The resources I use most often are listed on this page along with various other resources that I have gathered over the years.
Archives
Padron de Santa Barbara
1825A, 1825B (1825 PDF) Transcription of 1825 Padron; 1832A, 1832B, 1832C, 1832D (1832 PDF): 1834; 1837
Santa Barbara City Directories (Cordero only)
1875A, 1875B, 1886, 1888, 1893, 1895-6, 1897, 1901, 1903-4, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1908-9, 1909-10, 1917-18, 1918-1919, 1936
Genealogy and History
As a proud member of the USGenWeb Project, CAGenWeb's mission is to provide a single entry point for all counties and towns within the state of California, where collected data will be stored. The volunteers of CAGenWeb hope you find our project helpful to your research!
A list of contact information (email) for researchers of particular California Spanish surnames.
Chicago City Directories (Chicago Ancestors)
Cook County Illinois (Chicago)
Documentary Relations of the Southwest (DRSW).
The archaeological research and collections of ASM provide the 'prehistory' before written accounts. Documentary Relations of the Southwest (DRSW) provides the research tools and finding aids to the written record that began with the arrival of the Spanish explorers in the 1530's. The 1,500 microfilm reels of documents, many of them collected by the Jesuit Historical Institute, include the diaries of explorers and reports of missionaries and soldiers. They date from the first written accounts of contact with indigenous peoples in the 16th Century to the Mexican declaration of independence from Spain in 1821. The place names, architecture, food, and many of the Southwestern cultures have their origin in the history of this region. The 'Southwest' in this case covers Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and northern Mexico: all of what was northern New Spain.
Early California Population Project. Huntington Library.
The Early California Population Project (ECPP), a database developed by the Huntington Library, provides public access to all the information contained in the California mission registers from 1769 - 1850.
Illinois State Archives (vital records search)
Los Angeles Public Library, City Directories, 1915-1987
Newspaper Abstracts, California
Newspaper Abstracts your resource for family history research using newspapers. Our site continues to grow with an average of 900 new pages added each month and currently contains 35829 pages of abstracts and extracts from historical newspapers.
One-Step Webpages by Stephen Morse.
Search passenger lists for many ports along with US Census and other database.
Matrimonial Investigation Records of the San Gabriel Mission
Pre-1905 California Death Index Project
Rowland Collection, Santa Cruz
This website provides access to many of the documents in the Leon Rowland Collection in Special Collections, McHenry Library, University of California at Santa Cruz. The most important aspect of the material for a researcher is the set of approximately 10,000 index cards pertaining to the history of Santa Cruz and its people, from pre-Statehood to the middle of the 20th century.
Search multiple sources for the entire bay area with on search engine. Amazing!
Search vital records (birth,, death, and marriage records for California.
Image Archives
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Reading Room
Online Archive of California (OAC)
The OAC brings together historical materials from a variety of California institutions, including museums, historical societies, and archives. Over 120,000 images; 50,000 pages of documents, letters, and oral histories; and 8,000 guides to collections are available.
The USC Digital Archive provides access to over 100,000 photographs, maps, manuscripts, records, texts and sound recordings owned by USC and collaborating institutions.
Genealogical and Historical Societies
Los Pobladores 200 is an Ancestral Heritage Association, founded in 1981 by Joseph Murillo Northrop (a founding family descendant) and his wife Marie E. Northrop. The primary goal was to locate and organize present day descendants of the original founding families of Los Angeles.
Monterey County Historical Society
San Diego Genealogical Society
San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society
Santa Barbara Genealogical Society
Ventura County Genealogical Society Archives
Articles
It Makes A Circle: An Interview with Cresensio Lopez
Los Angeles: Painted City, Early Settlers.
Original Settlers (Pobladores) of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, 1781