Genealogical Resources for Researching in Los Angeles County
Genealogical Resources for Researching in Los Angeles County
Submitted by: ChrisE365@aol.com
Last Updated: 30 Sept 2004
With help from Elaine in the 562 area code
Thanks Elaine!
Government Archives / Vital Records
IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE
District Office
300 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
FEDERAL INFORMATION CENTER
300 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION REGIONAL OFFICE
Federal Building
1100 Wilshire Blvd.
West Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 479-4011; (800) 352-6592
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - REGISTRAR RECORDER COUNTY CLERK
12400 E. Imperial Hwy. (at the 5, 605 freeways)
Norwalk, CA
Mon-Fri 8-4:30
free parking
(562) 462-2137 24-hour recorded messages gives the following menu after selecting: 1-English info; 2-more:
URL: http://regrec.co.la.ca.us/recorder/birth_death.htm
The following indexes are available for public inspection: births (before 1905 or after 1964), deaths (after 1877), and marriages (after 1852). They also have some statewide indexes: births 1956-1984, deaths 1940-1977, 1980-1989, and marriages 1949-1977.
For adoptions and name changes, send a written request for a birth certificate to State Dept. of Health, P.O. Box 73041, Sacramento, CA 94244-0241 (916) 445-2684. Enclose $13 check to the State Registrar. Give the full name, date, city, parents' names, incl maiden.
For Fictitious Business Names, call (310) 462-2177.
For Real Estate Records, call (310) 462-2133 for a 24-hour recording. This will tell you how to obtain real estate records by mail: send the title of the document, names listed on it, and year recorded with a check for $2.00 for the first page and .50 each additional page. If the number of pages is unknown, they suggest sending a blank check indicating "not to exceed $10". Send to Registrar-Recorded Co. Clerk, Real Estate Records, P.O. Box 195, Los Angeles, 90053. These can also be viewed at the Norwalk office. No phone orders accepted.
Libraries
There are about 100 cities in Los Angeles county. Many of them have their own city library which often has some materials devoted to the history of their city. Check a phone book for their addresses and phone numbers. There is also a county library system. The Rosemead branch contains the California collection.
The college libraries do not collect genealogy as such, but many of their items used to support research and teaching would be of value to genealogists. Parking is usually difficult at them, especially when school is in session.
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY
History and Genealogy Dept.
630 West Fifth St. (at Flower)
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 612-3317; (213) 228-7400 History/Genealogy; (213) 228-7125 Intl Languages
Mon 10-5:30, Tues-Wed 12-6, Thu-Sat 10-5:30, Sun 1-5
(hours subject to change due to budget, call (213) 228-7000 for current info)
Has largest public library genealogical holdings in So. Calif. with one whole floor devoted to history and genealogy. It has over 150,000 titles in this collection with 45,000 classified as genealogy. With the exceptions of how-to books and baby name books, genealogy books are reference only and must be used in the library.
It has Census Records (1790-1850 all, 1860-1870 partial, 1880 all, 1900 all, 1910-1920 partial); 1,200 paper city directories for the U.S. and 3,000 microfilms of U.S. cities 1861-1935; 10,000 family histories (20% of which are not in the Library of Congress); large Heraldy and Coats of Arms collection (including "Enciclopedia Heraldica y Genealogica Hispano - Americana", an 87 vol. set on Hispanic heraldry and "J Siebmacher's Grosses und Allgemeines Wappenbach", an 82 vol. set on German heraldry); Passenger Arrival Lists for San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia, and 1820-1846 New York; Naturalization records for U.S. District Court for So. Calif.; Local Histories at the county, cemetery, and town levels.
