Research Facilities

San Francisco City Hall, photograph by Ron Filion, 2005

Some of the repositories or records listed here have a Research Tips  link next to them, which will lead you to helpful hints sent in by other researchers on using that particular facility or type of record. Take some time to read these tips! Learning from other researchers who've already "been there" and generously shared their knowledge and experience could save you a great deal of time, effort and frustration. We continually add information to this list as other researchers tell us of new resources, so it is by no means complete!    If you know of additional facilities, or have additional information about the holdings or policies of any of these organizations, please contact us with the details and we will be glad to add the information. Genealogical & Historical Societies, Libraries and Government Offices covering the San Francisco area are particularly invited to submit, add to, or correct information for this page. Thank you!

• Historic Records
• Records dating before around 1920 were given to the San Francisco Public Library-History Center.
• An index and all of the digital copies are currently available.
• The California Genealogical Society also has digital copies.
• Records from the early 1920s to 1980s were given to Researchity, who donated them to SFgenealogy.
• Digital copies are currently being indexed by SFgenealogy.
• A partial index is currently available.

• Visit their website to download a listing of collections.

• A members-only library requiring an annual fee.
• "The Library holds some 140,000 books. . ." in addition to directories, newspapers, etc.

• History Room
• San Francisco news clippings by subject, mostly 20th century
• San Francisco City Directories
• San Francisco Telephone Books: Oct 1901, June 1906
• Pacific Coast Directories: 1871-73, 1876-78, 1880-81, 1883-84
• Obituaries from primarily Oakland newspapers, 1951-1993, on index cards
• Oakland City Directories: 1869-1969
• Oakland newspaper index, 1869-1993
• University of California Alumni Directory: 1905, 1916
• Local history catalog
• Newspaper Room
• San Francisco Chronicle Newspaper
• San Francisco Call Index research tip

A portion of their holdings include:

• "Approximately 6,000 books on commercial, civil, and military aviation. . .over 2,000 aviation and general interest magazines. . .from the 1890s to the 1980s."
• "An active oral history program . . .provide first-person accounts from individuals who have experience careers in aviation."
Miscellaneous airport and airline directories, such as a 1963 Pan Am Telephone Directory, San Francisco.

• San Francisco County Clerk (birth and death records from 1906 to 3 years ago) Vital Records and Indices Notes

City Hall, Room 162 (walk-ins), Room 168 (mail)
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place (Polk St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102-4678
telephone
hours
• Walk-ins: accepts credit/debit cards, cash, money order, and personal check payable to Department of Public Health.
• Mail: accepts money order and personal check payable to Department of Public Health.
• Birth Certificates:
• Certified copies of birth records are available from April 1906.
• Instructions and costs for ordering a birth certificate in person or by mail.
• ORDER FORM
• Death Certificates:
• Certified copies of death records are available from April 1906.
• Instructions and costs for ordering a death certificate in person or by mail.
• ORDER FORM


• San Francisco Department of Public Health (birth and death records for last 3 years only)

Office of Vital Records
101 Grove Street, Room 105
San Francisco, CA 94102
telephone
hours

• San Francisco Assessor-Recorder (marriage indexes and records, property records, and military discharge records)

City Hall, Room 109
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place (Polk St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102-4698
telephone | email | hours


• Marriage Records
• Some indexes and records are now available online in the FamilySearch collection.
• Indexes:
• 17 April 1906 to 1975 - on microfilm
• 1949-1972 - printed and bound in books
• 1976 to present - on computer
• Certified copies of marriage records are available from April 1906 to present.
• Property Records
• Some indexes and records are now available online in the FamilySearch collection.
• Property Records (deeds, notice of sale, conveyance, mortgage, lease, map, and builder's contract records): 1906 July - 1913 April, index on microfilm
• Real Estate Sales Ledger: 1914 - 1999, index on microfiche
• Recorded Documents: 1990 - present, computerized index
• San Francisco Property Information Map
• Military Discharge Records
• 1919 - 1983 (in bound books)

• San Francisco Superior Court (will, probate, divorce, naturalization, McEnerney records)

San Francisco Superior Court
Attn: Research-Room 103
400 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA  94102-4514
Phone:  415-551-3802
• Records are available in the Civil Filing Office, Room 103
• Note:  They maintain the following files:
• Probates and Wills on record from 1906. Research Tips
• Divorce records from 1906. Research Tips
• Naturalization records from 1906 to 1957.
• McEnerney Lawsuits (records of Civil Actions to establish land questions after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire). Research Tips
• Some case indexes now available online in the FamilySearch collection.

