Contra Costa County Library Guides - Genealogy

Contra Costa Genealogical Societies

San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society
Contra Costa Genealogical Society
Mt. Diablo Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 2062
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
The Mt. Diablo Genealogical Society can be contacted by email jcbed@sbcglobal.net
California Societies
Search for other California genealogy & historical societies

Organizations

Daughters of the American Revolution (Acalanes Chapter)

Do you have a Revolutionary Patriot in your family tree? Membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) honors and preserves the legacy of your Patriot ancestor.
Daughters of the American Revolution (Mt. Diablo Chapter)
Society of California Pioneers

Established in 1850, The Society of California Pioneers is a not-for-profit museum, library, and cultural organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge and appreciation of early California history for the benefit of present and future audiences of all
National Genealogical Society

The National Genealogical Society is an indispensable resource for genealogists and family historians seeking excellence in educational offerings, publications and materials, research and research guidance, and opportunities to interact with others.
Los Californianos

Los Californianos was created for the purpose of preserving the heritage of the early Hispanic Californians in Alta California

LDS Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide access to microfilms and microfiche to help patrons identify their ancestors.

Antioch California
2350 Jeffery Way
Brentwood, CA
925-634-9004
Concord California
3700 Concord Blvd
Concord, CA
925-686-1766
Danville California
2949 Stone Valley Rd
Alamo, CA
925-552-5920
Oakland Regional Family History Center
4766 Lincoln AvenueOakland, CA 94602
(510) 531-3905

Family Search

FamilySearch.org is a non-profit service sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To help people to find their ancestors, the Church has been actively gathering and preserving genealogical records for over 100 years.

Comments (1)

Bay Area Libraries & ILL

Bay Area Libraries that offer Inter-Library Loan Service:

Alameda Free Library
Livermore Public Library
Oakland Public Library
Richmond Public Library
San Francisco Public Library

The Contra Costa County Library no longer offers Inter-Library Loan Service.

Patrons request the items they wish to borrow directly from libraries that participate in the Link+ program.

Comments (0)

Contra Costa County Library Genealogy

The Heritage Collection

The Heritage Collection is made up of genealogical resources donated to the Pleasant Hill Library’s Genealogy Section. All Heritage Collection materials are included in the Library Catalog. The emphasis is on American genealogy. Materials include:

General genealogical reference (e.g. “how to” source books, atlases, gazetteers)
State genealgocial reference (e.g. vital records directories, census)
Family histories
War and pension lists for participants of wars
Immigration and migration (e.g. passenger lists, etc.)
Patriotic and heritage organizations (e.g. Mayflower descendants)
Church records, cemeteries, mortuaries
Records of wills and abstracts of records of wills, marriages, etc.
Ethnic and cultural genealogy (e.g. England, Scotland, Ireland, Europe, Germany, Native American, African American, Canada, Huguenot, Heraldry)
California 1890 Great Register of Voters Index- 3 volume set compiled by the California State Genealogical Alliance. Names, birthplace, age, residence, county, registration date, and naturalization information for those registered to vote in 1890.
Periodicals

Research Assistance

Volunteers from the Contra Costa County Genealogical Society are available to help interested persons use the Heritage Collection. Regularly scheduled hours are:

Monday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.on the FIRST, SECOND, THIRD & FOURTH Monday
Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the FIRST & SECOND Tuesday,
Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the THIRD Tuesday
Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.on the FIRST, SECOND, & THIRD Wednesday
Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.on the FOURTH Wednesda
Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the FIRST Thursday
Thursday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the THIRD Thursday
Friday, 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the FIRST, SECOND & THIRD Friday
Saturday, 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. on the FOURTH Saturday

No appointment is necessary, but you may call the Information Desk (925-646-6434) to verify that a docent is available.

Comments (0)

Nearby Libraries & Archives

The Sutro Library

Collection Scope: The Sutro Library has one of the largest genealogical collections west of Salt Lake City with extensive resources for states other than California and basic resources for California. The California Section of the California State Library, Sacramento, has more materials for California history and genealogy.

Special Collections: Over 7,000 family histories. 35,000 local histories and vital records titles. All U.S. census microfilms from 1790 to 1930, except 1890.

Note:The Sutro Library and the State Library will be closed on the 1st & 3rd Friday of the month beginning February 6, 2009.

California Genealogical Society

The Society offers research services, online one-of-a-kind genealogical indexes and databases, and a research library.The society's library houses over 30,000 reference materials from California, the United States, and from around the World. Non-members pay $5. or free on the first Saturday. Volunteers are available to help in your search. Visit their website to find classes.

National Archives - Pacific Region

NARA's Pacific Region, San Francisco, located in our San Bruno facility, has extensive microfilm holdings of value for genealogy research.

Comments (1)

Great Registers

Great Registers list registered voters and may include information such as birth dates, naturalization dates, address & occupations.

The Pleasant Hill Library has on microfilm the

Great Registers of Contra Costa County, 1867-1890

Call Number:

Vault
R 929.37946
Contra Costa

Ask for it at the Information Desk

The Heritage Collection has the recently published the California 1890 Great Register of Voters Index

This 3 volume set compiled by the California State Genealogical Alliance igves names, birthplace, age, residence, county, registration date, and naturalization information for those registered to vote in 1890. Look for it in the California section.

J. Carylye Parker has written an article on California's Great Registers that gives a general description of the Great Registers of California.

Comments (0)