Expeditions from Mexico, Spain, Russia and England visited California from 1540 to 1792. The first permanent settlement was made in 1769 by Spaniards on San Diego Bay. Spanish and Mexican settlers began developing the area along the coast. An American sailing vessel first reached the coast in 1796. In 1839 a Swiss, John Augustus Sutter, established the "Kingdom of New Helvetia" in the Sacramento River Valley. Americans began arriving in large numbers in 1841. Spain controlled California until 1822 when it was turned over to Mexico. In 1848 Mexico ceded California to the United States. "Gold Fever" struck all sections of the United States and every county in Europe when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. Population increased from 15,000 to 250,000 in a short time.

We're excited to bring you a brand-new project featuring genealogical data for all counties in the state of California. What we need, first and foremost, is someone who would like to be the State Administrator for California. We will also need interested parties to take on County Administrator jobs for the counties in California. If you have an interest in becoming the State Administrator, or adopting any of these counties, we hope you'll join us. Contact information is provided at the bottom of the page if you would like to join a fun project and help the genealogical community.

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For information about becoming the State Administrator for California, contact either Germaine Palmer Hubacka or Gail Meyer Kilgore.

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