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Out of Area Registry

The 1906 earthquake affected more than just the residents of San Francisco. There are reports of people as far north as Washington feeling the tremor and those in Nevada seeing cracks in the ground. Streets buckled, buildings fell and people were injured. Cattle stampeded and the dogs were restless. Birds took to the air in huge flocks. Tombstones of loved ones fell in cemeteries. If your family was living on the West Coast and experienced anything unusual on the days surrounding April 18, 1906 please share their story with us.

Your oral histories hold the key to this research. Without them we would never be able to create an accurate account of the breadth and scope of this event. We want to document how the entire West Coast experienced this event. Please send a separate entry for each family member. If your family member was female, please include her maiden name if possible. Please include the following information in your response:

        • YOUR name, e-mail address and phone or address
        • Your ancestor’s SURNAME, GIVEN NAME, MAIDEN NAME, SPOUSE’S
           FULL NAME, RELATIONSHIP TO YOU, DATE OF BIRTH AND PLACE OF BIRTH
        • Where were they on April 18, 1906? (city, county & state)
        • Were there any physical changes to the land around them?
           (streets, fields, rivers, creeks, trees)
        • Were there any physical changes to the structures around them? ?
           (houses, barns, fences, bridges, cemeteries)
        • Did they notice any changes in the animal’s behavior either
           before, during or after the quake?
        • Was anyone injured or killed?

Please feel free to make your story as long as you wish. Please be as detailed as possible using names of friends or relatives, specific addresses or locations, types of building and what they were made of. We will send you an e-mail acknowledgement as your ancestors are added to the Register.