Local newspapers furnish a wealth of genealogical data and often help fill in the gaps in official records. The names contained in this index are primarily residents of Sonoma County, but some residents of the surrounding counties-Marin, Napa, Solano, Lake and Mendocino-can also be found within these pages. Newspapers indexed include: Cloverdale Reveille, Daily Republican, Healdsburg Enterprise, Healdsburg Tribune, Petaluma Argus, Petaluma Courier (also issued as Petaluma Daily Courier), Press Democrat, Petaluma Daily Courier, Russian River Advertiser, Sonoma County Independent, Sonoma Index...

Local newspapers furnish a wealth of genealogical data and often help fill in the gaps in official records. The names contained in this index are primarily residents of Sonoma County, but some residents of the surrounding counties-Marin, Napa, Solano, Lake and Mendocino-can also be found within these pages. Newspapers indexed include: Cloverdale Reveille, Healdsburg Enterprise, Healdsburg Tribune, Petaluma Argus, Petaluma Daily Courier, Press Democrat, Russian River Advertiser (1910 only), Santa Rosa Republican, Sebastopol Times, Sonoma County Index (1910 only), and the Sonoma Index Tribune....

The purpose of the Homestead Act, signed by President Lincoln on May 20, 1862, was to encourage settlement in the western states on unappropriated public land. Any person who was twenty-one years of age, or head of a family, or met certain military requirements was eligible to apply for a homestead. The homesteader had to live on the land continuously and cultivate it for a period of five years in order to obtain the patent. Any person who had borne arms against the U.S., or given aid and comfort to its enemies, was not eligible. This was a significant point since the Homestead Act was passed...