SCCLD Online Resources
Ancestry Library (In-Library Access Only)
Provides access to hundreds of millions records. Includes U.S. Census, military, vital, and immigration records, and much more.
HeritageQuest Online
Offers census records, family histories, published genealogies, Revolutionary war records, Freedman's Bank records, and more.
Fold3 Library Edition
Provides access to US military records from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, including stories, photos, & more.
Mercury News (1985-Recent)
Provides current, full-text articles written by Mercury News staff on local news, business, sports, front, editorials and obituaries.
Digital ReeL - Newspaper Microfilm Collection
Digital ReeL provides access to SCCLD’s microfilm collection of historical local newspapers,with enhanced access and searching capabilities.
Obituary Research
If you are researching obituaries in the Bay Area or Silicon Valley, there are a variety of selected resources at Santa Clara County Library District and on the web. Explore these additional useful resources for obituary research from other libraries and services on the web, or request help from our librarians.
Obituary Search Assistance
Santa Clara County Library District provides a free, three per month, obituary/death notice search request service.
Other Local Libraries
Mountain View Public Library Obituaries
An online index to the obituaries found in the Mountain View History Center collection. Most appeared in local newspapers from 1967 to 2004.
Palo Alto Historical Association Newspaper Obituaries 1890+
Search for citations to articles & obituaries from the Palo Alto Weekly, the Palo Alto Daily News, & other local newspapers.
San Francisco Public Library Obituary Search Service
Offers a free obituary search request service for persons whose obituary appeared in San Francisco newspapers.
Genealogy Collections in the Bay Area
Santa Clara County Genealogy & Local History
California State Library: History and Genealogy
Browse census data, city directories, obituaries, and other indexes. Request microfilm from California newspapers through Interlibrary Loan.
Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society
Includes information about the society and a surname index to their files on early settlers of Santa Clara County.
Santa Clara County Archives
Historical records of Santa Clara County and its government including birth, death, and marriage records, and other credible archives.
Santa Clara City Library: Genealogy & Local History
Santa Clara City Library, with the assistance of the Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society, maintains a Genealogy Collection.
History San Jose: Library & Archives
Open to the public find local history & genealogy information for San Jose & greater Santa Clara Valley.
National Archives at San Francisco
Access millions of records for genealogy and local history research including military, census, and immigration records.
Sutro Library (San Francisco)
Provides a variety of genealogy records including vital records, family & local histories, directories, registries, and more.
Census and Vital Records
Santa Clara County Office of the Clerk Recorder
Order vital certificates from Santa Clara County.
Immigrant Ancestors Project
Brigham Young University provides emigration registers to locate information about the birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries.
Internet Archive: United States Census
The record of the population census from 1790 -1930. Scanned from microfilm belonging to Allen County Public Library.
Genealogy Resources on the Internet
California Digital Newspaper Collection
A Freely Accessible Repository of Digitized California Newspapers from 1846 to the Present.
Chronicling America: Historical Newspapers Archive
Maintained by the Library of Congress, this resource provides historical newspapers published in the U.S. & territories from 1789-1963.
FamilySearch
FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records from all over the world and research assistance.
Find A Grave
Find A Grave is a resource for finding the final resting place of family, friends, and 'famous' individuals.
Hathi Trust Digital Library: Ancestry & Genealogy Collection
Search for digitized books available in the public domain on genealogy, family history, and ancestry. Includes digitized family books.
Linkpendium
Linkpendium is another genealogy web directory, with a great library of categorized links.
National Archives: Research in Military Records
Provides general information on military records.
USGenWeb for Santa Clara County
Many free genealogy resources on the web for Santa Clara County.
Browse the Catalog
Browse the Catalog
Additional Resources
Online Library Help
Online Library Tutorials, Guides, & Help
Online Library Tutorials, Guides, & Help
Need help with using our Online Library? You can find video tutorials, how-to guides, news and contact information here.
Free Library Card
Get Access with a Free Library Card
If you want access to all of these Online Resources and more sign up for a Santa Clara County Library District Card today!