Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Merced County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Newspapers
- Atwater Signal (Atwater, Calif.)1911-Current
- Delhi Record (Delhi, Merced County, Calif.)1924-19??
- Hilmar Enterprise (Hilmar, Calif.)1937-1942
- Hilmar Enterprise (Turlock, Calif.)1919-1929
- Hilmar-Irwin Enterprise (Hilmar, Calif.)1929-1936
- Merced County Tribune (Merced, Cal.)1872-1872
- Merced Express (Merced, Calif.)1875-19??
- Merced Messenger (Merced [Calif.])1880-1???
- Merced Morning Star (Merced, Calif.)1921-1925
- Merced People (Merced, Merced County, Calif.)1872-1???
- Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)1925-Current
- Merced Tribune (Merced, Cal.)1872-1875
- Merced Weekly Herald (Merced, Calif.)1887-1???
- Planada Enterprise (Planada, Merced County, Calif.)1912-1928
- San Joaquin Valley Argus (Snelling, Merced County, Cal.)1869-18??
- The Colonist (Stevinson, Calif.)1911-19??
- The Colony News (Stevinson, Calif.)1911-19??
- The Foot-Hill News (Snelling, Cal.)1892-1???
- The Gustine Standard (Gustine, Merced County, Calif.)1910-1995
- The Merced Herald (Snelling, Cal.)1868-1869
- The Merced Star (Merced, Merced County, Cal.)1880-1921
- The Mercedian (Merced, Calif.)1942-1942
- The Mercedian (Merced, California)1942-1942
- Weekly Merced Herald (Snelling, Merced County, Calif.)1865-1868
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected newspaper titles cataloged by the Library of Congress with explicit county geography. Priority is given to titles beginning by 1950; up to five later titles are included where no earlier dated title is listed for that county. Dates describe publication history, not the issues available at a library. Multiple format records with the same title, place and dates are grouped. The catalog may describe paper, microfilm or online resources. Open ends and the word Current reflect the catalog description; confirm present availability and exact holdings with the libraries listed on the linked record.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Find Merced County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county recorder and the superior court.
- The county recorder
Deeds and other land records, and copies of birth, death and marriage records registered in the county.
- The superior court
Probate (wills and estates), divorces, adoptions and civil cases; older files may be at the county archives or historical society.
- The California State Archives
In Sacramento: state government records, including some court and prison records. The Great Registers of voters on microfilm are at the California State Library, also in Sacramento.
- California State Archivesfree
The state archives in Sacramento, with state government records, legislative papers and other collections.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "California, Merced" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Mariposa County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Mariposa County
Later formed partly from Merced County: Fresno County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1855, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
California began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1905. For the years before, look at the county's own registers, church records, and the Great Registers of voters (from 1866), which give each voter's age, birthplace and naturalization.