California Public Libraries     
(Source: Public Libraries Library Directory)
California Records     
(Source: Footnote - Free Trial Available)
California State Archives & Museum  Electronic Collections
California State Library 
Guide to the county archives of California  (1919)    
(Source: Internet Archive)
Historic House Museums & Historic Structures 
Historic House Museums in California 
Historical Museum Guide for California     
(Source: Census Finder)
Melvyl® System - University of California:  Worldwide Genealogy & Family History Research
Mining Museums and Miners' Memorials for California 
Online Archive of California 

 

Historical & Genealogical Societies

California & Nevada Department      (Source: Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865)
California Association of Museums 
California Cornish Cousins 
California Division     
(Source: Sons of Confederate Veterans)
California Division     
(Source: United Daughters of the Confederacy)
California Genealogical Society and Library 
California Historical Society 
California Mayflower Society 
The California Mennonite Historical Society 
California Society  Order of the Founders and Patriots of America
California Society     
(Source: The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America)
The California Society     
(Source: National Society Sons of the American Revolution)
California State Society     
(Source: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution)
California State Society  United States Daughters of the War of 1812
The California Supreme Court Historical Society 
Department of California and Pacific  The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
First California Company  Jamestowne Society
The Historical Society and Museum for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 
Huguenot Society of California 
Kalifornija  Lithanian-American Community Online
National Japanese American Historical Society 
Polish Genealogical Society of California 
The Society of California Archivists 
The Society of California Pioneers 
Sons of the Revolution  in the State of California
Western States Chapter  The Slovenian Genealogy Society International

 

 

Historical Places 

(select a county)

 

Alameda Alpine Amador Butte Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte El Dorado Fresno Glenn Humboldt Imperial Inyo Kern Kings Lake Lassen Los Angeles Madera Marin Mariposa Mendocino Merced Modoc Mono Monterey Napa Nevada Orange Placer Plumas Riverside Sacramento San Benito San Bernardino San Diego San Francisco San Joaquin San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Solano Sonoma Stanislaus Sutter Tehama Trinity Tulare Tuolumne Ventura Yolo Yuba

 

 

 

 

 

Surname

Researching
by Surname

 

 

 

The following are surnames of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this U.S. State.

 

 

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

 

 

Abbott

 

Arnold

 

Bailey

 

Blosser

 

Brown

 

Burgdorf

 

Campbell

 

Childs

 

 

Cotten

 

Coulson

 

Crigger

 

Della

 

 

Douglass

 

Dovel

 

Dyer

 

Fay

 

 

Fly

 

Frechette

 

Gilligan

 

 

Grant

 

Gross

 

Haggard

 

 

Halbert

 

 

Hammond

 

Harper

 

 

Hildebrand

 

Hodgdon

 

Hoskins

 

Huhtala

James

 

Johnson

 

 

Jones

 

 

Knight

 

Linkletter

 

 

McCutcheon

 

McMahan

 

McNutt

 

 

McVicker

 

 

Milton

 

Montgomery

 

 

Moreland

 

 

Parsons

Peachy

 

Peyton

 

Pinnell

 

 

Rhodes

Robbins

 

Saak

 

 

Schockley

 

Scruggs

 

 

Simpson

 

Southard

 

Tewksbury

 

 

Tipton

 

Turner

 

Valentine

 

Waiters

 

Wilson

 

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

 

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

Cissell;  Gage;  Habermann;  MacDade;  Neff;  Petersen;  Shank;  Silar;  Stanker

 

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding LINK.

Additional information regarding these surnames may also be found at:

  Surname Locator Resources

 

 

Free Genealogy
Surname Search 
From Google

 

 

 

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches using tips or   "tricks"  

that    will   likely   improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about this or any other Surname.

 

 

 

 

 

 

California

 

 

Significant Events in the Lives of Our Ancestors

YEAR

ANCESTOR

EVENT

LOCATION

1848

Gold is discovered on John A. Sutter's land.

