HISTORY:
Spanish missionaries arrived in in the 1700s. California didn’t become a U.S. territory until 1847 as part of the treaty ending the Mexican-American War. Shortly thereafter, the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 inspired a wave of settlers to head to the west coast in search of fortune. California became the 31st state on 9 September 1850, and is now divided into 58 counties, the largest of which are Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties.

ONLINE CALIFORNIA GENEALOGY RECORDS

CALIFORNIA STATE ARCHIVES – FAMILY HISTORY RESOURCES

LIST OF CALIFORNIA COUNTIES, FORMATION DATES, and MAPS

KERN COUNTY

COUNTY HISTORY: Formed in 1866 from Los Angeles and Tulare Counties.

Kern County, California Genealogy Wiki

BOOKS & RESEARCH:

SOURCE: Midway Cemetery, 25 Hill, Taft, California, volume 2 : History of Midway Cemetery, 25 Hill  Lyon, Larry. US/CAN 979.488/T1 V3m, FHL [BRANCH A]

Xerox Copy of the Obituary of Sam Guthrie Jr with a handwritten notation of the date: Jan 20 1919.

OBITUARY:
SAM GUTHRIE JR.
            DIES ON SUNDAY
Sam Guthrie, Jr. who has been ill for the past week, passed away Sunday morning at 10 o’clock. The remains were taken in charge by the Taft Undertaking company. Funeral arrangements are to be announced.

Ann’s Notes: This was Samuel H. Guthrie, the son of Samuel Wildridge & Mary Isabelle Guthrie. The following related memorials were listed at the Find-a-Grave website.

Source: Find-a-Grave
C 146 Guthrie Samuel H. 15 Feb. 1885 19 Jan. 1919 Midway Cem. Lot 261 Sec. 2 Taft. S. W. Guthrie – Tex. Maybell Wiesbinley Not Listed Occ. Oilworker. plot 261 section 2

Section 1 – Row 7
@@x132 Baby Guthrie b 01 Mar 1932 d 01 Mar 1932

G 178 Guthrie Infant Female 1 March 1932 – Taft, Ca. 1 March 1932 – Westside Hosp. Midway Cem. Lot 132 Sec. 1 Taft, Ca. Robert Burn Guthrie – L.A., Ca. Marian Spruitt – Ill. None Mother born Jacksonville Chg. Robert B. Guthrie 

Section 1 – Row 8
@@x121 Lloyd Harold Guthrie b 03 Jul 1904 d 14 Aug 1930

G 48 Guthrie Lloyd Harold 3 July 1904 – New Mexico 14 Aug. 1930 – Westside Hosp. Midway Cem. Lt. 121 Sec. 1 Taft, Ca. Samuel W. Guthrie – Texas Eliz Wimlerly – Texas Single Oilworker. Chg. Mrs. R.R. Jenkins Taft & Mrs. D.P. Conway Fellows, Ca 

Ann’s Notes: Two different GFG2A-Branch A lineages are buried in Kern County’s Taft Cemetery: RDG & WGG. Robert Burns & Marion Spruitt Guthrie are from RDG’s Branch A line. Lloyd and Sam are from WGG’s line. Baby Guthrie’s father, Robert Burns, worked as a locomotive engineer/civil engineer for the railroad. Sam was the eldest and Lloyd the youngest son of Samuel Wildridge Guthrie who was the proprietor of a cigar store in 1920. 

Los Angeles County

COUNTY HISTORY: Los Angeles County was one of the original 27 counties formed upon California’s statehood in 1850. It has the largest population.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA GENEALOGY WIKI

SOURCE: Los Angeles County Marriages, by Jeanne B. Cleary, US/CAN 979.493 V29c v.1-3, FHL

Vol. 1 – Aug 1851-March 1870 – page 250: VAN DUSEN-GUTHRIE. 
W.S. Van Dusen and Mary Ann Guthrie on August 10, 1866 

Vol. 2 – page 120 – March 1870 -Dec 1872: GUTHRIE-RANOUS
Sarah Emma Guthrie and J.S. Ranous on 7 Dec 1871

Vol. 3 – Book 4 – July 1875 – May 1877 – page 30: MONAHAN-GUTHRIE
Francis Monahan, 26, born New York, married 15 August 1875, Mary E. Guthrie, born Texas. Both residents of Wilmington.

Orange County

County History: Orange County was formed in 1889 from Los Angeles County.

ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA GENEALOGY WIKI

SOURCE: Orange County California Genealogical Society (Compiled Newsletters), US/CAN 979.496 B2g v.5, FHL  

p.136 Death Records
Guthrie, Lida C. – 33 years – female – Nativity: California – married – Date of Death: 17 April 1903