Feel free to request a look-up from the following books. Please limit your request to one name per request. Please put STANISLAUS COUNTY LOOKUP in the subject line of your request to insure the message is not overlooked or accidentally deleted. In the first line of the message please put the name of the book you are requesting the lookup in.

If you request a lookup, don't forget to thank your volunteer for their time. 

Stanislaus County Historical Museums

Central California Information Center
CSU, Stanislaus, 801 W. Monte Vista Ave., Turlock, CA 95380 209-667-3307

An archives and/or manuscript repository.

Activities: Operates under agreement with California State Office of Historic Preservation to maintain archaeological and historic site records for Alpine, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties. Research fee charged.

McHenry Museum,1402 I Street, Modesto, CA 05154 209-577-5366

We are an archives and/or manuscript repository and general museum.

Number of members: 1,285 Activities: Extensive local archives, changing exhibits. Publish quarterly newsletter, Stepping Stones, local history books, and re-prints of local histories. Hours: 12-4, Tue-Sun Contact: Wayne Mathes, Curator

Stanislaus County Genealogical Society

Genealogical Society of Stanislaus County, California, Inc. *updated 27 Aug 2020  Thank you Jackie!
P. O. Box 1352
Modesto, CA 95352-1352
The Society has numerous reference texts on Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County Recorder
1021 I Street
Modesto, CA 95354
(209) 525-5265  Birth & Death Certificates
525-5260  Deeds, Liens& Property Transfers

The Center is a branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nearly all two million reels of microfilmed records and 350,000 microfiches available in Salt Lake may be used locally at the Geer Road Family History Center through an extensive, modest fee, lending program. Many of the 195,000 books from the Salt Lake Library are also in microform and may be borrowed. Books that do not exist in microform copy, however, do not circulate from Salt Lake. Research strengths of the Family History Library available through the loan program at the Center are national census schedules of the United States (1790 - 1920); Canada (1841 - 1901), England, Scotland, and Wales (1831 - 1891); and Denmark (1787 - 1911), Iceland (1762 -1901), Ireland (1901), and Norway (1664 - 1900). The 1850 - 1920 U.S. federal census schedules and the other censuses listed above include the names of the occupants of all residences.

The Library also has civil and/or church vital records from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century; these records exist in the library's collection from, among other countries, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Philippines and most of the countries of western Europe (including Azores) and Poland. Among the church records for Sweden are clerical surveys which can be used as a substitute for census records.

The Family History Library also has about 43,000 printed and manuscript family histories, the majority of which are in microform and may be sent to the Turlock Family History Center for use. A lot of nineteenth century land records and probates and will have been microfilmes for the majority of the United States and may be used in Turlock.

The Center has reference sources, indexes and catalogs necessary to assist researchers to obtain family history and genealogical research materials from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. An important index is the International Genealogical Index which contains 240 million names of deceased persons from 1500. Another index, the Ancestral File, contains fifteen million names, most of which are linked together in family groupings. The birth and marriage dates of living persons are not provided in these indexes until after their death. The Accelerated Indexing Systems index to the heads of households of the 1790 through 1850 U.S. federal census schedules is also available at the Center. The Family Registry provides an index to 336, 240 registrations of ancestors of individuals who are willing to share information or persons who are seeking information about indexed ancestors. The TempleReady program is also available.

The Turlock Family History Center's Director and assistants are all volunteers. Any one interested in researching their ancestors is welcome to use the Center. Use of the Center is free; however, there are small fees for genealogical forms and photo duplication, and modest fees to borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. For reservations to use the Ancestral File, and International Genealogical Index, on CD-ROM, or TempleReady, telephone 632-9640.

Stanislaus County Reference Books

History of Stanislaus County by Elliott & Moore, 1881
See: CH Stan 1881 Oversize History of Stanislaus County, California, with illustrations des criptive of its scenery, farms, residences, public buildings, factories, hotels, business houses, schools, churches and mines. From original drawings by artists of the highest ability. With biographical sketches of prominent citizens. San Francisco: Elliott and Moore, 1881.

History of Stanislaus County, California, by Tinkham, 1921
See: CH Stan 1921 TINKHAM, GEORGE HENRY. History of Stanislaus County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the County who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company 1921.
Volunteered lookup for this publication

A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Merced, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, California
The Lewis Publishing Company - 1892
Volunteered lookup for this publication

The following was contributed by Mildred Starr of Modesto, California

Rivers of Stanislaus County:

San Joaquin
Tuolumne
Stanislaus

Ranchos:

del Rio Estanislao
Thompson’s
Orestimba
Del Puerto
Pescadero

From various directories of the area. Each is listed only the first time it appears.

1867 Pacific Coast Business Directory

Horr’s Ranch Post Office, 16 miles south of Knight’s Ferry
Langworth Post Office, 25 miles south east of Stockton, 16 miles below Knight’s Ferry
Leitch & Kottle’s Ferry Post Office 14 miles below Knight’s Ferry
Tuolumne Post Office Langworth, 32 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Knight’s Ferry County Seat, Post Office, from Sacramento 85 miles, from Stockton 40 miles, from San Quentin 170 miles
La Grange Post Office, 18 miles south east of Knight’s Ferry

1871 Pacific Coast Business Directory 1871-1873

Adamsville Listed as being in the vicinity of Tuolumne City, not a separate listing
Bakersville Post Office Horr’s Ranch, 18 miles south of Knight’s Ferry
Berryville Post Office Burwood, San Joaquin County, 21 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Buena Vista Post Office Knight’s Ferry, 1 1/2 miles south east of Knight’s Ferry
Burneyville Post Office Langworth, 21 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Crow’s Landing Post Office, 36 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Empire City Post Office Paradise, 20 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
French Bar see La Grange
Graysonville Post Office, 40 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Hills Ferry Post Office, 40 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Huntsville Post Office La Grange, 22 miles south east of Knight’s Ferry
Knight’s Ferry

KF was listed in 1871, but it is repeated because of the description. Knight’s Ferry, Stanislaus Co. PO and County seat, is situated on the NW bank of the Stanislaus river, and on the stage-road leading from Stockton via Chinese Camp to Sonora; also to Yosemite via Coulterville, or Big Oak Flat. This place was once important as a mining camp--the river bars and the neighboring gulches being rich in gold-- but its present dependence is upon its agricultural resources and the business incident to its position as the County seat. A covered bridge of 360 feet span crosses the Stanislaus river at this point.