Mexico cedes California to the United States.

1850

California enters the Union as the 31st state (September 9).

1857

William C. Rhodes

Sarah (Douglass) Rhodes

Migrate from Texas in a covered wagon to California

San Bernardino Co.

1860

William C. Rhodes

Sarah (Douglass) Rhodes

Rhodes family moves from San Bernardino Co.

Tulare Co.

1867

Albea E. Scruggs

Migrated from Virginia to California

Stanislaus Co.

1869

California is linked with the East by the first transcontinental railroad.

1875

Albea E. Scruggs and Julia Rhodes

Marriage

Tulare co.

1878

John Eldridge Scruggs

Born at Poplar

Tulare Co.

1890-91

John Robert McVicker and

Mary Ella (Johnson) McVicker

Moved to California from Kansas

Tulare Co.

1897

John Eldridge Scruggs and

Minnie V. McVicker

Marriage

Tulare Co.

 

1901

Pearl Ella Scruggs

Born at Poplar

Tulare Co.

 

 

1906

The San Francisco earthquake and fire occur.

 

 

1906

Albea E. Scruggs

Died

Tulare Co.

 

 

1910-20

John Robert McVicker

Mary Ella (Johnson) McVicker

Moved to Pomona section of San Jose Township

Los Angeles Co.

 

 

1913

Sarah R. (Douglass) Rhodes

Died in Porterville

Tulare Co.

 

 

1920

Minnie (McVicker) Scruggs

Died in Porterville

Tulare Co.

 

 

abt. 1918

Mary (Pinnell) Moreland and

Jerre’ Floyd Moreland

Moved from Woodward Co. Oklahoma to California

Tulare Co.

 

 

1922

Julia (Rhodes) Scruggs

Died in Porterville

Tulare Co.

 

 

1923

Jerre’ Floyd Moreland and

Pearl Ella Scruggs

Marriage at Methodist Center, University of Southern California

Los Angeles Co.

 

 

1929

John Robert McVicker

Died in Porterville

Tulare Co.

 

 

1940

Mary Ella (Johnson) McVicker

Died in Porterville

Tulare Co.

 

 

1942

President Franklin Roosevelt signs an order removing all people of

Japanese descent from the West Coast, including U.S. citizens.

 

 

1945

John Eldridge Scruggs

Died

Tulare Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

research location

Researching
by Location

 

 

Our Ancestral Counties

Gazetteer of Places

County Research (Genealogical)

County Research (General Info.)

Where in the World are My Ancestors?

 

Our Ancestral Counties

Our Ancestral Counties

 

The following named counties are associated with the history of our DIRECT ancestors.   To select a specific ancestral county, go to our Ancestral Locations home page. Here you will find additional links to our county pages where you can obtain information about our family gen-sites, images of localities, and surnames of persons, in our database, who have lived in the selected county.

Click on this thumbnail map for a full-sized version.

Los Angeles;  Tulare

 

Gazetteer of Places

Gazetteer 
of Places

 

The following Links will take you to gazetteers that identify places within this U.S. State.  These resources feature profiles of cities, towns, neighborhoods and subdivisions.  In addition this site contains maps, data and directions for a wide variety of physical, cultural and historic features.

 

 

List of California rivers

Places in California

List of cities in California (by population)

List of colleges and universities in California

List of regions of California

List of counties in California

 List of cities in California

 List of urbanized areas in California (by population)

 

California Cities - profiles of 6,431 California cities, towns & neighborhoods

California Physical Features such as lakes, islands & steams

California Cultural Features such as schools, parks, hospitals & airports

California Civil Features such as Native Areas and Political Subdivisions

Search by Name, County, ZIP Code or Area Code

 

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales,

Military Installations;  Populated Places, Post Offices, Schools, Streams, and Trails

 

County Research (Genealogical)

County Research
(Genealogical) 

 

 

Clicking on a Link (below) will take you to the County’s website.  Here you will find additional links to more information specific to that location.    The USGenWeb Project also sponsors important Special Projects, at the national level, that were created to collect and disseminate data that goes beyond county and state lines.

