This catalog of Collections at the County Archives includes a listing of records and materials housed and available for research and viewing in our reading room by appointment. Please contact us to book an appointment. Please visit the Clerk-Recorder’s Office website for records indicating to contact their office.

This Naturalization Index lists 8,000 individuals naturalized in Santa Clara County courts from 1850 to 1934. Each entry may include the name of the person naturalized, their nationality, the date of admission, the court in which they were naturalized, and a book and page reference.

The Archives does not hold any naturalization records, which are in the custody of the Santa Clara County Superior Court at 191 N. First Street, San Jose. The County's Declarations of Intention from 1850 to 1930 have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, and the microfilm should be available through Family History Centers. A copy of the microfilm also may be viewed at the California State Archives in Sacramento.

The County Photographers' Collection consists of over 57,000 images which depict a wide array of the County's activities and development between 1950 and 1993. The pictures include aerial photographs of rural and urban parts of the county; portraits, award ceremonies, and retirement functions of county officials and employees; interior and exterior construction progress of various county buildings, such as the county government center, county service center, juvenile center, public and mental health centers, county jails and hospitals; and a variety of photographs that include the airports, schools, courts, and parks throughout the county. Of the 57,000 images, approximately 50,000 are negatives, 2,500 slides, and 4,500 prints. The photographs are available for viewing at the County Archives. For additional information about the collection, please see the description in the http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt00002317

The County Probate Cases Collection consists of approximately 2,100 cases heard by the Probate Court between May 1893 and September 1908, and 144 sets of probate vouchers that range from 1901 to 1913, and 1965 to 1967. Each case includes those papers filed with the court as part of the proceedings. Files may include wills, detailed lists of property, collections of claims by creditors, and various legal papers. Files may provide extensive information about the decedent, about costs for the period, and about the operation of a farm, business, or profession. This collection does not include all cases heard by the Probate Court in the period 1893 to 1908; there are a number of gaps and missing cases.

You may search the probate cases collection using the index below. Each entry includes the name of the decedent, the case number, the date of filing, and, often. additional remarks. The case files are available at the County Archives.

The County Office of Planning Photograph, Slide and Film Collection consists of 1,264 photographs, approximately 3,600 slides and two films. The contents of the collection visually document Santa Clara County from 1906 to 1980, with the bulk of the collection ranging from 1950 to 1970. The collection contains aerial views of the County, commercial development, housing, historical landmarks, industries, parks, public facilities, transportation, agriculture, and people. The collection concentrates on the development of the county, such as new housing developments, commercial developments, and park and recreation development. The purpose of this collection may have been to collect visuals for brochures and presentations. Currently only the photographs have been cataloged.

For additional information about the collection, please see the description in the Online Archives of California (http://www.oac.cdlib.org).

You may search the collection holdings for pictures of specific subjects, locations, or date by using the index below. Generally, it is preferable to use the singular rather than the plural for a subject in a search (for example, "airport" rather than "airports"). The photographs are available for viewing at the County Archives.

The following search terms are prominent in the collection and can serve as a beginning point for exploring the collection.

Aerial, Agriculture, Air Pollution, Airplanes, Apartments, Areas of the County, Churches, Civic Center, Commercial, County Parks, Display Models, Earthquakes and Floods, Erosion and Benching, Farming Activities, Garbage Dumps, Gas Stations, Hillside Development, Historical Landmarks, Industrial, Industry, Local Streets and Highways, Offices, Orchards, Parks and Recreation, People, Public Facilities, Recreational Activities, Residential, Santa Clara County Fair, Schools and Colleges, Shopping Centers, Single Stores, Skyline, Special Problems, Subdivisions, Traffic, Trails and Pathways, Transportation, Utilities.

The Map Books consist of approximately 5,900 maps recorded with the county dating from circa 1850 to 1957. Recorded documents include subdivisions, surveys of property, cemetery plans, and other maps. Information on each map includes date recorded, person recorded for, and title of survey. Additional information may include notarized statement by property owner, statement by licensed surveyor, notice of approval by board of supervisors, and additional approvals by county or city officials. These maps are bound into 108 volumes. The archives have volumes A through Z, and volumes 1 through 82. Volumes not included are 44, 46, 48, 50, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 66, 68, 71, 73, 76, and 81.

The Coroner Inquests Collection consists of 9,600 reports of corner inquests from 1891 to 1932. Coroner inquests were made to establish a cause of death. Each inquest record includes basic information about the subject of the inquest (name, age, country of birth, and residence at time of death), date of death, and the cause of death established by the inquest. Additional remarks or notes also are sometimes present.
You may search the coroner inquests collection using the index below. Each index entry includes the name of the deceased, his or her birthplace, age, residence at death, date of death, and volume and page location. The Corner Registers, which contain the inquest reports, are available at the County Archives. Additional information about any inquest also may be obtained by contacting the Archives by e-mail or phone.