Local History Books

About the Local History Books Indexes

Indexes are available below for selected local history books. These indexes are of two types: Tables abstracted by society volunteers, and PDF scans of book index pages (published with authors' permissions).

Use the search box on the upper right of this page to search all the books and other online indexes all at once. Many of the indexes are scanned using OCR, so keep this in mind when searching. Try searching using as few characters as possible in your search. If you do not find results with the global search, you may want to click on and view the individual PDF indexes.

These books, as well as many more local histories, are available at the Santa Clara Central Park Library. Some are available online; see the links below. Some of the publications are also available via interlibrary loan (check the library catalog) or at a library near you.

If you are not able to visit the Library, our Research Team will copy pages for a small fee. Please be sure to include the book title and page numbers when making a copy request. Read more about our Research Services.

Santa Clara County Histories

1. African Americans of San Jose and Santa Clara County (Images of America). (pdf) Jan Batiste Adkins. Charleston, S.C. : Arcadia Publishing, 2019, 979.473 A23
2. 1876 Historical Atlas of Santa Clara County. San Francisco: Thompson & West: 1876. GR 912.794 T46 (See book at Archive.org.)
3. 1890 Great Register for Santa Clara County. (large pdf) Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society, 1999. 929.3794 E347
4. Bay of San Francisco, the Metropolis of the Pacific Coast & Its Suburban Cities. 2 Vols. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1892. 979.461 C15 (See book vol. I and vol. II at Archive.org.)
5. Clyde Arbuckle's History of San José. (pdf) San José, Calif. : Memorabilia of San José, [1986] GS 979.473 A66 Case (See book at Archive.org.)
6. Dick Barrett '66 : The Sunday Historical Columns From the San Jose Mercury-News for the Year 1966 (pdf). Dick Barrett. San José, Calif. : Harlan-Young Press, 1967. 979.473 B27 Case
7. Dick Barrett's 67 : The Sunday Historical Columns From the San Jose Mercury-News for the Year 1967 (pdf). Dick Barrett. San José, Calif. : Harlan-Young Press, [between 1967 and 1984]. GS 979.473 B27
8. Historic Names, Places, and Persons in Santa Clara County, California. Roscoe D. Wyatt and Clyde Arbuckle. San Jose: San Jose Chamber of Commerce, 1948. 979.47 W97 Case (See book online at HeritageQuest. Sign in via the Santa Clara City Library website using your library card number and pin. Many other libraries offer HeritageQuest access.)
9. History of Santa Clara County. Eugene T. Sawyer. Los Angeles: Historic Records Co., 1922. 979.473 S24 (See book at Archive.org.)
10. History of Santa Clara County, California. San Francisco: Alley, Bowen & Co., 1881. 979.473 H67 Case (See book at Archive.org.)
11. History of the New California, Its Resources and People. Leigh Irvine, ed. 2 vols. New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1905. 979.4 Ir72 Case (See book vol. I and vol. II at Archive.org.)
12. History of the State of California and Biographical Record of Coast Counties. J. M. Guinn. Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1904. GR 979.4 G96 Case.   Additional Index   (Check both indexes.) (See book at FamilySearch.org. Download is slow.)
    
