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Genealogy, Articles, Obituaries & Records
Looking for an Obituary?
Print copies of local newspapers are kept at library branches for 6 months, after which they can be viewed on microfilm. Butte County Library also maintains microfilm collections of historic Butte County Newspapers back to 1854.
Unable to Come into a Branch?
Fill out our online Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form. An Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form (PDF) version of this is also available for download if you prefer to mail it in.
Looking for a Newspaper Article?
Print copies of local newspapers are kept at library branches for 3 months, after which they can be viewed on microfilm. Butte County Library also maintains microfilm collections of historic Butte County Newspapers back to 1854.
Unable to Come Into a Branch?
Fill out our online Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form. An Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form (PDF) version of this is also available for download if you prefer to mail it in.
NewsBank Presents: America's News, HeritageHub & Black Life in America
- Access World News: Explore and stay informed on local, national and international topics, people and events with information from credible, vetted U.S. and global news sources.
- Black Life In America: The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.
- Heritage Hub: Explore genealogical records from 1704 – today, including hard-to-find obituary content from the mid 1900’s, coverage from all 50 states, and original obituary images from historical newspapers.
Access World News and Black Life in America: Explore and stay informed on local, national and international topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from around the world to around the corner.
HeritageHub: Explore genealogical records from 1704 through today, including hard-to-find obituary content from the mid 1900's, coverage from all 50 states, and original obituary images from historical newspapers.
Learn how to navigate NewsBank:
The Library subscribes to the:
- Chico Enterprise‐Record
- Oroville Mercury‐Register
- Paradise Post
- Gridley Herald
- Chico News and Review
Print copies of newspapers are kept for 3 months, after which they can be viewed on microfilm.
Microfilm reader-printers are available in the Chico and Oroville branches, and are available for one-hour use per day. Paradise Branch's microfilm reader is not available at this time. Gridley Branch does not have a microfilm reader. Upon request, Paradise Post and Gridley Herald microfilm will be sent to either Chico or Oroville for viewing. Each newspaper has a full year on one reel. Two reels can be requested at one time.
The Library also maintains microfilm collections of historic Butte County Newspapers back to 1854.
Unable to Come Into a Branch?
Fill out our online Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form. An Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form (PDF) version of this is also available for download if you prefer to mail it in.
If you have your own microfiche or microfilm to view, you may bring it in to view on a library reader.
Additional Online Resources
Newspaper Archives
- Digital Reel from CSU, Chico has digitized Butte County newspapers (1851 - 1922). Note: Select "Digital Reel" from the A to Z Database List
- Google News Archives provides access to digitized newspapers, including the Chico Weekly Courant (November 18, 1865 to October 30, 1868)
- Discover America's Story has a newspaper archive of the Gridley Herald (1977 to present)
- The California Digital Newspaper Collection is a freely accessible repository of digitized California newspapers from 1846 to the Present
Current Newspapers
Local
State
The Internet Archive
Our Internet Archive page is part of the California Revealed project of the California Preservation Program. In 2017, with grant funding provided by the California State Library, and in partnership with the Butte County Historical Society, the Butte County Library was able to upload 226 historic photo images, 42 audio files of oral history interviews, 1 movie and the searchable text of an 1878 business and residential directory that covers 7 Northern California counties.
Organizations Maintaining Butte County History / Genealogy Collections
Butte County Historical Society
1749 Spencer Avenue
P.O. Box 2195
Oroville, CA 95966
Phone: 530-533-9418
Paradise Genealogical Society
5587 Scottwood Road
P.O. Box 460
Paradise, CA 95967
Phone: 530-877-2330
Meriam Library Special Collections, CSU, Chico
Meriam Library 305
Chico, CA 95929
Phone: 530-898-6342
Offers Historical Butte County City Directories online in PDF format.
Yankee Hill Historical Society
11666 Concow Road
Yankee Hill, CA 95965
Phone: 530-533-4132
- California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project for the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research at the University of California at Riverside
- RootsWeb - Comprehensive set of free resources
- WorldConnect Project - Search family trees, including 480 million names
- USGenWeb Project - State by state resource listings
- GenForum - Connect to others searching a surname or location
- Cyndi's List - Categorized and cross-referenced index to genealogical resources
- Search Ellis Island Immigration Records - Ellis Island and Castle Garden (pre-Ellis Island) immigration records
- Find a Grave - Search grave and cemetery records
- Interment.net - Search for cemetery records
- Chronicling America - Library of Congress site about historic American newspapers
- FamilySearch - Family history and genealogy records
- U.S. Board on Geographic Names - Federal organization that maintains standard place names
- National Archives and Records Administration - Archive of federal documents, including census records. Find locations and holdings of the National Archives
- Durham, California's Preserved and Digitized Media
Additional Resources
- Visit the Butte County Clerk-Recorder for copies of vital records
- Historical Butte County City Directories, in a partnership with California State University (CSU), Chico
- For deaths between 1940 and 1997, please check California Death Records
- The Social Security Death Index is also available online
- The Butte County Library collection also contains numerous local histories. Some of these books include biographies of prominent local residents. Due to the fragile condition of these books, articles will sometimes need to be typed rather than photocopied. Contact the library for details
- Lahontan Images has compiled a death index for the Butte Weekly Democrat, 1859 to 1862
- Pre-1905 Butte County Death Index on RootsWeb
- Paradise Genealogical Society Obituary Index
Butte County Vital Records Index (1854 to 1897)
The Butte County Library maintains a vital records index to local newspapers from 1854 through approximately 1897 at the Oroville Branch. Library volunteers can copy newspaper articles once the date of an event is known. Fill out our online Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form. An Obituary/Newspaper Article Request Form (PDF) version of this is also available for download if you prefer to mail it in.
Search by last name:
Newspaper Abbreviations
- WBR - Weekly Butte Record
- OM - Oroville Mercury
- WOR - Weekly Oroville Register
- DOR - Daily Oroville Register
- CE - Chico Enterprise
- WCR - Weekly Chronicle-Record
- WCRC - Weekly Chico Record-Chronicle
- NE - Northern Enterprise
- BR - Butte Record
- WOM - Weekly Oroville Mercury
- GH - Gridley Herald