Genealogy
The web provides a number of genealogical resources. Even though the Los Angeles City Historical Society is not focused on genealogy, we do receive many questions from the public. To assist, here are some links to genealogy resources.
Southern California Genealogical Society
For information related to Southern California, we recommend starting with the Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library.
Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com is a subscription-based genealogy research website. The majority of records are from the United States. Some records are free for anyone to access, but the majority are accessible only by paid subscription.
Everpresent
A GUIDE TO GENEALOGY AND FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH
https://everpresent.com/a-guide-to-genealogy-and-family-history-research/
A resource designed for families with children as an introduction to learning their family history, such as “starting with yourself and your immediate family.”
This addition was recommended to us by little Anna and her mentor, Helen Garraway. Never stop learning and growing, Anna! Thanks for the help in finding this resource and growing your own Family Tree. Together, we’ll help spread the word about the importance of knowing where our families come from. What we learn from the past will help us make better choices today, and help shape the historians of tomorrow!
AAA - State of play
GENEALOGY FOR KIDS: BUILDING A FAMILY TREE
https://www.aaastateofplay.com/genealogy-for-kids-building-a-family-tree/
A resource designed for families with children as an introduction to learning their family history. The site is filled with articles such as “What does it mean when a cousin is ‘once-removed’?”
This addition was recommended to us by Lily Stevens and her young historian son, Isaac, who is getting his Genealogy Badge with The Boy Scouts of America.
Early California Population Project
www.huntington.org/Information/ECPPmain.htm
Provides information contained in California's historic mission registers and records, including baptism, marriage, and burial records. This site is maintained by the Huntington Library. Be sure to read the "Search Tips" section.
FamilySearch
FamilySearch is a service provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Los Angeles Public Library Genealogy Department
www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-guides/genealogy
Containing over 150,000 titles, the Genealogy department at LAPL contains census records, city directories, family histories, immigration records, military records, newspapers, obituaries, and vital records.
National Archives's Resources for Genealogists
www.archives.gov/research/genealogy
Learn how to use resources from the National Archives for your research. Provides information on exploring census data, immigration reports, and land records. Also contains information about NARA workshops and tools for online genealogical research.
New York City Ports: Ellis Island
www.cleaningservicenewyorkcity.com/new-york-city-ellis-island.html
About half of all U.S. citizens are believed to have descended from the immigrants who came through Ellis Island in the 1800s. This site provides a list of resources for searching for information about those individuals.
Online California Death Records and Indexes
www.deathindexes.com/california
A genealogy guide for finding obituaries, cemetery burials and death records. Includes a special section for Los Angeles.
USGenWeb: Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County section of the USGenWeb site. Contains biographies, lists of cemeteries, biographical resources, census reports, and more.
Where to Write for California Vital Records
www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/california.htm
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to request birth, death, marriage, and divorce records.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
Trusted genealogy research site for more than 15 years. Cyndi's List is free to use and provides a number of resources for beginning your research. Currently contains links to over 300,000 online resources and new links are added almost every day. We recommend starting with the California page.
The Ultimate Guide to Military Records for Genealogy
www.genealogyexplained.com/research/military-records
Although not always considered in genealogical research when looking for things like birth, marriage and death information, military records can give you a wealth of information you won’t find anywhere else. This is a beginners guide to military records. It focuses on American Wars between the Revolutionary War and WWII.