Pioneer Room Forms
Research Assistance Forms
Click here to submit a research request form.
Click here to submit an obituary request form.
Request Archival Materials Form
Click here to submit a request for reproduction of archival materials.
Donation Forms
Click here to submit a deed of gift form.
Click here to submit a donation to the Digitize Escondido program.
Genealogy Resources
Ancestry.com
PLEASE NOTE: This resource is only available on library computers.
Search for birth, death, and census records. Also includes directories, maps, photos, and more.
FamilySearch.org
PLEASE NOTE: This resource is only available on Library computers and the wireless network in the Library.
Create an account with your personal email address, or "Log In" if you already have created an account.
Search for birth, death, and census records.
Getting Started
If you are new to genealogy, these links will help you get started with your research. More resources can be found in the Pioneer Room
Escondido Resources & Organizations
These local resources and organizations can help you with your genealogy research.
Genealogy Tool Kit
These sites help display your work once you've collected photographs, birth and death records, and other pieces of your family history.
Reference Materials
Reference materials are various sources that provide background information or quick facts on a given topic. Explore this page to learn more about the Pioneer Room reference materials available to you. Materials can be accessed in-person during the Pioneer Room's open hours.
If you have any questions, please call us at 760-839-4315 or email us as pioneer.room@escondidolibrary.org.
You man also submit a research request or obituary request form here.
Subject and Biographical Files
- Various articles clipped primarily from local newspapers and magazines, and organized alphabetically by subject.
- View the Clipping Files Guide.
Maps
- City of Escondido parcel maps
- Sanborn Fire Insurance 1892 to 1927 (microfilm)
- USGS Topographic Survey
Directories
- Business Directory photocopies from 1913-1938
- Escondido City and telephone directories 1886-present
- Woman's Club Escondido 1960-1996
- Visit the Pioneer Room on California Revealed to view digital City directories from the 1950s-1980s
Yearbooks
- Classical Academy (2000-2002; 2007; 2009-2014)
- Del Lago Academy (2013; 2015-2016)
- Escondido High School (1909-1994; 1996-2022)
- Escondido Charter High School (1996-2005; 2007-2008; 2010-2014; 2016)
- Hidden Valley Middle School (1975-1990; 1993-2004)
- Orange Glen High School (1964-1983; 1985-2021)
- San Pasqual Academy (1983; 2005-2014)
- San Pasqual High School (1974-1986; 1989-2003; 2007-2008; 2010-2011; 2013-2017; 2019-2022)
- Valley High School (1977-1978; 1980; 1982; 1984-1985; 2003-2008)
- Selections of yearbooks from:
- Children's Montessori
- Conway Elementary School
- Del Dios Middle School (1974-1978; 1995-1996)
- Grant Middle School
- Light and Life Christian School
- Rincon Middle School
Microfilm Collection
- African American Soldier Records 1639-1886
- Alien Arrivals - Douglas, AZ 1901-1952
- Citizen and Alien Arrivals by Aircraft at San Francisco 1936-1949
- California State Marriage (1960-1985) and Death Index (1905-1992)
- Escondido City Council Minutes 1888-1988
- Escondido Times Advocate (January 20, 1887 - December 2, 1995)
- North County Times (December 3, 1995 - March 2, 2013)
- U-T San Diego North County (March 3, 2013 - December 31, 2018)
- Federal Census 1850-1930 for California, Colorado, Arizona (1870-1920) and New Mexico (1850-1920)
- Mexican-American War Records
- Mexico Census 1790
- Native American Census for Southern California and Western Arizona 1885-1940
- San Diego County Naturalization Records 1853-1958
- San Diego County Probate Order and Decrees 1886-1920
- San Ysidro Border Crossing Records 1908-1952
- Sanbourn Fire Maps for downtown Escondido 1892-1927
Oral Histories
- Tapes from Frances B. Ryan
- Transcriptions from Escondido Historical Society and San Diego Historical Society
Historical Society and Historic Organizations Newsletters and Journals
- Boosters of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park "Poppy Paper"
- Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties "Adelante"
- Historical Society of Southern California "Southern California Quarterly"
- Journal of California Historical Society "California History"
- Journal of San Diego History
- National Trust for Historic Preservation "Preservation"
- Old Escondido Historic District "Old Escondido Times"
- San Diego Archaeological Center
- San Diego Historical Society "The Times"
- San Dieguito Heritage Museum "Heritage Times"
- San Pasqual Battlefield Volunteer Association "Battlelines"
- Vista Historical Society
Research Highlights
The Pioneer Room is proud to highlight works that feature materials from our collections. We have included links to projects or call numbers for items in our collections.
If you are interested in researching your next project at the Pioneer Room, please contact us at 760-839-4315 or pioneer.room@escondidolibrary.org.
California State University - San Marcos
The Paradoxes of Representation: Portrayals of Asian Immigrants in Escondido Newspapers, 1893-1945
Chase Spear
This thesis explores how Asian immigrants were portrayed in the Escondido press between 1893 and 1945.
View the project website.
Books & Journals
A History of Vista by Harrison Doyle
Early Days in Escondido by Frances Beven Ryan
Early Escondido by Stephen A. Covey
Escondido As It Was by Frances Beven Ryan
Escondido Grape Day Festivals by Lucy Jones Burk
Early Escondido: The Louis A. Havens Collection by Stephen A. Covey
Escondido History and the Grape Day Celebration by Douglas Westfall
Escondido: A Pictorial History by Escondido Historical Society
Frances Beven Ryan Genealogy by Frances Beven Ryan
Hidden Valley Heritage: Escondido's First 100 Years by Alan B. McGrew
Mini Guide to Historic Escondido by Frances Beven Ryan
One Hundred Years of Library Service in Escondido by Kathy Cook
Scrapbooks and Newspaper Clippings by Frances Beven Ryan
Yes, Escondido, There Was a Felicita by Frances Beven Ryan
Yesterdays in Escondido by Frances Beven Ryan
Publications
Friends of the Pioneer Room newsletter
Pioneer Room Calendars
Reports & Surveys
A library building to match user needs : a building program for the Escondido Public Library
Escondido Historic Survey, Update 1940-1955 by City of Escondido
Escondido Public Library Long Range Plan, 1991-1995
Status Report: Chatham Site, Escondido, California
Survey Tour of Escondido's Historic Architectural Heritage by Lucy Jones Burk
The City of Escondido Historic Preservation Commission Orientation Handbook by City of Escondido Planning Division