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    California Genealogy

    fastfacts

    US TERRITORY OR
    COLONY SETTLED

    1847

    STATEHOOD

    1850

    AVAILABLE STATE CENSUSES
    (OR SIMILAR)

    1852

    FIRST FEDERAL CENSUS

    1850

    PUBLIC-LAND OR
    STATE-LAND STATE

    Public

    BIRTH AND DEATH RECORDS
    BEGIN

    1905

    MARRIAGE RECORDS
    BEGIN

    1905

    CONTACT FOR VITAL RECORDS

    California Department
    of Health Services
    Office of Vital Records
    MS 5103
    Box 997410
    Sacramento, CA 9589
    (916) 445-2684

    California See All

    The 5 Easiest States for Accessing Vital Records

    Birth, Marriage and Death Records, California, Iowa, New Jersey, Records, Vermont, Washington

    When it comes to ease of obtaining your ancestors' vital records, not all states are created equal. Here are the states that make it simple to get them.

    Historical Research Maps: Los Angeles

    California

    Happy birthday, L.A.! Celebrate La La Land's big day with this historical map of Los Angeles.

    Historical Research Maps: San Francisco

    California

    Learn about your Golden City ancestors with this map of San Francisco from 1939.

    Researching a Police Officer Ancestor

    California

    Expert advice on researching an ancestor who was an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department.
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