Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library
The Sonoma County Library's local history and genealogy materials are
housed in the Annex, a building located directly behind the Central Santa
Rosa Library.
Local History and Genealogy Annex
Sonoma County Library
211 E St
Santa Rosa 95404
(Behind Central Library, corner of Third & E Streets)
(707) 545-0831 ext. 1562
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10 to 6 PM
Map of Santa Rosa with the Central Library Starred
Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library brochure
What's new at the Annex? Find out on the
Local History & Genealogy blog
News, highlights of our collections of photographs and postcards, historical notes.
Latest Additions to our online services
- GenealogyBank - Genealogy Library only
Find local news from small-town newspapers dating as far back as 1690. Research in local histories, military records, and other hard-to-find documentation of family history. - San Francisco Chronicle 1865-1922 - Genealogy Library only
Search through the full text of early issues, and see exact copies of the articles as printed on the original pages of the Chronicle. - Sonoma Heritage Collections
Albums of photographs, maps, postcards, and more from the collections of the Library, the Sonoma County Archives, and the Sonoma County Fair. - Guides to Archives
Research Sonoma County history in the archives! Use these guides to locate and identify Sonoma County Archives historical sources for your research.
Local History Resources
- Books at the Annex
- Several thousand books on Sonoma County History, most of which have been indexed in the below index. The books can also be searched by title, author, and subject in the main Library Catalog.
Sonoma County Historical Society- Local group works on preservation activities and publishes monographs and a quarterly journal.
Sonoma County Local History Index- The Sonoma County History Index - a database searchable by subject (places, names, events, etc.) - is a Sonoma County local history researcher's tool of first choice. It is a detailed index to names, places, and events contained in the several thousand books in the local history collection.
Sonoma County Records- Includes deeds, mortages, wills and probate records, assessments of property, voter registration, oaths of office, surveys, maps, corporation records, business licenses and more. Most materials are stored at the Sonoma County Archives and must be brought from the Archives to the Library for your use. Call 545-0831, ext. 562, with any questions, or to request materials. Please allow five business days for volumes to be delivered to the library.
Obituaries at the Annex- Selected index to Sonoma County obituaries from 1855-1912.
Newspapers at the Annex- Sonoma County Newspapers from 1857 on.
Census at the Annex- U.S. Census for California 1850 to 1920; Indexes for other states and Canada from 1790 on.
City Directories at the Annex- California city directories from 1850 on; Sonoma County Directories from 1874 on.
Materials for Researching a Sonoma County house- include city directories, published histories, newspapers, maps
Photographs- Tens of thousands of photographs of Sonoma County's rich history. Most are
listed in our library catalog and many have been scanned for online viewing.
High-quality photographic reproductions are available for all of these
photographs. Some of these images have been collected and
are available for sale in a book titled Treasures of the Sonoma County
Library Photographic Collection. Call or visit the Sonoma County History
and Genealogy Library to order a copy.
- Ordering photo reproductions
- Historical photograph sampler
- Connect to the library catalog to search and view photos online (use Advanced Search to limit by "Photograph")
Genealogy Resources
Core subscription research databases
- HeritageQuest
Available at the History and Genealogy Library and all branches of the Sonoma County Library. You may also use it from home with your library card number. More information - Ancestry - in Library only
Available at the History and Genealogy Library and all branches of the Sonoma County Library. More information - GenealogyBank - Genealogy Library only
Find local news from small-town newspapers dating as far back as 1690. Research in local histories, military records, and other hard-to-find documentation of family history. - San Francisco Chronicle 1865-1922 - Genealogy Library only