I would recommend that anyone researching a particular surname print out all the records from the California Birth and Death Index's for their surname because they won't be available much longer. >>Please Note: Due to passage of SB1614 by the California Legislature, signed by Governor Davis on September 20.2002, ALL Birth and Death Indexes must be removed from the internet by January 1, 2003. We regret any inconvenience the removal of the Birth and Death Indexes may cause. [SB1614] << The Death Index can be accessed here. http://vitals.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi To access the Birth Index, it's a little more difficult. Go to this site. http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/cabiygen.htm You will have to go through a gateway with an obnoxious advertisement. Once on the page, there is a link on the lower right which says "Begin Search/Reset". Click on this link and you will take you to a search page where you can search on the surname. DO NOT click on the link on the left side of the page that says "To California Births Menu Page", you won't be able to get to the index from that link. Make sure you also search on your surname under mother maiden name or you will miss about half the records. Dave