Collection Guide
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Los Angeles Area Court Records
mssLAACR
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Los Angeles area court records
Creator:
California. Superior Court (Los Angeles
County)
Identifier/Call Number: mssLAACR
Physical Description:
2084.95 Linear Feet
(4829 boxes, 538 volumes, 11 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1850-1911
Abstract: This collection contains historical
court case files, minute books, and supporting materials, dating from 1850-1911, from Los
Angeles area courts that have been placed on long-term deposit at the Huntington
Library.
Language of Material: English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information. NOT AVAILABLE: Series 10, Box 3; Series 11,
Boxes 15-16. These 3 boxes do not circulate due to possible mold contamination.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Los Angeles area court records, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Placed on deposit by Los Angeles County Archival Center, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014, 2022.
In 1996 the Los Angeles Superior Court placed historical case files for the period
1850-1879 on long-term deposit at the Huntington Library. These are considered the "First
Era" court materials, since they were created under Los Angeles courts' first administrative
structure.
The materials put on deposit at the Huntington comprise:
- 1st/17th District Court of California: Civil cases, 214 archival boxes, case #1-5431 (with gaps) (1850-1879); Tax suits/taxes, 1 archival box, case #51-122 (with gaps) (1869-1871)
- Los Angeles County Court: Civil cases, 35 archival boxes, case #2-1205 (with gaps) (1850-1879)
- Los Angeles Probate Court, First Series: 56 archival boxes, case #1-1222½ (with gaps) (1850-1879)
- Los Angeles Criminal: 28 boxes (1851, 1861- 1893)
- Los Angeles Justices Court, Criminal: 6 archival boxes (1855, 1861-1895)
- Los Angeles Justices Court, Civil, 2 archival boxes (1862-1875)
- Los Angeles Superior Court – Civil, case #2-75782 (with gaps, 1880-June 1910. Includes a scattering of Probate: Second Series and Criminal cases that were overlooked at the time of the retroactive creation of a separate series for each in 1893 and 1887 respectively): 3543 archival boxes (with gaps; 1880-1910)
- Los Angeles Superior Court – Probate: Second Series: 230 archival boxes, case #12- 18903 (with gaps; 1880-1892). Note that these case numbers were assigned when the cases were part of the Superior Court, Civil, series, and were not changed when the cases were removed in 1893 to create this artificial series.
- Los Angeles Superior Court – Probate: Current: 283 archival boxes, case #167-4004 (with gaps; 1893-1900)
- Items removed from the various series for conservation or rehousing: 62 archival boxes
NOTE: The criminal cases from the Los Angeles County Justices Court after 1880 (to 1895)
are combined with criminal cases from the criminal courts of the first era, 1851-1879 to
create one series with thirty-four boxes.
After 1996, additional material was subsequently transferred to the Huntington, notably in
May and September 2002. The transferred volumes have been integrated into the "First Era" of
this listing. The case files usually are listed at the end of the entry for each court
jurisdiction.
Beginning in 2008 and 2014 [consisting chiefly of ledgers], the Court initiated a major
addition to the collection, constituting the "Second Era" below, by placing on long-term
deposit the surviving case files and supporting materials of the Superior Court itself:
Civil series (1880-June 30, 1910); Probate: Second Series (1880-1892); Probate: Current
(1893-1900). In addition, volumes from the Justice courts in the townships of Los Angeles
and Long Beach have been included along with some miscellaneous volumes listed at the end of
the main text of the finding aid.
In 2022, materials related to Los Angeles County Grand Jury activities were added,
including reports, minutes, receipts, and accounting information.
Richard Courtney collection, Huntington Library (unprocessed collection)
Justice (sic) Court, Los Angeles ledger, 1887, February 15-June 15
(Call number: mssHM 80285)
There are an additional 8 archival boxes of Criminal and Probate series material at the
Seaver Center, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, in its collection no. 1164,
Alcalde/ Los Angeles County Court Records (1830-1863). This material also has been noted
within this finding aid as Related Material notes.
In addition, there are related civil and criminal registers from the Downey Judicial
District, 1871-1894, at the Downey Historical Society
(http://downeyhistoricalsociety.org/projects.htm ).
The California Judiciary Act of 1851 established a court system that consisted of District,
County, and Justice of the Peace courts. Los Angeles was a part of a district that also
included San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. District courts had jurisdiction in civil
cases where the disputed value exceed two hundred dollars, criminal cases, and probate
disputes. The State Constitution 1879 replaced the district system with Supreme Court,
District Courts of Appeal, and Superior Courts established for each county in the state.