It has a Map collection with complete set of USGS topographical maps with all names on these maps indexed on CD ROM "Place Names Index", contemporary and historical atlases of coutries and states; Military Records including rosters of solderiers who served in Revolutionary, 1812, and Civil Wars, military unit histories for WWI, WWII, Korean, and Vietnam Wars; Newspapers on microfilm including "Los Angeles Times" (1881- ), "Herald Examiner", "New York Times" (1851- ), "Times of London" (1785- ), "San Francisco Chronicle" (1869- ) and "Chicago Tribune" (1849- ), and shorter runs of other newspapers such as the "Boston Globe" and "Denver Post"; 600 periodicals in the genealogy collection, many which are indexed individually or in PERSI; U. S. Telephone Directories on "Phonefiche" since 1976 and many paper directories prior to 1976, and L.A. phone directoreis since 1900; Indexes to vital records for California Death Index (1940-1992), California Marriage Index (1960-1985), and death and marriage indexes for Nevada, Texas, and selected states, and 200 book indexes to vital records at county or city levels.
Get off the Red Line metro at 4th & Hill or 7th and Figueroa. If driving, there is underground parking with 1 hour free validation available. Evening and Weekend rates are lowest.
See the Appendix at the end of this file for how to access the LAPL Catalog via Internet.
LOS ANGELES FAMILY HISTORY CENTER of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
10741 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 474-2202 or (310) 474-9990
Mon, Fri, Sat 9-5; Tue, Wed, Thur 9-9
This library has over 50,000 microfiche, 80,000 rolls of microfilm, and 18,000 books. These include: Calif. Marriage and Death Indexes (1940-1983); Canada Census (1841-1871); England's census (1841-1891), street indexes, and Civil Registration Indexes; Hamburg Passenger Lists and Indexes; Library of Congress Family card file; New York (and some other ports) Passenger Arrival lists and indexes (1820-1920); Sutro Library Catalogue; U.S. Census (1790-1920) (but not all 1920 lists available).
CAL STATE L.A. LIBRARY
5151 State College Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90032
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330
CLAREMONT COLLEGE LIBRARY
800 Dartmouth St.
Claremont, CA 91711
LONG BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY
101 Pacific Ave (at Ocean Ave.)
Long Beach, CA 90822-11097
(562) 570-7500
URL: http://www.lbpl.org/
Mon 10:00-8:00; Tue-Sat 10:00-5:30; Sun 12:00-5:00;
volunteer hours: Wed & Sat 1:00-5:00
Their collection has 2,700 books and other items. 300 microfilms of newspapers.
They also offer extra technical aids for users with disabilities.
PACIFIC TELEPHONE DIRECTORY ARCHIVES
3470 Wilshire Blvd (at Normandy)
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Pacific Telephone maintains a library of telephone books, mostly from California, which date back many years. This library is open to the public.
POMONA PUBLIC LIBRARY
625 South Garey Ave.
PO Box 2271
Pomona, CA 91766
(909) 620-2026
Has census indexes, Filby's Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, Civil War Records, California History, Soc. Sec. Death Index.
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION LIBRARY
600 South Central Ave.
Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 240-1775
$1 donation required; DAR lineage books, 1700 family histories, 10,000 town, county and state histories; rich in Virginia and New England materials.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY
P. O. Box 4377
122 So. San Fernando Rd.
Burbank, CA 91503
(818) 843-7247
6,000 books on genealogy/local history. 16 drawers on manuscripts arranged geographically, 20 drawers by surname; Strong in regional periodicals.
SOUTHWEST MUSEUM
234 Museum Dr. (at Marmion Way)
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 221-2163
Tue-Sun 11-5
This houses Native American art and artifacts. The permanent collection focuses on Indians of the Southwest but also has examples of cultures of the Great Plains, Northwest Coast, Alaska, California, So. American pre-Columbian, Hispanic folk and decorative arts. They have a research library.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIF-LOS ANGELES
University Research Library
405 Hilgard Ave
West Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 825-4934 Recording for general hours of operation.
Parking Structure #5 is generally filled 8-4 Mon-Thurs. It is recommended that you arrive before 7 or after 4 on weekdays or on Friday. Enter from Sunset Blvd. Stop at Information Booth #1 to obtain a campus map and $5 parking token. From North #5 Parking Structure, climb stairs to top and walk east to the University Research Library. Phone (310) 825-3618 for parking info.
Open Shelves or Stacks-on all 5 floors.
Reference Dept.-ground floor has newspaper union lists, newspapers on microfilm books, directories and computer reference services using many databases. Phone (310) 825-1323 or (310) 825-7143 for information.
