Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- San Diego County (Calif.). Office of County Recorder.
- Abstract:
- Extent:
- 51.75 cubic feet (79 oversize boxes and 19 manuscript boxes)
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
San Diego County Recorder historic birth records. San Diego County Archives
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Historic birth records consist of 79 bound and disbound volumes and 19 manuscript boxes of early birth records registered in San Diego County from 1850 through 1986, with the bulk dating from 1860 through 1956. The original geographic boundaries of San Diego County include territory encompassing present day Imperial (formed 1907), Riverside (formed 1893), Inyo (formed 1866, expanded 1872), and San Bernardino (formed 1853) Counties. Early birth records in San Diego County vary in their content and completeness. The collection is not inclusive. Early records are predominately hand-written while later records are fully typed or utilize standardized, printed forms. In addition to volumes covering the whole county, specific indexes and certificate books exist for the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, Escondido, and National City. Birth records are considered special county records per California Health and Safety Code section 102370, which state that “The local custodian of records is hereby authorized to receive original records or abstracts of records of any birth or death that were filed with any political subdivision prior to July 1, 1905, and to retain them as a special county record of the events.” Arrangement of Records Records have been arranged in three series: 1) Indexes to Birth Certificates (1850-1957), 2) Birth Certificates (1860-1986), and 3) Affidavits of Correction and Supplemental Name Reports (1909-1980). Series 1) Indexes to Birth Certificates: Consists of 44 volumes and one manuscript box. Indexes provide access points to locate individual birth registrations or certificates and they vary in the data points available. The Archives may not have certificates for each indexed entry. Some index entries include only the registrant’s full name, date of birth, and reference to the location of the certificate. Others include information about the parents such as their names and country of origin, and about the race and sex of the registrant. Early records are hand-written in ledger books with later indexes being type-written. Records are arranged alphabetically by location, then chronologically by date of registration. Within each volume, names are predominately listed alphabetically by last name. Series 2) Birth Certificates: Includes individual certificates that relay the details of births registered in San Diego County. These documents provide information on the full name of the child, the parents’ names including the mother’s maiden name, place and date of birth, sex, race, parents’ residence, and medical attendants. Later certificates may also include information on the parents’ occupations and places of birth. Some volumes contain their own indexes. This practice is common in those volumes containing birth certificates from Coronado. Whenever a birth certificate was amended or corrected, an Affidavit of Correction was registered. In some cases, the Affidavit of Correction is attached to the birth certificate. In other cases, the correction may be found in Series 3) Affidavits of Correction and Supplemental Name Reports. The location of the Affidavit of Correction is dependent upon the practices of the Office of the Recorder at the time of registration. Note that certificates in this series may not be all-inclusive as the County Recorder is the secondary holder for these records for births registered after July 1, 1905. Materials are arranged alphabetically by location, then chronologically by date of registration. The internal arrangement within each volume varies between chronological and alphabetical. Series 3) Affidavits of Correction and Supplemental Name Reports: Includes documentation to update, correct, and amend previously registered certificates of birth. A copy of the original certificate may be filed along with the affidavit, particularly in bound volumes in this series. Typical corrections include spelling corrections and the inclusion of additional details that were not captured at the time of the birth. Materials are arranged in the order received. Boxes 83-93 are bound volumes arranged chronologically by recording number, records in boxes 94-95 are in folders and are arranged by original date of birth, and those in boxes 96-98 are arranged alphabetically by last name.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk (ARCC) department consists of three divisions, the Administration Division, the Assessor Division, and the Recorder/County Clerk Division. The department is the result of the combination of three distinct county offices: the San Diego County Assessor (established 1849), County Recorder (established 1850), and County Clerk (established 1849.) The responsibilities of the Assessor's office are rooted in the Constitution of the State of California (1849). Section 13 of Article XI notes that “assessors and collectors of town, County, and State taxes, shall be elected by the qualified electors… in which the property taxed… is situated.” Chapter 43 of the statutes of the 1850 California legislature (California Stats. 1850, Ch. 43) passed “An Act concerning the office of the County Assessor,” which addressed several administrative points, among them term of office, appointment of deputies, compensation, and other administrative provisions. Further clarification regarding the duties of the County Assessor were provided in California Stats. 