RESEARCH
CONTENTS
Genealogy Toolkit: Research Resources
(Part of the U.S. GenWeb Project and the California GenWeb Project)
This page is established to provide information on how & where to find certain resources for your genealogical hunt. Though intended to be Contra Costa County specific, often you will want to consult state-wide sources. Many of these are discussed in the NorCal Genealogy Index, an indispensable resource for California genealogical searchers.
(This page will continue grow as more source information becomes available. We invite you to contribute both questions and answers)
Cemeteries
A listing of cemeteries in the county and links to some cemetery indices are available.
Naturalization
For a general view of Naturalization documents, be sure to check the section on Naturalization Documents in the NorCal Genealogy Index.Original naturalization documents for Contra Costa County covering the period 1852 to 1988 are held by the Contra Costa County Historical Society at The History Center. They have never been microfilmed or made available through any known database source. In most cases the file for an individual consists of the DECLARATION OF INTENT, APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION and the DECREE.
An index to the records and information on how to obtain copies can be found at http://cocohistory.com/nattbl.html.
Vital Records
Vital records are those covering births and deaths (and sometimes marriage).
Be sure to check the NorCal index on Vital Records for California sources.A transcription of the California Death Index (CADI) covering the years 1940 - 1997 can be found on-line at http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi.
It is important to remember that this is a transcription of an index and is therefore prone to error and omission. There is no substitute for getting a copy of the death certificate itself. Information on obtaining death certificates from Contra Costa County can be found at: http://www.ccclerkrec.us/connect/site/index.jsp
Vital and other records (including some marriage indices) can be browsed at Vital Search http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com
Obituaries & Death Notices
Check the Contra Costa County Library site for obituary information and databases.
Images from around Contra Costa County County are available at the "Penny Post Cards" site on the Rootsweb/Genweb site
This page was last modified on 28 January 2011.
C. 1997-2011
Although believed to be correct as presented, if you note any corrections, changes, additions, or find that any links provided on this page are not functioning properly please contact the Webmaven for prompt attention to the matter.