Special Collections-in basement. Look in card catalogue, fill out request and wait 1/2 to 3 hrs for retrieval. Special collections has old, rare, poor condition materials, old maps, atlases, files of early California newspapers and city directories. Open Mon-Sat 9-5. Phone (310) 825-4879 to verify hours of operation.
Microforms Room-must use before noon-on 2nd floor. Has microfilms of newspapers and city directories. Phone (310) 825-4003 for hours of operations.
Gift Room-2nd floor-used books for sale. Open Tues 10-7, Wed-Thu 10-3.
Map Library-was in the basement of Bunche Hall, but was scheduled to be moved to the University Research Library in 1994. Modern, historical, topographical maps, atlases, gazetteers and related cartographic material for all areas of the world. Mon-Fri 10-3 (310) 825-3526 to verify hours.
There are specialists (Selectors) who can be phoned to obtain reference and research assistance with different collections such as Germanic and Scandinavian Studies. Consult the "UCLA Library Guide" at the Information Desk for the large list of Selectors or phone (310) 825-1201 or (310) 825-1324 for a referral to the appropriate Selector.
Southern Regional Library Facility (not part of UCLA) Little used materials are transferred to this facility on the west side of campus. The ORION catalog computer terminal display will indicate if the material is here. You must obtain a separate $5 parking token from Information Booth #1 to park on the north side of the building or walk or take a campus bus from North #5 Parking Structure. Open Mon-Fri 9-5. Phone (310) 206-2012 to verify hours.
UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE
Wilson Library
2040 Third St.
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 593-3511 x 4300
academic year: Mon-Fri 8-5
summer: Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30 except as posted
WHITTIER COLLEGE LIBRARY
7031 Founders Hills Road
Whittier, CA 90602
Historical and Genealogical Societies
ANTELOPE VALLEY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 1049
Lancaster, CA 93584-1049
(805) 942-46676
URL: http://www.avgenealogy.org
Pub. "Prospector Quarterly"; "Antelope Valley Genealogical Society Surname Index"
THE AUGUSTAN SOCIETY
1510 Cravens Ave.
PO Box P
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 320-7766
Tue-Fri 10:00-4:00; Sat 11:00-4:00
Pub. "The Augustan Society Omnibus, An International Journal of Things Historical, Heraldic and Genealogical"; "Genealogical Library Quarterly"; "Chivalry"; "Heraldry" [these may be published irregularly] Library has 15,000 titles.
BRITISH ISLES FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY OF LOS ANGELES
2531 Sawtelle Blvd #134
Los Angeles, CA 90064-3163
Meetings are held on the second Wed (except August and Dec) at 7pm at the L.A. Family History Center, 10741 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. Members receive 6 bimonthly newsletters and quarterly journals.
CALIFORNIA AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
P.O. Box 8442
Los Angeles, CA 90008-0442
(213) 636-8947 or (213) 296-6792
Meetings are on the 3rd Sat 9-1 (except June and Aug.) at Martin Luther King United Methodist Church, 6625 4th Ave., L.A. 90047
CHATSWORTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 3102
Chatsworth, CA 91313
Pub. "Smoke Signal"
CONEJO VALLEY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.
2331 Borchard Road, Newbury Park-location
PO Box 1228-mailing address
Thousand Oaks, CA 91358
(805) 497-8293
Hours: Thousand Oaks Library, Newbury Park Branch
Mon-Wed 12-9; Thur 10-6; Sat 10-5
Pub. "Rabbit Tracks"; "Genealogist" (includes U.S., British, Irish, German)
CONEJO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 1692
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Pub. "Stage Lines"
DOWNEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY/DOWNEY HISTORY CENTER
12540 Rives Ave.
PO Box 554
Downey, CA 90241
(562) 862-2777
Wed-Thur 9-2; third Sat 10-3; and by appt.