1852, Ch. 3 which mandates the location, identification, and valuation of all vacant land, improved real estate, and business property. This was later expanded to include certain manufactured homes, boats, and aircraft. Additionally, the Assessor's office maintains comprehensive records on all taxable properties within the boundaries of the San Diego County, including the maintenance of maps of all real property parcels. Similarly, California Stat. 1850, Ch. 58, “An Act establishing Recorders’ Offices, and defining the Duties of the Recorder and County Auditor,” was passed on April 4, 1850. The California state legislature implemented a recording system to document and preserve evidence of title to, or interest in, land. The County Recorder was tasked with the permanent recording and preservation of Official Records, defined in California Government Code section 27300 as “… permanent archival record of all instruments, papers, and notices as accepted for recording by a county recorder.” Over time, the responsibilities of the recorder evolved, adapting to changing needs and merging with the duties of other related officials. For example, in 1872, the County Recorder was designated the local registrar for birth, death, and marriage records. In July 1905 a state agency, currently the California Department of Public Heath – Vital Records unit, became the primary record holder of birth, death, and marriage records. The primary purpose of the recording system was to provide a public record of property ownership within the county and to document transfers or encumbrances affecting properties. Certain transactions in personal property were also included in the public record. This system allowed individuals intending to purchase land, the opportunity to determine the ownership and condition of a property's title in a public setting. The adopted system was based on practices in many Eastern states in 1850, which involved indexing the names of parties involved in land transactions to one volume while copying the actual document text into separate volumes. Distinct sets of indexes and volumes were allocated for each type of document, as defined by California Government Code sections 27232 through 27254. However, in 1921 the legislature authorized the use of a combined General Index for all types of documents. Section 7 of Article VI of the Constitution of the State of California (1849) established the office of the County Clerk while California Stats. 1850, Ch. 110 defined the duties of the office. The County Clerk served as the ex officio clerk of the court of sessions and probate court, attending each session of the county courts for which they held responsibility, they issued all writs, entered orders, judgments, and decrees, maintained dockets for all courts, and managed and disposed of records in accordance with the law. Additionally, the County Clerk administered oaths and accepted bonds for public officials. For a brief period beginning in 1866 with the Registry Act (California Stats. 1866, Ch. 265), the County Clerk was also responsible for recording a list of every eligible voter in the county. The Registration Act of 1858 established the first statutory provisions for the recording of births in California. This Act established a State Registrar of Vital Statistics charged with preparing and providing County Recorders with forms and books to register births. This Act was repealed in 1860, and there was no statutory guidance for the registration of births until the creation of a State Board of Health in 1869. However, it was not until 1872 that Section 3079 of the California Political Code charged County Recorders with keeping a register of births. This change led to more complete and uniform record keeping, as reflected in the San Diego County Recorder historic births records collection. Beginning on July 1, 1905, registering births was standardized by the establishment of the State Bureau of Vital Statistics. The local registrar, either the County Recorder or Health Officer, receives a Certificate of Registry of Birth from those attending the birth and later delivers the original certificate to the State Registrar. The State Registrar was thereby established as the primary record holder, and any local copies retained in the County were secondary copies (California Stats. 1905, Ch. CX). Subsequent legislation consolidated initial registration with various Health Departments, with copies filed with the County Recorder. The Health and Safety Code was established in 1939 and continues to serve as the location for all statutes concerning vital records and statistics. Current statutes are in the Health and Safety Code, Division 102, Sections 102100-103925. As of June 2024, the California Department of Public Health – Vital Records is the designated state agency. In 1990, an amendment to the San Diego County Charter was proposed with the intent of consolidating the responsibilities of the County Clerk and County Recorder into a single entity. A special election was called, and this merger was subsequently approved by the voters, leading to its implementation in 1991. A further amendment was proposed in 1993, aiming to consolidate the Recorder/County Clerk with the Assessor. This amendment was also approved by the voters, resulting in the establishment of the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk under the leadership of a single elected official in 1995. Today, the County Clerk in San Diego County continues to perform essential functions as defined in California Government Code sections 26801 through 26810, including the acceptance of filings for fictitious business names and notary public oaths and bonds, the issuance of marriage licenses, and conducting civil marriage ceremonies. Note that the original geographic boundaries of San Diego County included territory in present-day Imperial (formed 1907), Riverside (formed 1893), Inyo (formed 1866, expanded 1872), and San Bernardino (formed 1853) Counties.
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Access is restricted. For access information, please contact the San Diego County Archives staff at archives@sdcounty.ca.gov.
- Preferred citation:
-
San Diego County Recorder historic birth records. San Diego County Archives
- Location of this collection:
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10144 Mission Gorge RoadSantee, CA 92071, US
- Contact:
- (619) 237-0502