13. Italians in the Santa Clara Valley (Images of America) (pdf). Frederick W. Marrazzo. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2007. 979.473 M35
14. The Mineral Springs of Santa Clara County : A Pictorial History of the Natural Springs of the Santa Clara Valley, California in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries (pdf). Ian L. Sanders. San Martin, California: Design Factory Graphics, 2012. 979.473 S21 Case
15. Old Santa Clara Valley: A Guide to Historic Buildings from Palo Alto to Gilroy. Phyllis Filiberti Butler. San Carlos, CA : Wide World Pub./Tetra, 1991. 979.473 B98
16. Pen Pictures from the Garden of The World, or Santa Clara county, California. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1888. 979.47 F6S9 (See book at Archive.org.)
17. Reminiscences of Santa Clara Valley and San Jose. Amaury Mars. San Francisco: Artistic Pub. Co., 1901. GS 979.473 M36
18. Santa Clara County and its Resources - Historical, Descriptive, Statistical (pdf). A Souvenir of the San Jose Mercury, 1896. 979.47 S23
19. Santa Clara County, Harvest of Change. Stephen M. Payne. Sun Valley, Calif. American Historical Press, 2008. 979.473 P34 Case
20. Santa Clara County Heritage Resource Inventory. Pauline Pace. San Jose: Santa Clara County Hist. Heritage Comm., 1975. 725.94 P11
21. Santa Clara County Pioneer Papers. San Jose: California Pioneers of Santa Clara Co., 1973. GS 979.473 S23
22. Santa Clara County Ranchos. Clyde Arbuckle. 2nd ed. San Jose, Calif. : Rosicrucian Press, 1973. 979.47 A66
23. Sign Posts and Sign Posts II. Compilations of articles by Patricia Loomis published by the San Jose Mercury-News, 1971-1981 in 2 vols. 979.474 L86 Case (See books Sign Posts and Sign Posts II at Archive.org. )
24. Silicon Valley (Images of America) (pdf). Sam Shueh. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2009. 979.473 S56
25. Story of San Jose 1777-1869, California's First Pueblo. Oscar 0. Winther. San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1935. 979.473 W78 Case
26. Wineries of Santa Clara Valley (Images of America). (pdf) Bev Stenehjem. Charleston, S.C. : Arcadia Publishing, 2015, 979.473 S82

