Madera County, California Genealogy

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

Madera County, California
Map
Map of California highlighting Madera County
Location in the state of California
Map of the U.S. highlighting California
Location of California in the U.S.
Facts
Founded March 11, 1893
County Seat Madera
Courthouse
CaliforniaMaderaCourthouse.jpg
Address Madera County Courthouse
209 W Yosemite Ave
Madera, CA 93637
Phone: 559.675.7700

Madera County Website


County Information[edit | edit source]

Madera County, California Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1893 1893 1893 1893 1893 1893 1850
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, divorce, probate
court and land records from 1893 and some voting records[2]

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Parent County[edit | edit source]

11 March 1893: Madera County was created from Fresno County. County seat: Madera [3]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named from the town of Madera, named when the California Lumber Company built a log flume to carry lumber to the railroad there in 1876. The county seat Madera and the county was created 1893. The County is located in the central area of the state.[4]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating California county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation California County Boundary Maps" (1850-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss[edit | edit source]

1906: Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

Places/Localities[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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:[5]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
Native American communities
Census-designated places


Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Madera, California online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See California Cemeteries for more information

The following web site may have additional information on Madera County cemeteries.

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1900 6,364 —
1910 8,368 31.5%
1920 12,203 45.8%
1930 17,164 40.7%
1940 23,314 35.8%
1950 36,964 58.5%
1960 40,468 9.5%
1970 41,519 2.6%
1980 63,116 52.0%
1990 88,090 39.6%
2000 123,109 39.8%
2010 150,865 22.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Madera County, California Genealogy census records online, see: California Census.

Church History and Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about California denominations, view the California Church Records wiki page.


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Crime and Criminals[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Germans[edit | edit source]

Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Madera County, California Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section California Local Histories.

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See California Land and Property for additional information about early California land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Maps[edit | edit source]

Tuolumne CountyMono CountyMariposa CountyMerced CountyFresno CountyCA MADERA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military History and Records[edit | edit source]

World War I[edit | edit source]
World War II[edit | edit source]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Madera County, California Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

The county clerk is usually the custodian of probate records. The records include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

You can obtain copies of the original probate records (such as wills and estate files) by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse.

The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for California - Madera - Probate records.

Online Probate Records

Repositories[edit | edit source]

Archives, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History 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 family history center.

Local Centers and Libraries

Societies[edit | edit source]

Taxation[edit | edit source]

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 the wiki page California Taxation.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

See also How to order California Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records. The State office has records since July 1905. For earlier records, contact the County Recorder.

Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]

(Madera extracted)] (CAGenWeb Project)

Divorce[edit | edit source]
Death[edit | edit source]

Voting Registers[edit | edit source]

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries[edit | edit source]

Madera County Historical Society
P.O. Box 478
210 West Yosemite Avenue
Madera, CA; (559) 673-0291

Madera Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 495
Madera 93639
Phone: 559-673-0291

Coarsegold Historical Society
P.O. Box 117
Coarsegold, CA 93614
Phone (559) 642-4448

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Madera County, California. Page 84-88 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL 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.
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Madera County, California. Page 85 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  4. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Madera County, California Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/cal/madera/#.WQtU0DEzqM8 05/04/2017.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madera County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madera_County,_California#Communities, accessed 16 September 2019.
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Bancroft Library · California State Library · Sutro Library · California State Archives · California Historical Society · Society of California Pioneers Library · State Lands Commission · California Genealogical Society and Library · Carlsbad City Library · Chinese Historical Society · Fresno City and County Historical Society Archives · Huntington Beach Central Library · Immigrant Genealogical Society Library · Long Beach Public Library · Los Angeles Public Library · Los Angeles FamilySearch Library · Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County · County of Los Angeles Public Libraries · Napa Valley Genealogical Society Library · Oakland FamilySearch Library · San Diego FamilySearch Library · Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown · Sons of the Revolution Library · Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library · Southwest Museum Braun Research Library · Tuolumne County Genealogical Society Library · National Archives at Riverside · National Archives at San Francisco · Family History Library
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