• San Francisco Medical Examiner (coroner) Research Tips

Hall of Justice
850 Bryant - North Terrace
San Francisco, CA 94103
telephone | email
Notes: records from 1906 to 1955 are located at the San Francisco Public Library--History Center. Coroner's records, pre-1905, also available at the San Francisco Public Library--History Center.

• A public library whose holdings include documents related to city, state and federal law. They also have historical copies of certain items.

• "SFPALM collects and makes accessible materials about the performing arts, with a special emphasis on documenting and preserving the San Francisco Bay Area's rich and diverse performing arts heritage from the Gold Rush to the present. Its unique Collection contains more than two million items, including books, photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, audio and video tapes, original artwork and artifacts and is open to the public without charge. SFPALM also houses the archives of many local performing arts organizations, such as the San Francisco Ballet, Opera, and Symphony, as well as the Stern Grove Festival, the Ethnic Dance Festival, Pickle Family Circus, and The Lamplighters."
• San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Records, 1911-[ongoing].

San Francisco Public Library, Main BranchResearch Tips

• San Francisco History Center (6th floor)
• telephone
• hours
• holdings (partial list)
• City Records for San Francisco
• Alcalde's Records 1846-1849 (microfilm)
• Index to City Licenses, 1850 - 1856
• Medical Examiner (Coroner) Records, 1902-1956 (bulk 1906-1956), collection information (PDF)
• Municipal Reports, 1859 to 1917 (in book form)
• Police Department Records, 1879 to 1938 (in book form)
• "A dozen volumes that list permit and license applications from 1879 to 1938, mostly for selling liquor, but also for peddling wares and driving various sorts of vehicles. Despite the wide overall date range, there are gaps; most of the record books concentrate around the years 1900-1906  . . . The restaurant license applications consist of a run of four consecutive volumes from 1900-1904. "
• Directories
• City Directories, 1850-1900, most years (microfilm)more info
• Blue Books (society registers), 1888-1931
• Reverse Address/Telephone Directories
• Jun 1933, Nov 1936, and 1940
• These are sorted by street addresses
• Miscellaneous
• Biographies, index online
• California Information File (microfiche)  (see Norcal Resource Center for description of this file)
• Sutro Library's "Family History" Catalog (microfiche)
• "Who Perished--a list of persons who died as a result of the great earthquake and fire in San Francisco on April 18, 1906" compiled by Gladys Hansen
• Note: Ms. Hansen has also graciously made this book available online.  Research Tips
• Gleanings from the 'Alta California', Marriages & Deaths, 1846-1850 by Mary Dean Alsworth
• California Surname Index: Biographies from Selected Histories by Barbara Ross Close
• Index to the Argonauts of California [by] Charles Warren Haskins by Libera Martina Spinazze
• Family Service Agency of San Francisco (aka Associated Charities) records, 1869-2004
• Newspapers
• Argonaut (1877 - 1958)
• Daily Evening Picayune (16 Sep 1851 - 12 Mar 1852)
• Elevator (Apr 1865 - 1895)
• Fireman's Journal and Military Gazette (1855 - 1859)
• Golden Era (11 Dec 1859 - 31 Dec 1871)
• Hutchings California Magazine (Jul 1856 - Apr 1861)
• Jewish Progress (15 Jan 1897 - 18 Nov 1898) Research Tips
• Jewish Times & Observer (15 Jan 1892 - 17 Feb 1911) Research Tips
• Monitor Catholic newspaper Research Tips
• (14 Dec 1861 - 05 Jan 1878; 12 Jan 1878 - 08 Oct 1884; 15 Oct 1884 - 26 Dec 1888)
• San Francisco Chronicle Index, newspaper, 1950-1980
• San Francisco Examiner Newspaper Clippings, 1901 - 1981
• San Francisco newspaper clippings, 25 Nov 1934 - 04 Aug 1965
• Santa Rosa Sonoma Democrat (22 Oct 1857 - Dec 1890)
• Weekly Gleaner (16 Jan 1857 - 18 Dec 1857)
• Photograph Collection for San Francisco
• over 300,000 historic photos at last count
• Online Photograph Collection (searchable by keyword)
• List of Photograph Collections
• San Francisco News-Call, newspaper photographs, 1910 - 1965
• Property Records more links
• Deeds-Real Property - Index (Grantee and Grantor Index 1850 - 1913, but some volumes missing; on 25 reels of microfilm) Research Tips
• Deeds-Real Property
• Magazines
• Architect and Engineer, Feb 1906 - Dec 1923; Nov 1909 - Jun 1959, index available for 1905-1928.
• California Architect and Building News, 1879 - 1899
• San Francisco Real Estate Circular, 1868 - 1942
• Research Guides (online)
• How to Research Your San Francisco Building
• Research Resources Useful for Researching Historic Buildings by William Kostura, 1997
• How to Research Your San Francisco Building by Jean Kortum, 1992
• San Francisco Block Book (1868, 1890, 1894, 1901, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910)   Research Tips
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (1886 – 1893, 1899 – 1900, 1905, 1913 – 1915, 1929, 1948-1951, 1960-1991). Research Tips
• Water Tap Records 1861 - 1937 (microfilm) Research Tips
• School Records
• San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) School Records, 1854-2003 (Bulk 1874-1978)
• collection information (pdf)
• Vital Records
• Cemetery records  Research Tips
• Epitaphs. Mission San Francisco de Asis Cemetery (Mission Dolores)
• Croatian cemetery records of San Francisco, 1849-1930
• Jugoslav cemetery records of San Francisco, 1849-1930
• J. C. O'Connor undertaker registers, 09 Nov 1882 - 10 Mar 1918
• J. C. O'Connor undertaker datebooks, 01 Jan 1907 - 31 Dec 1919
• Masonic Cemetery, alphabetic list of individuals transferred from Masonic Cemetery (LDS 975837)
• Oddfellows Cemetery, Register of Removals (LDS 975836)
• Records from tombstones in Laurel Hill Cemetery, 1853-1927
• San Francisco Cemetery Records, 1848-1863
• San Francisco, I.O.O.F. crematory records / Barbara Ross Close.
