The San Joaquin Genealogical Society and The San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum have partnered to offer the First Families of San Joaquin County Certificate Program.
We hope to celebrate the contributions of early settlers who built the communities of San Joaquin County and recognize their descendants who who provide a wealth of genealogical information and lineage charts deepening our understanding of the history of our county.
One 8½" x 11” certificate will be issued for each qualifying ancestor. The certificate will be inscribed with the name of the ancestor, the date that ancestor settled in San Joaquin County, and the name of the applicant descended from the ancestor. Certificates were redesigned in September 2018, and are numbered, signed, and suitable for framing.
We hope that you will join in our effort to enrich our historical records and preserve the rich lineage of San Joaquin County.
Categories of First Families
- Founding Families - Settled in San Joaquin County before 1860
- Pioneer Families - Settled in San Joaquin County between 1860 and 1880
- Century Families - Settled in San Joaquin County for at least 100 years
Application Process
Anyone with the appropriate lineage ties to San Joaquin County may apply for a First Families certificate. Applicants do not need to be current county residents. Applications may be submitted at any time and will be processed throughout the year. A separate application is required for each certificate requested.
The application fee is $10 for members of the San Joaquin Genealogical Society or the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum, and $15 for non-members. The application fee is non-refundable.
Incorrect or incomplete applications cannot be processed. You will be notified if you need to provide corrections or additional information. Applications not approved will remain “pending.” You may reactivate a pending application without additional fees in the future if you provide adequate documents needed for approval.
To download the application and instructions for completing it, please click HERE. To expedite the application process, please provide your email address, if you have one.
Disposition of Submitted Materials
All applications and documentation become the property of the San Joaquin Genealogical Society and the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum. All material submitted will be housed in the Research Library of the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum, both to preserve your family's history and to assist members of the public with their research. In the future, either organization might include and/or reproduce the submitted lineage information in any of its publications, digitization projects, website database projects, or unknown future technologies.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Vital information (dates and places of birth and marriage) of living persons will be kept confidential.