EL MONTE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 6307
El Monte, CA 91734
Pub. "Landmark"
GLENDORA GENEALOGY GROUP
PO Box 1141
Glendora, CA 91740
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF POMONA VALLEY
1569 North Park Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
200 East Ave 43
Los Angeles, CA 90031
Pub. "Southern California Quarterly"; "Southern California"
IMMIGRANT GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
1310-B West Magnolia Blvd.-location
P.O. Box 7369-mailing address
Burbank, CA 91510-7369
(818) 848-3122
This society specializes in German immigrants. The library is open to the public on Wed and Sun 12-5 and on Sat 10-5. Use of the library is free to members and $2 donation for non-members. They present genealogical speakers at general meetings the first Friday each month and have a monthly newsletter and periodical.
LONG BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
210 E. Ocean Blvd.
Breakers Bldg
Long Beach
(562) 495-1210
Tue-Fri 1-5, Thurs 1-7 (call on day of visit to see if open)
URL: http://www.historicalsocietylb.org
They specialize in Long Beach and the South Bay (Palos Verdes, San Pedro, rancho) history. They have some city directories, platt maps, and listings for local cemeteries. Does not specialize in genealogy.
LOS ANGELES CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 41046
Los Angeles, CA 90041
hours: So. Calif. Genealogical Society Library; Mon & Wed-Sat 10-4; Tue 10-9; first & second Sun 10-4
Pub. "Newsletter" (not genealogical in content)
LOS ANGELES WESTSIDE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 10447
Marina Del Rey, CA 90291
Pub. "Los Angeles Westside Genealogical Society Newsletter"
PASADENA HISTORICAL SOCIETY RESEARCH LIBRARY
470 West Walnut St. (at N. Orange Grove Blvd.)
Pasadena, CA 91103
(818) 795-3002 (818) 577-1660
Tue & Thur 1-4 (closed Aug), first & last Sun 1-4
1,600 titles related to genealogy/local history.
POLISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA
PO Box 713
Midway City, CA 92655
This group meets at the L.A. Family History Center at 10741 Santa Monica Blvd. on the 4th Sat. of Jan., March, May, July, Sept., Nov.
Pub. "Bulletin"
POMONA VALLEY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 286
Pomona, CA 91768
Pub. "Pomona Valley Genealogical Society Bulletin"
QUESTING HEIRS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.
PO Box 15102
Long Beach, CA 90815-0102
Pub. "Questing Heirs Genealogical Society, Inc, Newsletter"
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
2042 Socrates Ave.
Simi, CA 93065
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
10940 Sepulveda Blvd.
Mission Hills, CA 91345
Pub. "Valley"
SANTA MONICA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
1539 Euclid St. (at Broadway)
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 394-2605
2nd and 4th Sun 1-4:40
Visitors will find antique medical and office equipment, pioneer tools, vintage fashions, war memorabilia, saddles, household items and 19th-century kitchen gadgets. The museum offers a reference library, films, and groups tours by appt.
SOUTH BAY CITIES GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 6071
Torrance, CA 90504
Tue & Thur 10-2, third Wed 5:30-7:30
Pub. "Newsletter"
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.
122 So. San Fernando Blvd-location
PO Box 4377-mailing address
Burbank, CA 91503
(818) 843-7247
Mon & Wed-Sat 10-4; Tue 10-9, first & second Sun 10-4
Pub. "The Searcher"
UNIVERSAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF BELLFLOWER
9251 Cedar St
Bellflower, CA 90706
WHITTIER AREA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 4367
Whittier, CA 90607
Hours: Santa Fe Springs Public Library:
Mon-Thur 10-9; Fri 10-6; Sat 10-5
Pub. "Whittier Area Genealogical Society Newsletter"
URL: http://www.cagenweb.com/kr/wags/
WHITTIER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
6755 Newlin Ave.
Whittier, CA
(562) 945-3871
URL: http://www.whittiermuseum.org
Used Bookstores With Genealogy Sections
BERKELOUW BOOK DEALER
830 N. Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 466-3321
Specializes in Art, Literature, History, Travel, rather than genealogy, per se.
ACRES OF BOOKS
240 Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA
(310) 437-6980
Tue-Sat 9:15-5
This is the largest used bookstore in the county (and probably the state). They are strong in history and various countries but the genealogy shelf contains primarily personal family histories.
