No Cost Genealogical Databases for U.S. and California via U.S. GenWeb Project

There are a few well-known genealogical databases on the web such as www.ancestry.com. Ancestry.com is a great source because it includes research other's have already done but also can include images of documents like death certificates, marriage certificates, census data, etc. The downside to Ancestry.com is that they charge a monthly or annual fee to use the site.

Note: Sometimes they offer a 2 week free trial (but you have to input your credit card information and cancel within 2 weeks.

A free alternative is the U.S. GenWeb Project which is run by volunteers who aim to provide free genealogy websites and research within the US.
http://usgenweb.org/research/

The state of California has its own website- which is part of the U.S. GenWeb Project.
http://www.cagenweb.com/

I recommend accessing more than one database or research site because they may not all contain the same information. Good luck!

Californio Culture, Mid-19th Century

The Regents of the University of California have an informative short article about Californio culture entitled, Californio Society, 1830s-1880s. The article also includes many historical photographs and links to related topics. Here's the link: http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic0a.html