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Ventura County, California

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Ventura County was created on March 22, 1872 from Part of Santa Barbara County. Ventura County lost territory to no other county. The county now has territory with five different Boundary Changes:

Most of the county came from territory in Santa Barbara County from 1850 to 1872 when it was moved to Ventura County.
Territory was in San Luis Obispo County from 1850 to 1872 when it was moved to Ventura County.
Territory in Los Angeles County from 1850 to 1851, was in Santa Barbara County from 1851 to 1872 when it was moved to Ventura County.
Territory in Santa Barbara County from 1850 to 1872, was in Los Angeles County from 1872 to 1881, when it was added to Ventura County.
Territory in Los Angeles County from 1850 to 1851, and in Santa Barbara County from 1851 to 1872, was in Los Angeles County again from 1872 to 1881, when it was added to Ventura County.

The County was named after the Mission San Buenaventura was founded In 1782 as San Buenaventura (now known as Ventura). Buenaventura is composed of two Spanish words, buena meaning "good" and ventura meaning "fortune." The County Seat is Ventura .

Counties adjacent to Ventura County are Santa Barbara County (west), Kern County (north), Los Angeles County (east).

Ventura County Cities Include Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Ventura. CDPs (A census-designated place (CDP) is a type of place or area identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes) Include Casa Conejo, Channel Islands Beach, El Rio, Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, Oak Park, Oak View, Piru. Unincorporated Communities Include Bardsdale, Bell Canyon, La Conchita, Lake Sherwood, Newbury Park, Point Mugu, Saticoy, Somis

Submit a Website or Report Incorrect Information
The Ventura County Official Government Website
Search the California USGenWeb Archives
California State Genealogy Network - Facebook.com
Historical Newspapers from California (1813 - 1978) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 450 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in over 2,800 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!
Family History Library
California Newspaper Archives - the largest historical newspaper database online, contains nearly 100 million newspaper pages from 1759 to present. Every newspaper in the archive is fully searchable by keyword and date. It Features billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world, it makes exploring history and genealogy easy. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old - including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more – to fill in the life stories you are interested in. All of thier historical newspapers are full-page and fully searchable
Search California Historical Records
Ventura County, California History Books at Amazon.com

County Court, Probate and Tax Records

See Also California Court, Land, Tax & Probate Records and Marriage Records

Ventura County Clerk-Recorder's Office has Birth Records from 1873, Marriage Records from 1873, Death Records from 1873 and , Land Records from 1871. Alcalde records from 1782; county land records begin 1871.

The County Recorder-Clerk is responsible for examination and recording of all documents presented for recording that deal with establishing ownership of land in the County or as required by statute; administers the real property transfer tax law and maintains a permanent record and indexes of all documents for public viewing plus providing certified copies requested by the public; recording of all lawful documents such as deeds, deeds of trust, judgments, liens, affidavits, Uniform Commercial Code Financial Statements, etc; and the filing of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.

Ventura County Clerk of Superior Court has Probate Records from 1873 and Court Records from 1873.

The county Superior Court clerk has probate books and files from the county's superior court, civil court records, and naturalizations. Divorces may be here or in the Recorders Office, depending on how it was filed.

Some early court records from the various courts may have been sent to the California State Archives. Besides court minutes and judgements, these records include tax lists, wills, deeds, estate inventories, and marriage bonds. The California State Archives has microfilm of selected county records, 1850–1919.

Ventura County Tax Office

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service Assessment List for California, 1862–66, is available on thirty-three microfilm rolls at the California State Library in Sacramento. The lists include names, location and description of business, and tax rate for individuals taxed.

Similar to tax records in their yearly listing of residents are the “Great Register” of California, which are miscellaneous county voting registers that exist from the mid-nineteenth century. The registers were compiled and printed about every two years. Before 1900, they show name, address, and age (but the age may remain the same after a man's first entry). From about the mid-1800s, physical descriptions are included, but after the 1898 register, only the name, address, party affiliation, and sometimes occupation are listed.

Before 1892, the lists are county-wide, but usually alphabetical only by first letter or surname. They are particularly valuable for foreign-born voters, as the date and court of naturalization are listed. Copies of the "Great Registers," (1866–1944) are at the California State Library, which also has alphabetical card file abstracts for some of the earlier registers for San Francisco. Records from 1946 are with the individual county registrars of voters.

Below is a list of online resources for Ventura County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Ventura County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Submit a website for Ventura Co. Court Records
Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Ventura County, California Court Books at Amazon.com
California Voter Registrations, 1900-1968: This database contains indexes to voter registration lists from various counties in California from 1900-1968. Information listed in these records includes: name of voter, age, address, occupation, and political affiliation.
Naturalization Petitions for the Southern District Of California, 1887-1940 (The National Archives): NARA M1524. Naturalization Petitions for the Southern District Of California, 1887-1949.
California Passenger and Crew Lists, 1893-1957: This database is an index to passenger and crew lists of ships and some airplanes arriving at Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Pedro, and Ventura in the U.S. state of California, between 1893 and 1957. Information contained in the index includes name of passenger, their age, gender, ethnicity, nationality or last country of permanent residence, arrival date, port of arrival, port of departure, and ship name. If a name of a friend or relative whom the passenger was going to join with, or place of nativity was provided, that information is included as well.
San Francisco Ship Passenger Lists Vol. I [1850-1864]: The volume offered here is a reprint of the first volume in a series dealing with passenger arrivals at the port of San Francisco between 1850 and 1875, though this first volume contains a selection of passenger lists extending only though 1864.
San Francisco Ship Passenger Lists Vol. II [1850-1851]: Volume II is based on completely different sources than the first volume in the series, which covered the years 1850-1864, and it encompasses an additional 16,500 passenger arrivals at San Francisco Bay during the 20-month period from April 1850 to November 1851.
San Francisco Ship Passenger Lists. Vol. III: November 7, 1851 to June 17, 1852: Volume III covers a seven-month period during which approximately 25,000 persons arrived at the port of San Francisco--nearly 50% more than the number of arrivals for the preceding 18-month period covered in Volume II. The year 1852 witnessed a surge in migration to California, and this volume reflects the initial thrust of that surge.

