Genealogy & Obituaries

Genealogy & Obituaries

SCCLD Online Resources

SCCLD Genealogy & Local History 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.

Digital ReeL - Newspaper Microfilm Collection

Digital ReeL provides access to SCCLD’s microfilm collection of historical local newspapers,with enhanced access and searching capabilities.

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FamilySearch

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software.

Internet Genealogy Magazine

A great guide to genealogical research on the World Wide Web.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index

A directory of 5+ million names of persons who immigrated to North America between the late 1500s and mid 20th Century. Updated annually.

WorldCat

Search the collection of other library systems. This is a great resource to locate reference items, archival material, primary sources, etc.

Obituary Research and Assistance

Internet Resources

General Internet Resources

Vital Records

Vital Records

Internet Archive: United States Census

The record of the population census from 1790 -1930. Scanned from microfilm belonging to Allen County Public Library.

Where to Write for Vital Records (Center of Disease Control)

This site contains info about where to write for birth, death, marriage, & divorce certificates from each state and territory in the U.S.

Genealogy Roots Blog

The Genealogy Roots Blog is for finding online genealogy databases, records and resources.

The USGen Web Project

Browse USGen Web Project by state to search for city directories.

Internet Resources for Vital Records

Vital Records

Cindy's List: Vital Records

A starting point for finding birth, marriage, divorce and death records on the web.

Find A Grave

Find A Grave is a resource for finding the final resting place of family, friends, and 'famous' individuals.

Linkpendium

Linkpendium is another genealogy web directory, with a great library of categorized links.

Immigration and Passenger Lists

Immigration and Passenger Lists

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index

A directory of 5+ million names of persons who immigrated to North America between the late 1500s and mid 20th Century. Updated annually.

Castle Garden

This free site offers access to information on 11 million immigrants from 1820 through 1892, the year Ellis Island opened.

Ellis Island

Makes available millions of passenger records between the years 1892-1924.

Immigrant Ancestors Project

This project uses emigration registers to locate information about the birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries.

Immigration and Passenger List Internet Resources

Ship Passenger Lists & Records Online

Internet Sources for Transcribed Passenger Records & Indexes.

Find U.S. Naturalization Records

Compilation of links to naturalization indexes and records.

Immigrant Ancestors Project

This project uses emigration registers to locate information about the birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries.

The Ships List

Passenger lists, Fleet lists, ship descriptions and more.

Military Records

Military Records

Fold3 Library Edition

Provides access to US military records from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, including stories, photos, & more.

National Archives: Research in Military Records

Provides general information on military records.

Archival Databases System / National Archives

Includes military records for World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Online Military Indexes and Records - USA

A directory of links to online military indexes and records.

Newspapers

Newspapers

Mercury News Historical Archive (1886-1922)

Find full-text articles on local news, obituaries, announcements, events, people, and much more from archived issues of the Mercury News.

New York Times: Historic Issues

This online archive brings you the entire historical run of the The New York Times since 1851 - 3 years previous to the current year.

California Digital Newspaper Collection

A Freely Accessible Repository of Digitized California Newspapers from 1846 to the Present.

Chronicling America

Maintained by the Library of Congress this resource provides historical newspapers published in the U.S. & territories from 1789-1963.

Bay Area Newspapers (for Santa Clara County)

A list of local newspapers available on microfilm at the Library. This is a good resource for obituary & local history research.

Digital ReeL - Newspaper Microfilm Collection

Digital ReeL provides access to SCCLD’s microfilm collection of historical local newspapers,with enhanced access and searching capabilities.

Mercury News (1985-Recent)

Provides current, full-text articles written by Mercury News staff on local news, business, sports, front, editorials and obituaries.

New York Times Online, Current Issues

Available in three editions: English, Spanish & Chinese. The archives for 1851-1922 and 1981-present are unlimited.

Directories

Online City Directories

The USGen Web Project

Browse USGen Web Project by state to search for city directories.

Google Books

Search Google Books for digitized city directories.

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive makes available various Polk's Directories in digital format.

Polk's San Francisco

Provides access to Polk's San Francisco for a variety of years.

Santa Clara County Genealogy

Santa Clara County Genealogy & Local History

SCCLD Archival Collections

Learn about the history and culture of Santa Clara County. Get access to books, articles, and Vertical Files on a variety of subjects.

1852 California Census for Santa Clara County

In 1852 a special census was taken for the new state of California, including Santa Clara County. Access the transcript for more info.

Santa Clara County Genealogy

Archives, cemeteries, databases, services, libraries, maps, vital records, etc.

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.

SFgenealogy

Genealogy and history resources for the San Francisco Bay Area.

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 Office of the Clerk Recorder

Order vital certificates from Santa Clara County.

USGenWeb for Santa Clara County

Many free genealogy resources on the web for Santa Clara County.

Local Genealogy Libraries

Local Genealogy Libraries

Santa Clara City Library

Santa Clara City Library, with the assistance of the Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society, maintains a Genealogy Collection.

The Family History Library (FHL)

Find a Family History Center near you to get help with your genealogy research. Also access billions of records for free.

History San Jose Library & Archives

Open to the public find local history & genealogy information for San Jose & greater Santa Clara Valley.

Santa Clara County Archives

Provides historical records of Santa Clara County and its government.

National Archives at San Francisco

Access millions of records for genealogy and local history research including military, census, and immigration records.

Sutro Library

Provides a variety of genealogy records including vital records, family & local histories, directories, registries, and more.

Browse the Catalog

Browse the Catalog

Additional Resources

Online Library Help

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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!
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