 

 

 

 

Alameda

Alpine

Amador

Butte

Calaveras

Colusa

Contra Costa

Del Norte

El Dorado

Fresno

Glenn

Humboldt

Imperial

Inyo

Kern

Kings

Lake

Lassen

Los Angeles

Madera

Marin

Mariposa

Mendocino

Merced

Modoc

Mono

Monterey

Napa

Nevada

Orange

Placer

Plumas

Riverside

Sacramento

San Benito

San Bernardino

San Diego

San Francisco

San Joaquin

San Luis Obispo

San Mateo

Santa Barbara

Santa Clara

Santa Cruz

Shasta

Sierra

Siskiyou

Solano

Sonoma

Stanislaus

Sutter

Tehama

Trinity

Tulare

Tuolumne

Ventura

Yolo

Yuba

 

County Research  (General)

County Research
(General)

 

Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based mostly on anonymous contributions. Clicking on a Link (below) will take you to the Wikipedia article about the county.  Here you will find additional links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.

 

 

 

 

Alameda County

Alpine County

Amador County

Butte County

Calaveras County

Colusa County

Contra Costa County

Del Norte County

El Dorado County

Fresno County

Glenn County

Humboldt County

Imperial County

Inyo County

Kern County

Kings County

Lake County

Lassen County

Los Angeles County

Madera County

Marin County

Mariposa County

Mendocino County

Merced County

Modoc County

Mono County

Monterey County

Napa County

Nevada County

Orange County

Placer County

Plumas County

Riverside County

Sacramento County

San Benito County

San Bernardino County

San Diego County

San Francisco County

San Joaquin County

San Luis Obispo County

San Mateo County

Santa Barbara County

Santa Clara County

Santa Cruz County

Shasta County

Sierra County

Siskiyou County

Solano County

Sonoma County

Stanislaus County

Sutter County

Tehama County

Trinity County

Tulare County

Tuolumne County

Ventura County

Yolo County

Yuba County

 

 

 

 

Where in the World  are My Ancestors?

Where in the World are My Ancestors?

 

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK

MAPS

GAZETTEERS

to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and other helpful  resources  that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations. 

 

 

 

 

Internet
Resources

 

 

 

The Google search engine

 button  and following web

sites    may     provide    you

with additional information

to assist with your research

about   this   U. S.   State. 

 

 

General Resources

 

 

·           Website & Webpages We Like

·           Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

·           Free Genealogy Search Help For Google

·           Linkpendium > Genealogy > USA

·           Genealogy Gateway

·           Ancestry.com (Reference Materials & Finding Aids)

·           Ancestry.com - Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers

·           GenealogyLinks.net

·        Cyndi's List - United States Index

·        IGI Batch Numbers - British Isles & North America

·        Libweb - Libraries on the Web

·        50states.com - States and Capitals

·        RootsWeb Town Search 1.0

·        USA Resources at RootsWeb

·        StateGenSites - U.S. Genealogy Sites by State

·        The USGenWeb Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Locality Specific Resources

·California - Wikipedia

·California State Facts and Information

·California Information (50 States.com)

·Linkpendium – California

·Cyndi’s List (California)

·California Genealogy Links

·California Sources at RootsWeb

·Family Search (IGI Records for California)

 

 

 

 

Our Genealogy 
Reference Library

 

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books that pertain to this U.S. State.   Here you will find books about the history and records of this State, as well as its counties and other localities such as towns and churches.   The collection also contains research works about State military units and personnel during America’s wars.  In addition, there are resource texts about the ethnic and religious groups who settled in this State.

 

Research Library – Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

Contact Information

 

 

 

Email

Snail Mail:

Fred
889 Dante Ct.
Mantua, NJ 08051

USA

Email

Pony Express:

Tom
27 Christopher Dr.
Burton, NB E2V3H4
Canada