Research Facilities

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History San José
History Park Research Libraryresearch tips
History Park at Kelley Park
1650 Senter Road
San José, CA 95112
hours
telephone
email

Genealogical / Biographical Research Form

Online Photograph collection

City Directories, 1870 – 1979, San José and selected parts of Santa Clara County

Photograph Catalog, 1857 – 1970s

Probate Records, 1850 – 1899 for Santa Clara County, original documents

Deeds, 1850 – 1952 (bulk dates 1850 – 1906) for Santa Clara County, original documents

Marriage Licenses, 1849 – 1946 (bulk dates 1850 – 1914) for Santa Clara County, index and? original documents

Wills, 1849 – 1912 for Santa Clara County, index and? original documents

Sole Trader Ledger for Santa Clara County, married women in business for themselves from 1854 to 1916

Great Registers, 1867 – 1904 for Santa Clara County

1867, 1872, 1873, 1875, 1880, 1884, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1892, 1894, 1904

Coroner’s Inquests, 1850 – 1930 for Santa Clara County

Cemetery Records

An index of headstones from San José’s Oakhill Cemetery and Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. The index includes name, dates and cemetery location.

Record Books from Oakhill Cemetery circa 1860 – 1910.

Obituaries Index 1879 to 1912

Newspapers on Microfilm

Daily Morning Times, July 1879 – December 1881; July – December 1884.

Morning Times, October 1906 – September 1909.

San José Daily City Item, February 1884 – March 1885.

San José Herald, September 1876 – December 1889; July 1890 – December 1896; July 1897 – December 1900.

San José Mercury, November 1861 – December 1862; August 1869 – January 1870.

San José Daily News, March 1885 – December 1886.

San José Evening News, January 1887 – December 1896; July 1897 – December 1936; March 1937 – December 1947

Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, over 1,000 local maps for San José from 1847 to the present, and atlases.

Aerial photographs of Santa Clara Valley from as early as 1931.

Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder—
for birth (from 1873), marriage (from 1851) and death (from 1873) certificates. Vital Records and Indices Notes
70 West Hedding Street, East Wing, First floor
San Jose CA 95110
telephone
email
hours

For marriage licences (1849 – 1946 / bulk dates 1850 – 1914), see also History San José.
See Santa Clara County Archives below for County Clerk historical records.

See also OTHER below.

Santa Clara County Superior Court—for wills, probate and divorce records.
191 N. First Street
San Jose CA 95113
telephone
 

For probate records (1850-1893), see also History San José.

For wills (1849-1912), see also History San José.

For wills (after 1912), see also Santa Clara County Archives.

See also OTHER below.

Santa Clara County Medical Examiner/Coroner for death investigation records. Why would there be a coroner's report?
850 Thornton Way
San Jose, California 95128
telephone
 

For records (1850 – 1930), see also History San José.

Santa Clara County Archives
1875 Senter Road (Senter at Needles)
San Jose, California 95112

"The mission of the Santa Clara County Archives is to collect, preserve, and make available the historical records of Santa Clara County government."
 

ONLINE DATABASES

County Coroner Inquests Collection : 9,300 reports of corner inquests from 1891 to 1932.

County Map Books Collection : 5,900 maps recorded with the county dating from circa 1850 to 1957.

County Naturalization Index : 8,000 individuals naturalized in Santa Clara County courts from 1850 to 1934.

County Photographers' Collection : 57,000 images ...of the County's activities and development between 1950 and 1993.

County Probate Cases Collection : 2,100 cases heard by the Probate Court between May 1893 and September 1908, and 144 sets of probate vouchers that range from 1901 to 1913, and 1965 to 1967.

County Survey Collection : 1,700 surveys ... from the 1890s until the 1960s.

County Wills Collection : 10,000 wills filed with the County Clerk.

County Office of Planning Photographs Collection : 1,264 photographs, approximately 3,600 slides and two films...from 1906 to 1980.

General Index of Property Records : all property records from 1850 to present.

Militia Enrollment : 2,301 men who enrolled in the militia from 1873 to 1874.

Oaths of Office - Book A : 219 oaths taken by county elected and appointed officials...1850 to 1854.

Register of Dentists Collection : 94 registrations from 1903 to 1922.

Register of Doctors' Certificates Collection : 478 registrations from 1916 to 1943.

