SBTHP's Full Collection of Santa Barbara Presidio Descendant Family Genealogy Charts Now Located in Presidio Research Center
By Dez Alaniz, Director of Presidio Research Center
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park visitors familiar with the Presidio Visitor Center may remember interacting with a long-time display highlighting our unique collection of genealogy charts documenting connections to members of the original group of soldiers who “founded” the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio on April 21, 1782.
For many years, SBTHP has displayed some of these genealogy charts for public viewing in our Presidio Visitor Center. These genealogy charts reflect countless hours of research and dedication to documenting family histories and are part of a larger, formal archival collection of Santa Barbara Presidio Descendant Family Genealogy Charts held in the Presidio Research Center.
SBTHP’s full collection includes over forty genealogy charts, each one contributed by an individual Presidio family descendant, and demonstrating the ongoing heritage and legacies of the Presidio families that once inhabited the Santa Barbara Presidio in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
To better preserve and protect these historical resources, the genealogy charts that were on display in the Presidio Visitor Center were recently moved to SBTHP’s archival collections and are now preserved in our climate-controlled Presidio Research Center.
There are many considerations involved in preserving and making accessible archival materials like these genealogy charts. Our evaluation process includes:
Evaluating each family genealogy chart to determine condition, basic information, and possible duplication with current holdings
Scanning and digitizing eligible charts for digital preservation and description
Determining privacy considerations for individuals named in genealogy charts and strategies to responsibly steward materials with personally identifiable information
Rehousing all original physical charts in archival-quality storage for long-term physical preservation
We are working to make the digital scans of these genealogy charts available to researchers through our digital collections platform. Until then, we invite you to visit our Research Center and view the physical genealogy charts on-site!
This is a simple process involving contacting the Presidio Research Center Director and scheduling an appointment to pull and review the chart(s) and any other archival collections of interest. There are no fees or registration required to make an appointment, and we are available to help you navigate the process of identifying and working with collections of interest, including the Presidio Descendant Family Genealogy Charts Collection.
Prior to your visit, we invite you to browse through our collections website to learn more about our research materials and identify additional collections of interest.
To learn more and/or schedule an appointment to visit the Presidio Research Center, click here.