Welcome to California's First Families, dedicated to researching the first families arriving in California, and those families already living here for generations on their native land.

I am Sheila Ruiz Harrell committed to providing you with the expertise necessary to meet your early California Hispanic research and genealogical needs. Great pride is taken offering professional attention to every client, no matter how big or how small your research requirements are, while striving to build trust and confidence so that you are not frustrated by the often lengthy process of this type of research.

At California's First Families, our clients come first, and we will do our very best to fulfill your needs.

We offer services covering the many aspects of early California while researching your family history, including the genealogy, records, charts, and potential application processing. We will make every effort to address your needs in each of the following areas:

Spotlighted Ancestor - Check back often to see the ancestors of the month! This month is Juan Atanacio Vasquez. Does he belong to you?

Charts - Pedigree and/or generational charts showing your lineage.

Records - California missions, church, census, property, tax, probate, wills, obituaries, etc.

Genealogy - Discovery of your ancestors...and the finding of descendants of a given ancestor.

Family History - Tracing your family history back in time to the earliest days of Alta California through the Spanish and Mexican eras of the Portola, Anza, Rivera, Hijar-Padres, and Workman-Rowland expeditions, possibly connecting with Native American lines as well.

Applications - For membership in heritage, lineage, and/or historical organizations.

Errors Corrected - As corrections are found in abstracted records we will publish them here. We believe in accuracy!

Contact Us - Fill out our easy online form.

About Us - Learn more about Sheila Ruiz Harrell

Links - Some of our favorite sites where you can learn more about Fr. Junipero Serra, Juan Bautista de Anza, Gaspar Portola, Fernando Javier Rivera y Moncada, Jose Francisco de Ortega, the Anza Trail, Native Americans, the California families of Alta California, and the Gente de Razon from the Catholic Church records, along with the Thomas Workman Temple II abstracts.

Fees - We will analyze your problem, complete the research, make our conclusions, provide copies of relevant documents with full source citations, and document reports describing our findings including the basis for our conclusions.

We offer a free consultation to discuss your genealogical needs. All facets of your case will be thoroughly examined and solutions will be presented to you as to how to proceed. If you choose to retain us, you will be provided with an excellent staff, one which will be accessible to all of your needs. We pride ourselves on communicating with our clients so that you are always informed regarding the status of your case. We will be here for you to answer whatever questions you may have, and we encourage you to be involved in all phases of the search. It is our goal to provide you with results that you will be able to use and display with pride. Set up an appointment for your free consultation today by calling us at 209-576-1235 or fill out our online contact form.