Other records include:

Great Registers, 1877-1924

Assessor's Office Records, 1912-1945

Board of Supervisors Records, 1861-1965

Cattle Brand registrations: extending pre-statehood

Clerk-Recorder Records, 1840-1982

Controller-Treasuer Records, 1858-1953

Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office Records, 1891-1963

Public Health Department Records, 1940-2006

Registrar of Voters Records, 1916-2010

Superior Court Records, 1880-1975

Tax Collector's Records, 1891-1893

Valley Medical Center Collection, 1956-2003

For more records, see also History San José.

See also OTHER below.

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OTHER:

California State Archives

• Probate, 1850-1920*
• Wills, 1866-1912*
• Birth, 1873-1905*
• Death, 1873-1905*
• Marriage, 1846-1919*
• Index to Obituaries, 1877-1901*
• Declarations of Intention, 1850-1930*

* Available on microfilm produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah available at the California State Archives and through local LDS Family History Centers.

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Santa Clara County City/Town Governments

Campbell
City of Campbell

Cupertino
City of Cupertino

Gilroy
City of Gilroy

Los Altos
Los Altos

Los Gatos
Los Gatos

Milpitas
City of Milpitas

Monte Sereno
City of Monte Sereno

Morgan Hill
City of Morgan Hill

Mountain View
City of Mountain View

Palo Alto
City of Palo Alto

San Jose
City of San Jose

Santa Clara
City of Santa Clara

Saratoga
City of Saratoga

Sunnyvale
City of Sunnyvale

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Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogy Society
2635 Homestead Road (Santa Clara City Library)
Santa Clara, California 95051-5387

• Research services
• Online databases
• Resources
• Births, 1871-1905
• Marriages, 1850-54, 1862-1905
• Deaths, 1873-1905
• Marriage Bride and Groom Indexes, 1960-1985
• Death Index, 1940-1995
• 1930 Census Every Name Index
• Early Settler Files Index
• SCCHGS Scrapbooks (index)
• Santa Clara County Histories (index) (note: includes name indexes)
• Williams Funeral Home Books (index)
• Monahan Mortuary (index)
• Great Register of Voters: 1867, 1889, 1890, 1892, 1900
• Cemetery Indexes: Santa Clara County, Calvary, Gate of Heaven, Los Gatos Memorial Park, Madronia, Mission City Memorial Park (index), Oak Hill, Saratoga IOOF (index and tombstone photos and "several smaller cemeteries."
• Tax Rolls: 1853 San Jose, 1873-1881 Delinquent Tax
• San Jose City Directories, 1870-1977 (incomplete)
• Town Histories: Campbell, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara City, and Saratoga

• "The purpose of our organization is to collect and preserve articles of local historic value of pioneer days of Santa Clara County."
• Trailblazers publication index, 1961-2005.

Campbell
Campbell Museum
Ainsley House

Gilroy
Gilroy Museum
Collection...consists of over 25,000 items relating to the history of Gilroy and the South Santa Clara County area."
"Public backfiles of the Gilroy Dispatch are available...has holdings for the Dispatch from 1925, and issues of the Gilroy Advocate from 1868 to 1946."

Los Altos
Los Altos Historical Museum

Milpitas
Milpitas Historical Society

Mountain View
Computer History Museum

Palo Alto
Palo Alto Historical Association
Stanford Historical Society

San Jose
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
History Park at Kelley Park
Mexican Heritage Plaza
Peralta Adobe/Fallon House
Portuguese Historical Museum
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
San Jose Museum of Art
The Tech Museum of Innovation

Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph (the oldest parish in California)
Winchester Mystery House

Santa Clara

Saratoga
Saratoga Historical Museum
20450 Saratoga - Los Gatos Road
Saratoga, CA 95070
408.867.4311

Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

County-wide
San Jose Mercury News

Alviso
Agnew
Buena Vista
Burbank

Campbell
The Campbell Reporter

Cupertino
Cupertino Courier

East Foothills
New Neighborhood Voice

Fruitdale

Gilroy
Gilroy Dispatch

Lexington Hills

Los Altos
Los Altos Town Crier

Los Altos Hills
Los Gatos
Loyola

Milpitas
Milpitas Post

Monte Sereno

Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill Times

Mountain View
The Mountain View Voice

Palo Alto

San Jose
Rose Garden Resident
Willow Glen Resident

San Martin
Santa Clara
Saratoga
Seven Trees
Stanford

Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Sun