Obtaining Vital Records in Los Angeles County

Entrance to LA County Recorder's Office
Digital image, Denise Spurlock, 2011.

Birth, marriage and death records for Los Angeles County are housed at the County Recorder’s Office located at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Los Angeles County provides both certified and informational copies of vital records. If you do not meet the requirements for a certified copy, you may request an informational copy. The only difference is that the informational copy is stamped “informational” across the face of the certificate so that it cannot be used to establish identity. For most genealogical purposes, informational copies are adequate.

If you have all the required information (dates, names, etc.) and want to order a copy of a certificate, I recommend using VitalChek; it is easy to use and, in my experience, turnaround time is 10–15 days. I have also found that if you order more than one certificate, you pay the VitalChek fee for only one.

Los Angeles County also permits viewing of vital records and indexes that are not exempt from public inspection from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This can be a great alternative to purchasing an informational certificate; you can make a transcription instead! There is no charge unless you request that the clerk pull more than five records.

Records available for viewing include births prior to 1905 and from 1964–present, deaths from 1877–present, and marriages from 1852–present. Random searches are not permitted; an application must be completed for each record to be searched and identification shown to the clerk. After submitting the application, you will be allowed to search the indexes for the information needed for the clerk to pull the document (certificate number or marriage book/page). There are restrictions on use of the information; these are listed on the application.

Before placing an order for a certificate or visiting the Recorder’s Office, be sure to review the information posted on the agency’s website for hours of operation, applicable fees, restrictions, etc.

Happy searching!

© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Are You Looking in the Right Place?

When California was admitted to the Union in 1850, Southern California consisted of only four counties: San Diego (which was huge!), Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. Take a look at this map from the California State Association of Counties website:

From 1850 to 1907, six additional counties were created. If you are not finding a particular record in one county, perhaps you should be looking in the parent county. Although it does not list all the boundary changes that have taken place over the years  (click here for that), the chart below may be helpful in determining what other counties to check:

County	Created	Parent(s)	County Seat
Imperial	6 Aug 1907	San Diego	El Centro
Kern	2 Apr 1866	Tulare; Los Angeles	Bakersfield 1874-present Havilah 1866-1874
Los Angeles	18 Feb 1850	Original	Los Angeles
Orange	11 Mar 1889	Los Angeles	Santa Ana
Riverside	11 Mar 1893	San Diego; San Bernardino	Riverside
San Bernardino	26 Apr 1853	Los Angeles	San Bernardino
San Diego	18 Feb 1850	Original	San Diego
San Luis Obispo	18 Feb 1850	Original	San Luis Obispo
Santa Barbara	18 Feb 1850	Original	Santa Barbara
Ventura	22 Mar 1872	Santa Barbara	Ventura

There have been no changes in the location of the county seats, except in Kern County, and I don't believe you'll find what you need in Havilah!

Museum, Kern County Court House, Havilah, California; photo from Wikipedia.

Sources:

1. “California County History,” California State Association of Counties  (http://www.counties.org/default.asp?id=5 : accessed 12 January 2012).
2. “California County Creation Dates and Parent Counties” FamilySearch Research Wiki, (https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/California_County_Creation_Dates_and_Parent_Counties : accessed 12 January 2012)

© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Tuesday's Tip - Riverside and San Diego Newspapers Online

The following Riverside and San Diego newspapers have been added to the historical newspapers collection available, by subscription, at GenealogyBank:

• Riverside Daily Press, 5/20/1938-10/1/1942
• (San Diego) Evening Tribune, 7/1/1925-1/25/1935
• San Diego Union, 3/1/1908-7/8/1934

Newspapers are a wonderful source of information about our ancestors' lives. I was excited to find references to my grandfather's employment as a watchmaker for J. Jessop & Sons and an advertisement for his watch-making school in the San Diego papers.

By Lewis Hine [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer: I have a paid subscription to GenealogyBank. I also have an affiliate agreement. If you click on the GenealogyBank link above and subscribe to their service, I receive a small commission. You pay the same price for a subscription as if you had visited the site on your own.




© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Happy New Year from the SoCal Genie!

Pasadena Schools Float in 1922 Rose Bowl Parade.
Public domain image via Wikimedia  Commons.

The Rose Parade is tomorrow (January 2), so it doesn't feel like New Year's Day to me! But I offer the following poem to wish you all the best in 2012!

A New Year’s Wish.

May each day bring thee something

Fair to hold in memory—

Some true light to shine

Upon thee in the after days.

May each night bring thee peace,

As when the dove broods o’er

The young she love; may day

And night the circle of

A rich experience weave

About thy life, and make

It rich with knowledge, but radiant

With Love, whose blossoms shall be

Tender deeds.

—Helen Van Anderson Gordon

Source:

George Wharton James, editor, The California birthday book: prose and poetical selections from the writings of living California authors, with a brief biographical sketch of each (Los Angeles : Arroyo Guild Press 1909), 12.

© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Japanese-American Relocation Resources

Today we remember those who were killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which resulted in the United States entering into World War II. It is right that we should honor our fallen heroes.

But we should not forget the other Americans whose lives were also changed—those of Japanese ancestry. War causes nations to take actions that seem, to those in charge at the time, to be necessary. Such is the case of the relocation of Japanese-Americans to internment camps during World War II.

National Archives photo. In the public domain.
Original caption: Hayward, California. Members of the Mochida family awaiting evacuation bus. Identification tags are used to aid in keeping the family unit intact during all phases of evacuation. Mochida operated a nursery and five greenhouses on a two-acre site in Eden Township. He raised snapdragons and sweet peas. Evacuees of Japanese ancestry will be housed in War Relocation Authority centers for the duration.
Date: 8 May 1942.

