Researchers are willing to visit local archives and libraries to access unique collections of records to assist you in your research. Below is a list of a few of the archives our California researchers have access to.
National Archives in Riverside (Perris, California)
The National Archives in Riverside, California, contains information on Southern California as well as Arizona and Clark County, Nevada. Their collections include Asian immigrant records, naturalization records, Arizona taxes, national censuses, records of border crossings between Mexico and Canada, and information on the Five Civilized Tribes.
National Archives in San Francisco (San Bruno, California)
The National Archives in San Francisco contains 70,000 cubic feet of original records dating from the 1850s to the 1980s. There are also a few records from the early 2000s. The records include those of federal courts and more than 100 federal agency offices. Topics covered here include information about northern and central California, Nevada (except Clark County), Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, and the Caroline Islands. It also provides information on overseas Pacific naval bases and data on Asian American migration.
California Pioneer Society Library (San Francisco Presidio)
The California Pioneer Society documents the early history and founding of California in their library. Their archives contain information about the gold rush, the 1906 San Francisco fire and earthquake, and other important events in the state’s history. You can also find articles from the Spanish and Mexican eras. There are records with information about specific pioneers, as well as directories, diaries, papers, maps, newspapers, and periodicals.
Bancroft Library of the University of California (Berkeley, California)
The Bancroft Library at the University of California contains excellent collections of articles from Western America and Latin America that relate to Spanish involvement in California and the state’s colonial settlements. It also contains information on the Indian populations of the Plains, the Far West, Alaska, Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Islands. In total, these archives contain more than 600,000 volumes, 60,000,000 manuscripts, and 8 million photographs and other graphic materials.