Where Californians came from-by region? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: houses, job openings, neighborhoods)

[Deezus]

Fifth-generation Californian on my father's side. My great-great-great grandfather emigrated to California from Alabama in the 1850s after a stop in Arkansas, married to a woman from Indiana who was the daughter of a general who served in the Mexican-American War. They settled in Susanville, although they moved around between Butte County, Plumas County, and Lassen County. Another branch of the family emigrated via Iowa and Texas in the 1880s, although some of them were only a generation away from Ireland. Had a lot of ancestors throughout the Northern Sierra and Central Valley in the period.

Most of my dad's side of the family still lives in Northern California. Most of my cousins live around the Bay Area, although alot live in Butte County(my aunt was the mayor of Chico in the 80s) or Fresno.

[ColoNative]

Originally Posted by AllenSJC

Where did people from different areas of America settle in California?

Find a library with the census records and scan through them. If you use the 1900 it shouldn't take that long. There are a couple of websites with the census online, also.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by KC6ZLV

Take some time to walk through the older cemeteries. The tombstones will tell you where people came from.

Don't know what cemeteries you're referring to but that's not normally info found on a tombstone. It's generally a name, birth and death dates and perhaps an epitaph.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Don't look now but like you, some of us actually came from ::::gasp:::: California!

You have no ancestors who moved there?

[eureka1]

You can't generalize. My ancestors moved from Ireland to Humboldt County in the 1850's after a stop in the gold fields where they made more money doing laundry for miners than from actually panning gold. But we had a big influx after WWII of veterans from all over who had been exposed to California because of the war. IMHO any patterns based on immigration history(with the exception of specific enclaves) have long since been obliterated considering the way people have moved around in the last century.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

You have no ancestors who moved there?

Actually, I do but just one. William Stephen Hamilton was the son of Alexander Hamilton who is one of my many greats uncles so William was a cousin. When gold was discovered in California, in 1848, Hamilton set out for California, arriving in 1849. He later regretted moving there and died penniless after a year. Hamilton told a friend in California that he would "rather have been hung in the 'Lead Mines' than to have lived in this miserable hole (California).

Hamilton is buried in the History Old City Cemetery in Sacramento in a section known as "Hamilton Square," named after him. Before coming to CA he was a politician, lead miner/owner and Indian fighter/militia Colonel. Rumor had it that he turned to robbing stage coaches before his death in 1850 from what was likely cholera.

[Snort]

YouTube - ‪Ted Kennedy GUADALAJARA‬‏

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

When gold was discovered in California, in 1848, Hamilton set out for California, arriving in 1849. He later regretted moving there and died penniless after a year. Hamilton told a friend in California that he would "rather have been hung in the 'Lead Mines' than to have lived in this miserable hole (California).

Sounds like a classic City-Data California forum situation... poster moves here with stars in his eyes, can't hack it, loses his butt, then sits around being resentful, blaming California via "bitter, party of one" posts. Do you think he reincarnated as a C-D poster?

[Curmudgeon]

'Tis possible. Sounds like he was a flop as a stage robber too.

[David Aguilar]

My paternal Grandfather came from Mexico.

My paternal Grandmother came from New Mexico.

My maternal Grandfather was born in Glendale (I have no clue where his dad was from, but his mom was from TX).

My maternal Grandmother came from Rhode Island, and moved to LA to get famous lol.

Both of my parents were born in CA (Oceanside, Los Angeles).

I was born in CA (LBC ftw).

My offspring was not.