OTHER
GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH DIRECTORY
3324 Crail Way
Glendale, CA 91206
(818) 952-3462 FAX
Pub. "Genealogical Research Directory"
ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
1093 Braxton Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Pub. "Oral History Association Annual Report and Membership Directory"
MUSEUM OF THE HOLOCAUST
6505 Wilshire Blvd. (east of San Vicente Blvd.)
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 852-3242
Mon-Thu 9-5, Fri 9-3, Sun 1-5
free
Family photgraphs, diaries and oral testimonies fill this photo-narrative history museum that documents the Holocaust. Permanent and temporary exhibits shed light on this tragic chapter of modern history. The museum hosts lectures, conferences and films.
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE
9786 W. Pico Blvd (at Roxbury Dr.)
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 553-9036 (310)553-8403
Mon-Fri 10-5, Sun 11-5, call for evening hours
VISITORS ARE REQUIRED TO VIEW THE MUSEUM BY GUIDED TOUR WHICH LASTS 2 1/2 HOURS; CALL AHEAD FOR TOURS.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Beit-Hashoah--Museum of Tolerance offers an in-depth study of the Holocaust with films, exhibits, oral histories and photographs. The museum houses displays focusing on personal prejudice, group intolerance, civil rights struggles and 20th-century genocide. Outside, a memorial plaza contains a wall with the names of concentration camps etched on it and a 20-foot high, stylized menorah.
RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUESUM
Simi Valley, CA
(805) 522-8444
Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5
Adults $4, Seniors $2, Children (under 16) free
ROSE HILLS MEMORIAL PARK
3900 S. Workman Mill Rd.
Whittier 90601
(310) 699-0921
8-5 daily
World's largest cemetary and home of the famous Pageant of Roses Garden. (There are over 50 other cemetaries in the county.)
Local Transportation
Many of the cities in the county have their own bus system, which often overlaps into adjoining cities. The largest bus system is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) [formerly the RTD] which covers Los Angeles and areas without local buses. Call (310) 639-6800 6am-10pm for fares and schedules. It helps if you know the main intersections you are traveling, from and to, when you call. They are also responsible for the metro rail system that is being built. At present, only a few miles of the Red Line in downtown L.A. and the Blue Line from downtown Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles are open.
There are many local taxicab companies. Consult a phone book for their numbers.
Out-of-Area Resources Pertaining to this Area
APPENDIX
INTERNET ACCESS TO THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY (LAPL) CATALOG
You can now access the LAPL catalog through Internet. There is no charge to search the library's catalog, though you may have to pay telecommunication or other charges to access the Internet.
Direct dial access to the library is not yet available.
There are two ways to reach the catalog: Telnet and Hytelnet.
TELNET: At the Unix % prompt, type TELNET PAC.CARL.ORG then press. You can also use the numeric address: TELNET 192.54.81.128 .
* You will receive a return message WELCOME TO CSI.CARL.ORG. Type PAC. The next message asks for a terminal identifier. Most telecommunications software uses a VT100 emulation. If yours does, select 5 on the menu. Otherwise, use the indicated terminal or 8 (HARDCOPY). Press to start the program.
At the next menu, CARL CORPORATION OFFERS ACCESS... select 4. OTHER LIBRARY SYSTEMS <.enter>. At the OTHER LIBRARY SYSTEMS menu, select 43. CARL CORPORATION NETWORK LIBRARIES--WESTERN U.S. (MENU 2). At the LIBRARY CATALOGS--WESTERN UNITED STATES (menu 2) select 131. LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY <.enter>. Follow the screen instructions to search the catalog.
To exit the system, type //EXIT at any prompt in the LAPL catalog. This will return you to the CARL menu. Type //EXIT again, and you will return to your Unix % prompt.
HYTELNET: Hytelnet is a menu system to access library catalogs available on many Internet servers. If it is available, select Hytelnet from your menu, then successively select LIBRARY CATALOGS, then THE AMERICAS, then UNITED STATES, then CONSORTIA, then COLORADO ALLIANCE OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES, then. Hytelnet will then request permission to perform a telnet operation. Type Y to proceed. Follow the remaining telnet instructions asterisked (*) above to access the LAPL catalog.
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