McKibbins Landing Post Office Knight’s Ferry
Paradise City Post Office, 30 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry
Tuolumne City Post Office, 40 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry, north bank of the river of the same name, and at the end of steamboat navigation.
Twenty Six Mile House Post Office, 13 miles west of Knight’s Ferry
Westport Post Office Paradise, 28 miles south west of Knight’s Ferry

1875 California State Business Directory

Oakdale
Turlock
Waterford

1878 Pacific State and Territories Business Directory

Grayson
1881 City and County Directory
Black Hills Post Office Milton Calaveras County
Ceres

1883 Pacific Coast Directory Stanislaus County

Delhi Post Office Turlock, Southern Pacific Station 19 miles from Merced (Delhi is now in Merced County) Junction City Post Office La Grange
Salida Central and southern pacific, 23 miles from Stockton, 6 miles from Modesto, nearest station to Paradise Valley, important grain shipping point
Tuolumne Bridge Post Office Modesto

1884-1885 City and Town Directory

Adamsville see Modesto
Bachelor Valley see 26 Mile House
Belpassi see Modesto
Bonita see Ceres and Crows Landing, also Horrs Ranch and Grayson
Booth see Oakdale Branch see La Grange
Burnett see Oakdale
Canal see Hill’s Ferry
Cole see Modesto
Corner see La Grange
Davis see Modesto, also Ceres
Dry Creek see Horr’s Ranch
Emory see Knight’s Ferry, see also Oakdale
Empire see Modesto
Farm Cottage see 26 Mile House
Garner see Modesto
Geneva see Grayson
Golden City see La Grange
Haight see Grayson
Hamilton see Grayson
Hermitage see Horr’s Ranch
Home Union see 26 Mile House
Jackson see Modesto
Jones see Modesto
Junction see Modesto
Keyes see Modesto
Lafayette see Grayson, also La Grange
Laird see Modesto
Live Oak see La Grange
McHenry see Modesto
Milnes see Modesto
Orestimba see Crows Landing, also Hill’s Ferry
Purvis see Grayson
Rising Sun see Grayson
Rinehart see Modesto
Robinson see Oakdale
Rowe see Modesto
Shiloh see Modesto
Solambo see La Grange
Stanislaus see Modesto
Tilden see Horr’s Ranch
Union see Horr’s Ranch
Washington see Oakdale
West Side see Hill’s Ferry
White Crow see Crows Landing
White Oak see Modesto, see Waterford

1893 California State Gazetteer and Business Directory

Byersville Post Office, on San Joaquin River 14 miles south of Modesto
Newman formerly Hill’s Ferry
Westley

1893 City and Town Directory Stanislaus County

Farmington San Joaquin County-- some residents in Stanislaus County
Hickman 15 miles from Modesto, 1 mile from Waterford
Montpelier 22 miles from Modesto via Waterford
28 Mile House see 26 Mile House, 26 miles from Stockton and 9 miles north west of Oakdale, on road to Milton

These towns came into being as the trains moved into new areas.

Thalheim -- Stockton and Visalia RR -- in the early 1900s-- name changed to Valley Home
Riverbank -- San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley RR -- 1896 -- The Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe had a roundhouse there.
Clauston -- SF and SJ Valley RR, Post Office 1901 name changed to Claus.
Elmdale -- Post Office 1898, named changed to Elmwood 1904 and to Denair in 1907.
Paulsell -- Sierra Railway, 1897 cattle loading point for the Gatzman Ranch.
Warnerville -- Sierra Railway, Post Office 1898
Cooperstown -- Sierra Railway 1901
Hatch -- Tidewater Southern, 1916

Some additional names of towns, areas, ferrys and crossings

Lone Star House - on the Mariposa Road, built about 1850
Patricksville - 1860s mining settlement
Mt. Brow stage stop and tavern late 1850s -Stockton and Sonora Rd at Little John Creek
Hillyer & Burnham
Sirey & Clark
Murphey
Bailey
Islip
Cotton
Holden
Cottle
Heath & Emory
Rutherford Crossing
Keeley
New Hope
Turner
South Tuolumne Landing
Bell’s Landing
Patterson Landing
Ward
Mahoney Landing
Russell
Blair
Crescent City (prima) (lower)
Ripperdan (known by this name onal a short time) see Crescent City (prima)(lower)
Crescent City (secundo) (upper) see Empire City
Dallas
Harvey Davis
Salter
Patricksville

Names of the ‘districts’ as listed in the 1860 Federal Census: Oatvale is not noted elsewhere

Branch
Buena Vista
Emory
Empire
Oatvale
Orestimba

Names are derived from the named directories, from maps, from the Federal Census of 1860 and from I.N. Brotherton’s ‘River Towns and the Ferries’.

Millie Starr April 11, 1997

1881 Map of Stanislaus County  provided by Millie Starr February 14, 2011

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