Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History - They Have Records!

As usual, I come across these jackpots of great information whilst clicking away aimlessly looking for I know not what.

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History has a collection of Santa Cruz County Records from 1850 to the present.  You will have to visit in person to see most of the collection, but they have put a few of them online:

PUBLIC WORKS (1886 – 1955)

SERIES I.:  Civil Engineers and Licensed Surveyors (1933 – 1944)

Subseries I.A.:  California News Bulletins for registered civil engineers (1937 – 1944)
Subseries I.B.:  State Board of Registration for Civil Engineers (1933 – 1939)

SERIES II.:  County Building Records (1889 – 1925)

Subseries II.A.:  County Court House (1900 – 1925)
Subseries II.B.:  County Hall of Records (1924 – 1925)
Subseries II.C.:  County Jail (1889 – 1900)

SERIES III.:  Building Contracts (1886 – 1892)

SERIES IV:  County Clerk and Commissioner of Roads (1904 – 1955)

SERIES V.:  Blueprints and Maps

SERIES VI.:  Certificates for the Sale of Real Estate (1913 – 1914)

POLICE, SHERRIFF AND COURTS (1850 – 1952)

SERIES I.  Register of Arrests, 1876 – 1897

SERIES II.  Santa Cruz County Prison Register, 1884 – 1895

SERIES III.   City of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz, Police Court (1933 – 1952)

SERIES IV.   Santa Cruz Judicial Township, Santa Cruz County, California, Justice’s Court (1928 – 1952)

SERIES V.   Santa Cruz Judicial Township, Santa Cruz County, California, Justice’s Court (1952)

SERIES VI.   City of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz, Police Court (1933 – 1952)

SERIES VII.   Santa Cruz Judicial Township, Santa Cruz County, California, Justice’s Court (1928 – 1952)

SERIES VIII.   Record of the Probate Court (1873 – 1875)

SERIES IX.  Certification by Judge of Superior Court for the County of Santa Cruz (1880 – 1907)

SERIES X.  Probate and Miners Court Ledger (1850 – 1950)

SERIES XI.  Coroner's Inquest Records (1901 – 1939)  Scroll down the page and there is a link for a spreadsheet download of these records.

COUNTY TREASURER (1871 – 1984)

SERIES I.   Assessment Notices (1977 – 1984)

SERIES II.   Bond Registers (1954 – 1981)

SERIES III.   Abstract of County Court House Property (1927)

SERIES IV.   Assessment of Property for 1871 & 1873

SERIES V.   Santa Cruz County Treasurer – County Fund Ledger (1916 – 1926)

SERIES VI.   California State Board of Equalization – Board Roll of State Assessed Property for Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY RECORDS INVENTORY (1977 – 1978)

COUNTY CLERK (1866 – 1976)

SERIES I.  Candidate Statements – Record of Income and Expenses for Candidates (1894 – 1956)

SERIES II.  Burial Permits (1897 – 1914)  There is a link for a spreadsheet download of these records

SERIES III.  Voter Registration (1866 – 1976)  There are links to many of these registers

SERIES IV.  Naturalization Records (1871 – 1927)

Subseries IV.A.  Declaration of Intention
Subseries IV.B.  Petition and Record of Naturalization
Subseries IV.C.  Naturalization Citizenship Certificates

SERIES V.  Marriage Applications (1900 – 1975)

COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES (1860s – 1939)

SERIES I.:  Medical License Register (1876 – 1939)

SERIES II.:  Register for County Hospital (1873 – 1928)

SERIES III.:  Prescription Scrapbooks for Palmer Drug Company/Palmer Prescription Druggist (1897 – 1910)

SERIES IV.  Santa Cruz County Court Commitments to State Mental Hospitals (circa 1860s – 1900)   There is a link to a spreadsheet download of these records

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

705 Front Street

Santa Cruz, California

Open Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Open Fridays until 9:00 PM

Got Sacramento German Ancestry?

Got Sacramento German Ancestry?

Sacramento Turn Verein 1874

For 160 years, the Turn Verein (pronounced “TOORN-fair-ine”) has served as the center for German traditions in Sacramento. Founded in 1854, this historic club is where locals with German ancestry—and those with an interest in German culture—congregate to socialize, study German language, celebrate, exercise, and carry on revered German customs. 

Originally a gymnastics club (that’s what Turn Verein means, in German), the Sacramento Turn Verein is the oldest still-active institution in the capital city—and continues to uphold the organizations original mantra: Frisch, Fromm, Fröhlich, Frei (Lively, Pious, Merry, Free).

After the failure of the 1848 uprising  in which called on citizens to free themselves from the rule of monarchy, the Germans who emigrated to the United States, called the “Forty-Eighters,” carried with them the Turnverein culture.  By this time the focus had turned toward more non-gymnastic activities such as funding libraries and reading rooms.

In the early 1990's, Dr. Jon Ingelman proposed rescuing all the letters, photographs, club records, photographs and other memorabilia that was in the basement of the building.  From this comes an incredible amount of archival material which is now in the library.

Turn Verein German-American Cultural Center Library

3349 J  Street

Sacramento, Ca  95816

(916) 442-7360

Open Tuesdays and Saturdays 10:00 am until Noon