Sierra County, California Genealogy
Guide to Sierra County, California ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Contents
- 1 County Courthouse
- 2 Historical Facts
- 3 Places/Localities
- 4 Resources
- 4.1 Bible Records
- 4.2 Biography
- 4.3 Cemeteries
- 4.4 Census
- 4.5 Church History and Records
- 4.6 Court Records
- 4.7 Crime and Criminals
- 4.8 Directories
- 4.9 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
- 4.10 Gazetteers
- 4.11 Genealogy
- 4.12 History
- 4.13 Land and Property
- 4.14 Maps
- 4.15 Migration
- 4.16 Military History and Records
- 4.17 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 4.18 Newspapers
- 4.19 Obituaries
- 4.20 Periodicals
- 4.21 Probate Records
- 4.22 Repositories
- 4.23 Societies
- 4.24 Taxation
- 4.25 Vital Records
- 5 Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries
- 6 Websites
- 7 References
| Sierra County, California | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of California, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of California in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | April 16, 1852 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Downieville |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Sierra County Courthouse 100 Courthouse Sq Ste 11 PO Box D Suite 11 Downieville, CA 95936 Phone 530.289.6295 |
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1857 | 1852 | 1862 | 1852 | 1852 | 1852 | 1850 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Recorder has birth records from 1857,
marriage and land records from 1852 and death
records from 1862, Superior Court has divorce
probate and court records and naturalization
records from 1852[2]
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
16 April 1852: Sierra County was created 16 April 1852 from Yuba County. County seat: Downieville [3]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The county seat Downieville and the county was created 1852. The County is located in the northeast 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]
1947: 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 | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
|
|
|
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
- Sierra County Biographies (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Sierra County Biographies USGenWeb Archives]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on Sierra County cemeteries.
- Interment.net California cemetery records by County.
- 1850 - 1960 - California Cemetery Transcriptions, 1850-1960 at FamilySearch — index and images
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 11,387 | — |
| 1870 | 5,619 | −50.7% |
| 1880 | 6,623 | 17.9% |
| 1890 | 5,051 | −23.7% |
| 1900 | 4,017 | −20.5% |
| 1910 | 4,098 | 2.0% |
| 1920 | 1,783 | −56.5% |
| 1930 | 2,422 | 35.8% |
| 1940 | 3,025 | 24.9% |
| 1950 | 2,410 | −20.3% |
| 1960 | 2,247 | −6.8% |
| 1970 | 2,365 | 5.3% |
| 1980 | 3,073 | 29.9% |
| 1990 | 3,318 | 8.0% |
| 2000 | 3,555 | 7.1% |
| 2010 | 3,240 | −8.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Sierra 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.
- 1864-1985 - California, Church Records, 1864-1985 at FamilySearch — index
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]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Sierra 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.
- Sierra County History Records (USGenWeb Archives)
- Sierra County History Records (Genealogy Trails)
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.
- Index to Federal Land Records, Sierra County (USGenWeb Archives)
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of California (1850-1925)
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Early migration routes to and from Sierra County, California Genealogy for emigrant settlers included:[6][7]
- 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.
- 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
Online Records
- 1929-1954 - California, Pioneer Migration Index, Compiled 1906-1935 at FamilySearch — index
Military History and Records[edit | edit source]
- 1883 - Sierra County – List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883 (Genealogy Trails)
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Sierra 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 Sierra County, California Genealogy:
- - 8th Regiment, California Infantry (Union), Company I
- 1886 - Civil War Veterans, South Mountain Post No. 117, G. A. R. 1886 (USGenWeb Archives)
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1914-1918 - California, Geographical and Name Index of Californians who served in WWI, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1917-1918 - Information from Draft Registration Cards, World War I, Sierra County, California (USGenWeb Archives)
World War II[edit | edit source]
- World War II Army Enlistees, Sierra County (USGenWeb Archives)
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Sierra County, California Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Sierra County, California Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog. Do NOT use the word County. (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- NewspaperArchive.com ($) has a collection of digitized Reno, Nevada newspapers going back to 1870 that may include residents from Sierra County. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Sierra County Obituaries (Genealogy Trails)
- Index to Sierra County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
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 - Sierra - Probate records.
Online Probate Records
- 1782 – 1999 California Wills and Probate Records 1782-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1833 – 1991 California Probate Estate Files 1833-1991 at FamilySearch — images
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 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]
- 1800 - 1994 - California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1812 - 1988 - California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988 at FamilySearch — index
- 1905 - 1995 - California Birth Index, 1905-1995 at FamilySearch — index
- Early Sierra County Births (Genealogy Trails)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1800 - 2007 - California, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1850 - 1945 - California Marriages, 1850-1945 at FamilySearch — index
- 1850 - 1952 - California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1854 - 1885 - Western States Marriage Index.
- 1960 - 1985 - California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Early Sierra County Marriages (USGenWeb Archives)
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1966 - 1984 - California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 at FamilySearch — index
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1776 - 2000 - California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000 at FamilySearch — index, some images
- 1800 - 1994 - California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1905 - 1939 - California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch — index
- 1940 - 1997 - California Death Index, 1940-1997 at FamilySearch — index
Voting Registers[edit | edit source]
- 1866-1898 California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Sierra County Historical Society
P.O. Box 260
100 Kentucky Mine Road
Sierra City 96125
Phone:530-862-1310
Sierra County Historical Society
Sierra Madre Historical Society
P.O. Box 202
Sierra Madre 91024
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Sierra County, CA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- California Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Sierra County CAGenWeb
- Linkpendium
- USGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Sierra County, California Genealogy Trails
- Sierra County, CA Genealogy (ldsgenealogy.com)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Sierra 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Sierra County, California. Page 87At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Sierra County, California Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/cal/sierra/ 05/08/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sierra County, California," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_County,_California#Communities, accessed 24 September 2019.
- ↑ 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).