County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Research In Vital Records or Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records in California

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! A certified copy fee must accompany all requests for copies of vital records. Requests received without the appropriate fee will be returned to the sender. Make your check or money order payable to the Office of Vital Records. Checks must be drawn on a United States bank. Money orders must be drawn on a United States bank or issued by the United States Postal Service. Do not send cash. If no record is found, they will issue a Certificate of No Public Record and retain the fee for the search according to State law. Before submitting your application to the Office of Vital Records, please view the processing times to make sure they are acceptable for your needs.

California Department of Public Health, Office of Vital Records, MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410; (916) 445-2684. They have the following records:

Birth & Death Certificates: The state of California began issuing certificates for births and Deaths in July 1905. Birth and death records for current year events and one year prior are available from the county health department; records for all years are maintained by the county recorder. If not, you should submit your request to the County Recorder’s Office in the county where the birth or death took place or order the birth / death certificate online through VitalChek.
- Cost: $14.00 per birth certificate & $12.00 per death certificate.
- Processing Time: 12-14 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Birth or Death Certificate) or 2-5 Days when you Order Online.
Marriage Certificates: The state of California began issuing certificates for marriages since July 1905, except for 1987 to 1995 (The state does not have indexes for the years 1987-1995 so you must request these from the county). Certified copies of public marriage records are available from both the California Office of Vital Records and the County Recorder’s Office in the county where the public marriage license was issued. However, the Office of Vital Records is limited in its ability to search the records, and it can take up to 2-3 years to obtain a certified copy from thier office. Therefore, we recommend that certified copies of public marriage records be requested directly from the County Recorder’s Office or online.
- Cost: $13.00 per certificate.
- Processing Time: 2-3 years when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you Order Online.
Divorce Certificates: Certified copies are not available from State Health Department. Certified copies of actual divorce decrees are only available from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed. The Office of Vital Records issues a Certificate of Record that includes only the names of the parties to the divorce, the county where the divorce was filed, and the court case number – it is not a certified copy of the divorce decree and does not indicate whether the divorce was ever finalized in court. The Office of Vital Records only has information for divorces that were filed with the court between 1962 and June 1984, and our processing times can take up to 2-3 years or Online with VitalChek.
- Cost: $12.00 per certificate. Fee is for search and identification of county where certified copy can be obtained.
- Processing Time: 2-3 years when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you Order Online.

Below is a list of online resources for Ventura County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Ventura County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Submit a website for Ventura Co. Vital Records
Vital Records from Archives.com: Order Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records Online!
Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research.
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical California newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
California Birth Index, 1905-1995: This database is an index to over 24.5 million births occurring in California between 1905 and 1995.
California Death Index, 1940-1997: his database is an index to the death records in State of California, USA, from 1940 through 1997. The database provides such valuable information as first, last and middle names of the descendants, birth dates, mother's maiden name, father's last name, sex, birth place, death place, residence at time of death, death date, social security number (when available), and the age of the individual when they died.
California Divorce Index, 1966-1984: This database is an index to over 3.5 million divorces that were filed in California (U.S.A.) from 1966-1984. Information that may be found in this database includes spouses' names, divorce date, and divorce county or city.
California Marriage Index, 1960-1985: This database contains a statewide index to over 4.8 million marriages that were performed in California between 1960 and 1985. Information that may be found in this database includes the bride's and groom's names, their ages, the marriage county, and the marriage date.
California Marriages, 1850-1877: This database contains information on individuals who were married in select areas of California between 1850 and 1960. Note that not all counties are included in this index and within the counties that are included not all years within the date range...
California Death Index 1940-1997
Ventura County, California Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com

County Census Records

County Maps & Atlases

County Military Records

County Genealogical Addresses

County Church & Cemeteries

County Church & Bible Records

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Below is a list of online resources for Ventura County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Ventura County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Submit a website for Ventura Co. Family History
Sites on USGenweb: [ Ventura County ] [ California ] [ Main Page ]
[GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
Nichols and Related Families
CALIFORNIA Family Group Sheets
California Pioneer Project - The California Pioneer List (CPL) is a list of settlers to California who migrated to or were born in California prior to 1880 (included in the 1880 California Census) and obtained from those sent (e-mailed) directly from individuals doing genealogical research.
Ventura County USGenweb Archives
Ventura County, California Family Books at Amazon.com

N2Genealogy Sites

United States Genealogy