Descendants of those who were interned in camps may wish to know more about what life was like during those times. Much material about the Japanese-American experience is available at institutions in Southern California. Following are links to descriptions of several collections (an * indicates items are available online):

• Japanese American Research Project (Yuji Ichioka papers), 1893-1973 – University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• Constantine Panunzio Collection of Material on Japanese American Internment, ca. 1853-1945 – UCLA
• Estes (Donald H.) Papers 1887-2005 – Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego
• Japanese American Internment Collection 1929-1956 – UCLA
• Japanese American Relocation Collection* – Occidental College
• Asian Pacific Studies Collection 1920-1993 – California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Okubo (Miné) papers, 1932-2009 – University of California, Riverside
• Murphy (Mollie Wilson) Papers 1942-1945 – Japanese American National Museum
• Manzanar Collection, 1942-1994 (bulk 1942-1946) – California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
• Anderson (Hugh) Collection 1921-1959 – Pasadena Museum of History
• Yamada (Mitsuye) Papers 1940-2005 – University of California, Irvine
• Japanese American Relocation Photograph Collection 1930-1958 (bulk 1941-1946)* – University of Southern California (USC)

 © 2011 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Lomita Veterans Memorial

In November 1997 the City of Lomita dedicated its Veterans Memorial. A second memorial was added later to include those who lost their lives in the Global War on Terrorism. On this Veterans Day, it is my honor to present the names of those who gave their lives in service to our Nation.

Digital image. Copyright Denise Spurlock 2011.

LOMITA VETERANS MEMORIAL

"Today we honor these brave men and women from our community who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. History has shown us that freedom is not free. We pay for it with the lives of our neighbors, family members and loved ones. May the spirit of these brave soldiers live in our hearts, so they will never be forgotten. Councilman Dave Albert, November 11, 1997"

World War I

CLYDE CHESTER BLAIN,  USN

World War II

JERRY ANGELICH, USA

GEORGE REYNOLDS BAKER, USNR

ROBERT BARKER, USAAF

RAYMOND BARRA, USN

THOMAS WALTER BEECHAM, USN

RAYMOND BODAM, USMC

ROBERT BRUMPTON, USN

JACK CHEEK, USN

RICHARD COX, USA

MARTIN DEVRIES, USN

JOHN LOGAN EGNEW, USN

ROBERT FENTON, USA

LORY GARCIA, USA

BILL GLOVER, USN

CHELSEA HAMILTON, USA

GEORGE HENDERSON, USN

PAT HERNANDEZ, USA

GORDON JACOBS, USN

RICHARD JOHNSON, USN**

ALVAH DON JOHNSON, JR., USA

WILLIAM LUEDKE, USA

MELVIN MARTIN, USN

CLYDE MAXWELL, USN

JAMES MEADOWS, USMC

JOHN MULKERN, USN

MANUEL MURO, USN

CHARLES RICHARD O'BRIEN, USA

WALTER OWENS, USAAF

KRISTI PALICA, USA

JAMES PEIGHTAL, USNR

FLOYD RAMSEY, USA

ALBERT READING, USCG

ALLEN RIDER, USN

DICK RIDER, USA

PEARL T. ROOMSBURG, USA*

MARCUS ROWIN, USA

WAYNE SAMMON, USN

JIM SANDERS, USN

ROBERT SCHREIB, USMC

GEORGE STAMBAUGH, USNR

MILES STUBBLEFIELD, USN

MALCOLM G. TADLOCK, JR., USN

EDDIE TAPIE, USN

JESS TAYLOR, USA

LEONARD VORHIS, USN

NORMAN E. WILSON, USN

BOB WOLVERTON, USN

Korea

STUART CLARK, USA

DONALD DANA, USA

CHARLES DUNCAN, USA

JOE HOOKER, USA

DUANE PARSONS, USA

BOBBY SPRATT,USA

WILLIAM TEUCHERT, USA****

GEORGE WASHBURN, USA

Vietnam

JERRY D. ATKINSON, USMC

RICHARD A. BAGLIO, USA

ROBERT R. BOHLER, USA

PERRY BOZEMAN, USA

CURTIS BROCKINGTON, USA

JOHN T. CARROLL, USA

DENNIS RAY CARTER, USMC**

MICHAEL B. CARTER, USMC

MICHAEL F. COOK, USMC

LEON T. CULVERHOUSE, USMC

SAMUEL R. DURHAM, USA

ALAN R. GUYMON, USA

RICHARD W. HASTINGS, USN

DON RAY HEIMARK, USA

FREDERICK R. HORRIDGE, USMC

RICHARD L. KEELER, USN

JOHN LORTZ, USA

RAYMOND D. McGLOTHIN, USA

STEVEN W. MUSGROVE, USA

GLEN A. MUSGUIRE, USMC

CHESTER O'BRIEN, USMC

ALAN P. SANDOVAL, USMC

JOHN ROY TIGHE, USA

JOHN G. TURK, USMC

LESLIE JAMES WATSON, USA

*Female

**Missing in Action

***Died as Prisoner of War

****Died when missing in action

Digital image. Copyright Denise Spurlock 2011.

...ALWAYS REMEMBERED

Global War on Terrorism

JOSE GUTIERREZ, USMC

SERGIO RAFAEL DIAZ-VARELA, USA

Should you wish to visit, the Lomita Veterans Memorial is located next to the Post Office at 25131 Narbonne Ave.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Costs for California Vital Records to Rise

On October 2, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1053 into the law. Sponsored by Gordon, this new statute increases the base fees for certified copies of birth and death certificates by $9 over the next three calendar years—$5 on January 1, 2012, and $2 in each of the two subsequent years.

The full text of the bill can be found at http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?bvid=20110AB105392CHP

© 2011 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research