Sonoma County, California Genealogy

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

Sonoma County, California
Map
Map of California highlighting Sonoma County
Location in the state of California, United States Genealogy
Map of the U.S. highlighting California
Location of California in the U.S.
Facts
Founded February 18, 1850
County Seat Santa Rosa
Courthouse
CaliforniaSonomaCourthouse.jpg
Address Sonoma County Courthouse
2300 County Center Drive
laPlaza Building B177
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Phone: 707.565.3800
Sonoma County Website


County Information[edit | edit source]

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

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1858 1846 1873 1850 1841 1850 1850
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1905. General compliance by 1920.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

County Recorder has birth, marriage, death and land records
County Clerk has divorce, probate and court records from 1850[2]

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Parent County[edit | edit source]

18 February 1850: Sonoma County was created as an original county. County seat: Santa Rosa [3]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county seat Santa Rosa and the county was created 1850. The County is located in the west 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 was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Minor record Loss.

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
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Native American communities
Census-designated places
Historic communities
  • Analy
  • Bodega
  • Cloverdale
  • Knight's Valley
  • Mendocino
  • Ocean
  • Petaluma
  • Redwood
  • Russian River
  • Salt Point
  • Santa Rosa
  • Sonoma
  • Vallejo
  • Washington


Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Sonoma, 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 sites may have additional information on Sonoma County cemeteries.

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 560 —
1860 11,867 2019.1%
1870 19,819 67.0%
1880 25,926 30.8%
1890 32,721 26.2%
1900 38,480 17.6%
1910 48,394 25.8%
1920 52,090 7.6%
1930 62,222 19.5%
1940 69,052 11.0%
1950 103,405 49.7%
1960 147,375 42.5%
1970 204,885 39.0%
1980 299,681 46.3%
1990 388,222 29.5%
2000 458,614 18.1%
2010 483,878 5.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Sonoma 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.

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  • Santa Rosa


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]

History[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Sonoma 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]

Mendocino CountyLake CountyNapa CountyMarin CountyCA SONOMA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military History and Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Regiments. Service men in Sonoma County, California Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Sonoma County, California Genealogy:

- 2nd Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company D
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 Sonoma County, California Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

Obituaries[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 - Sonoma - Probate records.

Online Probate Records

Repositories[edit | edit source]

Archives, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]

Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library

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 Affiliate 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]

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. See also How to order California Vital Records

Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Death[edit | edit source]

Voting Registers[edit | edit source]

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

Sonoma County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2273
Santa Rosa 95405
Website

Sonoma County Historical Society
P.O. Box 1373
Santa Rosa 95402
Website

Sonoma Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 861
Sonoma 95476

Sonoma County History And Genealogy Library
211 E Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Sonoma 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), Sonoma County, California. Page 87At 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. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Solano County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solano_County,_California 05/08/2017.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sonoma County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma_County%2C_California#Populated_places, accessed 25 September 2019.
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