Town Histories

1. 1870 San Jose City Directory and Business Guide of Santa Clara County. (large pdf) Excelsior Press, 1870. also San Jose Historical Museum Association, 1973, GR 917.947 S22.
2. Alviso San Jose (Images of America) (pdf). Robert Burrill. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, [2006]. 979.473 B97
3. California’s Great America (Images of America) (pdf). Steven W. Wilson. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2014. 979.473 W75
4. Campbell, the Orchard City. Jeanette Watson. Campbell: Campbell Historic Museum Ass'n, 1989. GS 979.473 W33 Case
5. Cemeteries of Santa Clara. (Images of America) (pdf). Bea Lichtenstein. Charleston SC: Arcadia, 2005. 929.5 L69
6. A Century of Service : San Jose's 100 Year Old Business Firms, Organizations, and Institutions. San Jose, Calif. : San Jose Bicentennial Commission, 1977. 979.474 B27
7. Chinese in San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley (Images of America) Lillian Gong‐Guy, and Gerrye Wong. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2007. 979.474 C53
8. Compositions. (Essays by elementary, middle, and high school students attending Santa Clara County schools). Santa Clara County Public Schools, ca. 1886. 428.2 S23 Case
9. Early Los Altos and Los Altos Hill (Images of America) (pdf). Don McDonald. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2010. 979.473 M13
10. Frontier Village (Images of America). (pdf) Bob Johnson. Charleston, S.C. : Arcadia Publishing, 2013, 979.474 J66
11. Early Settlers of Old Los Altos and Mountain View : A Collection of Profiles; An assemblage of accounts of people who were active in Los Altos, Mountain View, and Los Altos Hills before 1900. compiled 2021 by Los Altos Chapter DAR, ed. Martha Wallace, Susanne Martinez. (See book.)
12. Germania San José : the Early German Heritage of Silicon Valley (pdf). Maria Brand, April Halberstadt ed. San Jose: Glory Anne Laffey Architectural Archives : Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History, San José State University, 2019. 979.473 B81
13. Grandad's Santa Clara Valley Pioneer Stories : The Cats of Los Gatos. James Edwin Addicott. Los Gatos: Times Printing Co., 1953. 979.473 A22
14. History of Los Gatos, Gem of the Foothills. George C. Bruntz. Fresno: Valley Publishing, 1971. 979.473 B91 Case
15. An Index to Hall's, 1871 History of San José (online pdf at sourisseauacademy.org). Everett and Anna Marie Hager. San Jose: Sourisseau Academy, 1974. (See book at Archive.org.)
16. Legendary Locals of Los Gatos California (pdf). Peggy Conaway Bergtold and Stephanie Ross Mathews. Charleston: Arcadia, 2014. 979.473 B29
17. Los Gatos (Images of America) (pdf). Peggy Conaway Bergtold. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, [2004]. 979.473 C74
18. Mexicans in San Jose (Images of America) (pdf). Nannette Regua and Arturo Villarreal. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2009. 979.474 R34
19. Milpitas : The Century of 'Little Cornfields' 1852-1952. Patricia Loomis. California History Center, Local History Studies, v. 30, 1986. 979.473 L86
20. Milpitas (Images of America) Robert Burrill. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2004. 979.473 B97
21. Moffett Field (Images of America) Nicholas A. Veronico. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2006. 979.473 V54
22. More views of Morgan Hill : Postcards and Images of Morgan Hill, California : A Companion to Views of Morgan Hill (pdf). Ian L. Sanders & Michael F. Brookman. San Martin, Ca.: Design Factory Graphics, 2013. 979.473 S21
23. Morgan Hill (Images of America) (pdf). U.R. Sharma. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, [2005]. 979.473 S53
24. Mountain View (Images of America) Nicholas Perry. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2012. 979.473 P46
25. New Almaden (Images of America) Michael Boulland and Arthur Boudreault. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2006. 979.473 B76
26. Palm Haven (Images of America). (pdf) Michael Borbely and Brian Hoffman. Charleston, S.C. : Arcadia Publishing, 2013, 979.473 B72
27. Place of Promise : the City of Santa Clara, 1852-2002 (pdf). Lorie Garcia. Santa Clara, CA : City of Santa Clara, [2002]. 979.473 G21
28. Portuguese in San Jose (Images of America) (pdf). Meg Rogers. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, [2007]. 305.869 R72
29. Railroads of Los Gatos (Images of Rail) (pdf). Edward Kelley. Charletson, SC : Arcadia Publishing, [2006]. 979.473 K29 Case
30. San Jose (Postcard History Series) Bob Johnson. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2010. 979.474 J66
31. San Jose’s Historic Downtown (pdf) Lauren Miranda Gilbert. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, [2004]. 979.474 G46
32. Santa Clara Fire Department : 50 Years of Service 1949-1999. Santa Clara: City of Santa Clara, 1999? 352.3 S23. (view book online at publitas.com)
33. Saratoga (Images of America) (pdf). April Halberstadt and Katie Alexander. San Francisco: Arcadia, 2009. 979.473 H15
34. Saratoga Story. R. V. Garrod. Saratoga: R. V. Garrod, 1962. 979.473 G24 Case
35. Schiele Subdivision and Alameda Park : History, Architecture, and Preservation in a San José Neighborhood. Krista Van Laan and Kay Gutknecht. Wild Rose Publications, 2022. 979.474 V25
36. Sunnyvale (Images of America). Ben Koning. Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., 2010. 979.473 K82
37. Ten years in Paradise : Leaves From a Society Reporter's Note-Book. Mary Bowden Carroll. San Jose: Press of Poppo & Hogan, 1903. 917.9473 C31
38. Theaters of San Jose (Images of America). Gary Lee Parks. Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., 2009. 791.4309 P25
39. Views of Morgan Hill : Postcards and Images of Morgan Hill, California. Ian L. Sanders in collaboration with Beth Wyman. Morgan Hill: BookSmart Enterprises, 2010. 979.473 S21
40. Voices of the Orchards (pdf). Carolyn Marie Downey. San Jose: Ancaro Publications, 1997. 634 D74 Case
41. The Willow Glen Neighborhood : Then and Now. April Hope Halberstadt. San Jose: Renasci, 1997. 979.474 H15