Genealogy Resources

From the Barnum House Archive

The Research Center is open to visitors
Wednesday through Friday, 12:30-6:30 pm.

Masks are required.


Milota Biographical Files
Newspaper articles about Humboldt County residents organized alphabetically by last name, compiled by Marilyn Milota. This collection is a great place to begin a genealogical investigation. 

Indexes to  Humboldt County Courthouse Records
Death Records (1852-1947), Birth Records (1850-1949), Marriage Records (1854-1964)
These indexes were compiled by Marilyn Milota using original certificates from the Humboldt County Courthouse archive. Official copies of death, birth, and marriage certificates may be procured from the Courthouse Vital Records Department. 

Abstracts of Humboldt Times-Standard Obituaries
(1850-2003)

Census Indexes
Humboldt County Census (1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930), Klamath County Census (1860), "Indian Census" (1905-06)

Humboldt County and Eureka City Directories
(1877, 1884-86, 1895-96, 1898-99, 1902-present)
Directories list residents of each Humboldt County town, describe resident occupation and homeowner information, and include descriptions of historic townships and business advertisements.

Mary Major, Hupa tribe. Undated. A.W. Ericson photo. According to Ericson, the temperature was over 110 degrees when this was taken.

Barnum Family Wedding

Great Registers (Voting & Tax Registers)
(1853-54, 1866-75, 1884, biannually 1888-1950, 1958)
Demographic information described by the registers changes year-to-year and may include residency, naturalization, birth, and occupation information. 

Yearbook Collection
Arcata High School's Advance (1901-1990), Eureka High School's Sequoia (1903-1999), Ferndale High School's Tomahawk (1908-1958), South Fork High School's Redwood Log (1936-1978), Fortuna High School's Megaphone (1910-1963), St. Bernard High School's Crusader (1958-2000), and Assorted Middle and Elementary School Yearbooks

Index to Naturalization Records
(1854-1991) Naturalization information for Humboldt County residents naturalized locally and non-locally. 

Ship Passenger Lists
(1850-1875) Passenger lists of people who traveled from San Francisco to Eureka by steamship. 

Wills
(1855-1931) Copies of wills filed at the Humboldt County Courthouse upon execution. Index available for download as a pdf.

Family Histories
(1850-Current) Over seventy-five local family histories, written mostly by family members doing research on their own family history. These can range in size and scope from a small folder to a bound volume or volumes.

We offer research service for genealogical researchers who are not able to visit us in person. For $25/hour ($15 for members) our research assistant is available to piece together relevant documents and notes related to your genealogical inquiry. Submit a research request