Genealogy

Library Home Page Library Instruction Home Page Your contact for Genealogy information at the CSUS Library is: Linda J. Goff Library Instruction Librarian ljgoff@csus.edu 2000 East State University Drive Sacramento, CA 95819-6039 (916) 278-5981 Fax(916) 278-7089

Selected Genealogy Resources at the CSUS Library How to get the most out of the Collection The CSUS Library online catalog EUREKA brings up more than 1,100 items when you search under the subject heading of "genealogy." To see just those in the Reference Collection, use the Limit/Sort button and "Where the Item is located" pull down the list until you see "Reference".  For the newest Reference books, click next to "Sort results by Year". Surprisingly enough, a keyword search for "genealogy" brings up only about 75% of that number of matches, so it is better to search by subject and think of related terms such as Biography, Heraldry , Probate records, Registers of births, etc . You should also use genealogy as a subheading under the names of specific ethnic groups or place names. The CSUS genealogy collection contains basic works and references familiar to most active genealogists and focuses primarily on information about the United States and Canada with additional materials about Great Britain, Ireland, Germany and limited materials about other countries. Browsing through the almost 500 items in the CS call number, you will find that the emphasis is on sources that guide you to materials, rather than on individual family histories. As an academic library we also provide a wealth of historical information that can be useful for family history researchers. Try the extensive Atlas and Map Collections on the second floor to see historical maps or detailed topographic maps so you may trace your family's travels.  If you have a place name that you can't locate, try the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names Online.  It's a gazeteer containing more than a million entries and is provided free by the Getty Research Institute.  Look for county histories for areas where your family may have lived, but be prepared to take the glowing descriptions of your ancestors with a grain of salt. During the 1890s and at the turn of the century several publishing firms wrote "history and biography" books for California counties, often called "mug books" because they included many photographs of prominent local citizens. Theses books were sold by subscription so you won't read anything but complimentary phrases. The county histories produced by Thompson & West in the 1880s are well worth hunting down for the wonderful detail of the "bird's eye view" illustrations of local properties. If you are not searching for California antecedents, the area your ancestors lived in during the same period may have similar volumes. Due to the efforts of many volunteers, the biographical sections of many Sacramento Count histories have be indexed and scanned and placed on the web. As of the end of 2007 biographies from the following books can be read online: Wright, George F., "History of Sacramento County, California" 1880. Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890. “A Volume Of Memoirs And Genealogy of Representative Citizens Of Northern California” Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. Chicago. 1901. Willis, William L., History of Sacramento County, California. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1913. Reed, G. Walter, History of Sacramento County, California With Biographical Sketches. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1923. Wooldridge, Jesse Walton, Maj., “History of the Sacramento Valley California Vols. 1-3”. The Pioneer Historical Publishing Co., Chicago (1931) Go to: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~npmelton/sacb.html The CSUS Library collection also contains microfilm census records from selected California counties and Indian census rolls dating back into the 1800s.  The earliest California Census was actually done in 1852.  Microfilm copies of it and subsequent others from the Sacramento region can be found by searching under the uniform title:  "Census of Population (year) California" in our EUREKA catalog.  We also have an excellent Guide to the Census.  Looking for Local Sacramento Resources? This library has microfilm copies of the Sacramento Union [1903-1906, 1968-1991].  We also have original bound paper copies [1903 to July 2, 1991]  that were donated to the CSUS Library after the newspaper ceased publishing.  These are housed in the CSUS Library  Special Collections and University Archives department.  Arrangements must be made to view these original volumes by calling 278-6144. The Sacramento Bee [February 3, 1857- Current] has a complete run, but the historical indexing is limited to 1895-1935.  The  Sacramento Bee Historical Index  is filed directly after the most recent microfilm copies in our Library Media Center.  The current Sacramento Bee is available electronically at  http://sacbee.com.  Our electronic full-text subscription (1984-currect) is available to anyone using our library computers, however, remote access is limited to our own students, faculty and staff.   Since May 7, 1997 the Bee has been collecting their classified obituaries.  This material is full-text searchable, but is available only in their in-house database.  A person seeking a funeral notice may contact  the paper's public information service, BeeSearch, for help in this area. BeeSearch  beesearch@sacbee.com or (916)  326-5566 will provide a date that a funeral notice ran (for free) and a computer printout (for a fee).  Armed with the publication date, the patron could get a microfilm copy of the actual notice from the CSUS Library Media Center, located on 1 SOUTH. We do have some of the old Sacramento City Directories, the earliest of which is 1893.  A much richer resource for local historical information  is at the California Room of the California State Library. [see blow].  You may also contact the several local  genealogical societies through these web pages: Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento Genealogical Association of Sacramento Genealogical and Historical Council of Sacramento Valley Sacramento Genealogical Society - Root Cellar The Root Cellar Government Documents While the California State Library located across from the Capitol downtown is a complete depository of both state and federal documents, CSUS selects about 30% of the items available through the Federal Depository systems and may have just the thing you need . We have some interesting resources. Take a look at the index to the 70 volume set, the War of the Rebellion and you might be able to track down that elusive civil war veteran you've been looking for.  The State Library also has special resources for genealogists:  http://www.library.ca.gov/html/genealogy.html  A local researcher wrote a description and gives good advice on  what to expect if you use the California Room at the State Library  http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~yvonne/NORCAL%20index/caroom.html  For a fuller explanation of using government documents at the CSUS Library  go to the CSUS Library Government Information or the  Guide to the Census. Using the World Wide Web for Genealogical Research Now that so many hobbyists have computerized their genealogy files and are connected to the Internet, the World Wide Web has proven a major new resource for researchers. This is not a comprehensive list, but rather an indication of the vast resources available for you to explore. Overview and Guides Librarians Serving Genealogist Home Page Cindi"s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet Yahoo's List of Genealogy Sites Infography Resource List: Genealogy -United States Government Resources California State Library Selected Guide to Genealogy Resources California State Library Catalog Library of Congress Library of Congress Local History and Genealogy Reading Room United States Government Printing Office National Archives and Records Administration - Genealogy Page United States Geological Survey - Using Maps in Genealogy National Imagery and Mapping Agency Publishers Ancestry RootsWeb.com Everton Publishers Genealogy.com Genealogical Publishing Company Genealogy Gateway Organizations Federation of Genealogical Societies Utah Genealogical Association Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints Family Search Other Interesting Sites U. S . Surname Distribution Library Home Page Linda J. Goff's Home Page This page was written by Linda J. Goff  Head of Instructional Services LJG: Updated February 6, 2008.