• Lone mountain, the most revered of San Francisco's hills; annals of the pioneers copied from headstones and other old records /  Ann Clark Hart.
• Census: 1860 California Federal Census Index (microfiche)
• Collateral Inheritance Tax, 18 Nov 1893- 13 Aug 1895, Aug 1905 - 23 May 1906
• Deaths
• 1906 Deaths (card index)  Research Tips
• California Death Index 1940-1987 Research Tips   (see Norcal Resource Center for description)
• Death Certificates, 01 July 1904 - 01 Dec 1904
• Probate Court Receipts, 12 Oct 1874 - 13 Apr 1894 (arranged by receipt number)
• Record of Deaths, 1865-1905 (aka Mortuary Record of the City and County of San Francisco and Register of Deaths of the City and County of San Francisco).
• Marriages
• Index to Marriage Certificates, 01 Jul 1904 - 17 Apr 1906
• Applications for Marriage Licenses, 16 Dec 1912 - 14 Jun 1915
• Index to Marriage Applications, Males, 01 Jan 1913 - 30 Jun 1915
• Re-Recorded Marriage Index 1860-1973 (index of marriage information that was "re-recorded" by the San Francisco Assessor's Office)
• Miscellaneous
• Public Welfare Department. Record of Orphans, Half-Orphans, Inc., etc. on State Aid (1903-1910) microfilm Research Tips
• Mortuary
• Case records for the following companies (pre-1920): Halsted & Co., N. Gray & Co., Gantner-Felder-Kenny, Godeau, and H.F. Suhr.
• Collection information (PDF)
• Naturalization
• #47 Supplemental Naturalization Data to and Including June 1, 1923 (in book form)
• Includes only registered voters up to 1923.
• Restoration of Naturalization (microfilm) more info
• Voter Registration
• Great Registers of Voters
• Record of Naturalized Voters, 1898 (microfilm)
• Record of Naturalized Voters, 19 Oct 1985 (microfiche)
• The Herb Caen Magazines & Newspapers Center   (5th floor)
• telephone
• hours
• obituary request
• Newspaper Indexes (see Norcal Resource Center for descriptions)
• San Francisco Call Index 1894-1899 (microfilm)
• San Francisco Newspaper Index 1904-1949 (microfiche), includes
• San Francisco Call  01 Jan 1904 to 31 Aug 1913 Research Tips
• San Francisco Chronicle  01 Sept 1913 to 31 Dec 1949
• San Francisco Examiner  01 Sept 1913 to 23 Sept 1928
• San Francisco Chronicle Index, 1950-1980
• Other Indexes
• California Information File  (microfiche)   (see Norcal Resource Center for description of this file)
• California Death Index 1905-1995  (microfilm) Research Tips Research Tips(see Norcal Resource Center for description)
• San Francisco newspapers from 1849-present (microfilm)
• San Francisco Bulletin  1 Oct 1855 to 1 Aug 1929
• San Francisco Call Bulletin  2 Sept 1929 to 31 July 1959
• San Francisco Call Post  1 April 1914 to 1 Aug 1929
• San Francisco Chronicle  1 Jan 1865 to present
• San Francisco Daily Morning Call  8 Dec 1863 to 1 Mar 1914 (note: some of the birth, marriage and death notices from this paper are indexed)
• San Francisco Examiner  1 June 1865 to present
• San Francisco News  24 Sept 1930 to 30 June 1958
• San Francisco News Call Bulletin  1 July 1958 to 11 Sept 1965
• San Francisco Shipping Guide  1 Jan 1906 to 31 Dec 1966
• California newspapers
• Alta California  4 Jan 1849 to 2 June 1891
• California Star  9 Jan 1847 to 23 Dec 1848
• Chinese World  1 Nov 1909 to 5 June 1940
• Los Angeles Daily Star  June 1870 to 27 May 1879
• Los Angeles Daily Herald  2 July 1878 to 31 Dec 1881
• Los Angeles Evening Express  1 Jan 1880 to 30 Jun 1880
• Los Angeles Star  17 May 1851 to Sep 1870 (broken)
• Los Angeles Times   4 Dec 1881 to present
• Monterey California  15 Aug 1846 to 11 Nov 1848
• San Francisco City Directories more info
• 1850 to 1861 available on microfiche - in a binder at the information desk
• 1875 to 1982 available in book form
• 1861 to 1982 available on microfilm -  in the last row of microfilm cabinets
• Haines Directories (Cross/Reverse directories)
• 1976 to 2001 - at the information desk
• San Francisco Telephone Books
• 1921 to 2001 available in book form - on the shelves near the west magazine section
• 1901 to 1992 available on microfilm - in the last row of microfilm cabinets
• Federal Census records (no indexes or soundex) for San Francisco
• 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930; and the state census for 1852.
• Oakland/Alameda City Directories (dating from 1880s onward)
• Old issues of some national newspapers and periodicals (such as New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.)
• 5th Floor
• Military Registers
• The following military registers contain information about individuals who were officers in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and National Guard (including those who were stationed at the Presidio).  Besides specific military information, birthdates and places are included.  All of the registers are located in one area in the 5th floor stacks of the library;  the call numbers are included with each reference:
• Army Register of the United States 1779-1879, 353.6 H17c
• List of Officers of the Army of the United States 1779-1900, 353.b P87
• Army Register, multiple volumes for 1908 to 1972, 353.6 UN32
• National Guard Register, multiple volumes for 1926 to 1972, 353.6 UN31
• Navy Register, multiple volumes for 1902 to 1985, 353.7 UN31r
• Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps., two volumes: July 1, 1944 and January 1, 1949, 353.7 UN31r
• Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy Reserve, multiple volumes for 1907 to 1984, 353.7 UN31r
• U.S. Coast Guard Register, multiple volumes for 1915 to 1984, 353.2 UN34r
• U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Register, multiple volumes for 1957 to 1980, 353.2 UN34r
• United States Department of State Biographic Registers
• The U.S. Dep't. of State Biographic Registers, multiple volumes for 1924 to 1974, call no. 353.1 UN3r.   These registers include biographical information about employees of the United States Department of State.
• San Francisco Public Library Catalog

