Sonoma County Genealogical Society
Family Recognition Program
The Sonoma County Genealogical Society (SCGS) offers three types of certificates to descendants of people who lived in Sonoma County during different periods of time.
The purposes of this program for recognition of the direct descendants of Sonoma County Pioneers, Settlers, and Builders are:
- Honor our ancestor's hardships borne during the settlement and development of Sonoma County.
- Provide applicants the opportunity for an independent review of documentation of their ancestry according to commonly held standards of genealogical research.
- Share genealogical research about early residents of Sonoma County in a format that may be helpful to others doing their own research.
Membership Requirements and General Information
1. Applicants need not be current members of the Sonoma County Genealogical Society.
2. Applicants must prove:
- For Sonoma County Pioneers that their ancestor(s) first resided in Sonoma County by 31 December 1860.
- For Sonoma County Settlers that their ancestor(s) first resided in Sonoma County between 1 January 1861 and 31 December 1900.
- For Sonoma County Builders that their ancestor(s) first resided in Sonoma County at least 100 years prior to the date of application.
3. A $25.00 application fee must accompany the application. This fee is non-refundable. Upon application approval, the applicant will be presented with a Sonoma County Pioneer, Settler or Builder certificate.
4. This application and accompanying documents become the property of the Sonoma County Genealogical Society and may be used by others doing research.
Applicants must submit an application, the application fee, and full documentation for each group they wish to join. Please read the Rules and Application Procedures before beginning the application process.
Also read the Tips page, with examples from a completed application.
** The links in some of the PDF files do not "open in a new window" - you can right click on the link and select to open in a new window, or after you have looked at the linked page, you can use the tool bar's back arrow to return to the previous page.** If you have difficulty opening any of the pages, try using a different Browser - some people have mentioned that Safari may not open the PDF files on the Document List.
If you have questions, you may contact Maggi, as she is currently administering the Genealogical Evidence, Documentation and Writing special interest group.