Justices of the peace and county justices served in different city and county courts,
including Justices courts and county courts.
A collection of historical cases that the Los Angeles Superior Court placed on long-term
deposit at the Huntington Library in 1996. Additional material was subsequently transferred
to the Huntington in 2002 and interfiled with the main collection. In 2008, the Court made a
major addition to the collection by placing on long-term deposit the surviving case files
and supporting materials of the Superior Court itself: Civil (1880-June 30, 1910); Probate:
Second Series (1880-1892); Probate: Current Series (May 20, 1893-Sep. 25, 1900). The
collection includes cases filed in the 1st and 17th District Court of California; Los
Angeles County Court, Los Angeles Probate Court, Los Angeles criminal, Los Angeles Justices
Court, and Superior and Probate Courts both civil and probate. In 2022, materials related to
Los Angeles County Grand Jury activities were added, including reports, minutes, receipts,
and accounting information. 1st/17th District Court of California: civil cases case #
1-5431, with gaps Mar. 1851-1879, also plaintiff and defendant indices registers of actions
judgment books 1875-1879, judgment dockets 1876 - 1879, minute books (1860-1879), judgment
books (1854-1877), and miscellaneous records.
To find the case number for cases filed before February 1, 1901, one can use the plaintiff-
defendant database available online through the
Huntington Digital Library.
This database
includes only case files that are physically located at the Huntington Library. A
significant number of case files have not survived and are not in the database. For the case
numbers of later cases, one needs to consult the appropriate index volumes. Once one has the
case number, the case can be ordered for review through the Ahmanson Reading Room.
The series are open to the general public during regular Huntington business hours on the
same basis as when they were kept at the Los Angeles County Archival Center, namely one case
file at a time. Scholars approved for manuscript privileges according to normal Huntington
screening procedures will have access to the case file. Photocopies are available at rates
equal to or less than current comparable rates at the Los Angeles County Archival Center. In
some cases, the fragile condition of individual items may necessitate prior conservation
work and/or reproduction by photography rather than by photocopying/flat bed scanning. Some
of these were removed during the inventory process and placed in a separate "Items Removed"
series, itemized in the Appendix to this finding aid. In addition, several series of volumes
of indices, registers, judgment books, etc., far from complete but all that survive, are
also available to all.
Note: Some case files may be incomplete.
Note: Materials received in 2014, chiefly consisting of ledgers, are currently not
available for paging due to conservation issues.
Organized into first and second eras in the following series:
- Series 1. 1st/17th District Court of California: Civil (213 boxes)
- Series 2. Los Angeles County Court: Civil (35 boxes)
- Series 3. Los Angeles County Probate, First Series (56 boxes)
- Series 4. Los Angeles County: Criminal (37 boxes). NOTE: Cases from first era (1851-1879) and second era Los Angeles County Justices Court (1880-1895) are combined in this series.
- Series 5. Los Angeles County Justices Court: Civil (3 boxes)
- Series 6. Superior Court: Civil (3,894 boxes)
- Series 7. Superior Court: Probate, Second Series (230 boxes)
- Series 8. Superior Court: Probate, Current Series (284 boxes)
- Series 9. Items removed: District Court cases (8 boxes)
- Series 10. Items removed: Superior Court cases (55 boxes)
- Series 11. Miscellaneous (indexes, loose and unnumbered files, etc.) (16 boxes)
- First Era volumes 1-97
- Second Era volumes 1-439 (includes Los Angeles Township and Long Beach Township)
In addition, there are volumes from Los Angeles County (miscellaneous); and Los Angeles
City: Police Court.
- Reports, minutes, receipts, and accounting information (1 box)
Former call number: mssLos Angeles court records
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Seven case files in Series 6 were treated for mold in 2015. They have been returned to
their boxes in marked envelopes and are available for use.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Courts -- California -- Los Angeles County -- History --
Sources
Justice, Administration of, -- California -- Los Angeles County --
History -- Sources
California, Southern -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Los Angeles County (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century --
Sources
Judicial records -- California -- 19th century
Finding aids.
California. Superior Court (Los Angeles
County).
California. District Court (1st Judicial District)
California. District Court (17th Judicial District)
Los Angeles County (Calif.)