The library is dedicated to commercial maritime history and focuses on sail and steam on the West Coast and in the Pacific Basin from 1520 to the present.  Some of their holdings include:

• Over 100 bibliographies
• Oral history collection containing 975 interviews
• San Francisco Directories from 1868 to 1920s
• California State Library newspaper index for Bay Area newspapers
• Whaling-related newspapers
• Logbooks from the American President, Dollar Steamship, and American Mail Lines (1925-1944)
• Vessel arrival/departure index
• Ship registers
• Photographs, manuscripts and vessel plans from the gold rush through post-World War II

Museum on-line

• "The museum contains over 8,000 titles and includes Masonic art and artifacts from California and around the world."
• They have vital information on ONLY post-1906 Freemason members.
• This information would include their name, birth date, birth state, occupation and sometimes their death date.
• Use their Lodge Locator to find local lodges to contact regarding possible records, including pre-1906.

According to the Catholic Archives in Menlo Park, San Francisco Catholic orphanage records are kept by:

Epiphany Center (Mount St. Joseph - St. Elizabeth)
100 Masonic Ave
San Francisco, CA 94115

• View gold rush artifacts such as an actual stage coach and genuine gold nuggets. Admission is free.  Special tours and educational programs are available with advance reservation.

•  San Francisco General Hospital, 1854-1966 (AR 84-30)
• According to one of the librarians, "the records in this series consist of logs, daybooks, registers -- they are volumes arranged by date, not by name. The Laguna Honda records are from 1931 only."
• We were informed that earlier records may be accessible, while older records "[d]ue to recent Federal privacy regulations brought on by HIPAA, we are not able to provide access to patient information at this time, so the records are not currently available for public use..."
• This is information is as of March 2019. If any researcher is able to gain access these records, please contact us. Thanks!