This index is a work-in-progress and not all terms may be listed as the index card index housed at the Museums of Lake County, and Lake County Library buildings.
FAQ
What are the Mauldin Files?
The Mauldin Files are a collection of 10,000 pages of notes taken from books, oral history interviews, and other sources compiled by Lake County Historian, Henry Mauldin. In addition to the notes, pamphlets and other materials were collected, making an extensive compilation of Lake County, and Californian history.
Where can I find the physical files?
The physical books are housed at the Lake County Libraries in Lakeport and Clearlake, as well as the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum. The pamphlets and and large photo collection is housed at the Courthouse Museum in Lakeport.
How do I use the Mauldin Files?
The files have been indexed by volunteers.
To find a specific topic, go to the alphabetized index, and pull the numbers of the files you need.
Each of the corresponding numbers on the index relates to a page number on the files.
Simply go to the book containing the page number to find your research topic and line number.
How accurate are the Mauldin Files?
As with any source, use the Mauldin Files to corroborate other primary documents. The files contain oral histories that are told through the speakers lens and retold by Henry Mauildin's lens. Especially in regards to the indigenous Pomo tribes, these notes are very much a product of their times and told through a colonist viewpoint. These notes are great for family history, less so for interpretive research.
How do I cite the files?
Typically, the source is listed on the page itself, sometimes you will need to scroll back a few pages to find the full title, but most of it is cited as oral history and who collected it, newspaper and date, or the book it was pulled from. Typically that would be the citation, not the Mauldin index itself, the first few pages of each book also have a table of contents, explaining what is in there.
In the last case scenario, MLA:
Last, First M. Book. City: Publisher, Year Published. Website Title. Web. Day Month Year Accessed.
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What if what I am looking for is not in the index?
Unlike Google, these notes are not searchable, and the Index might not cover everything. Try alternative terms to look up, and then expand your research to what is there. Sometimes what you are looking for can be found in the relative term, and simply was missed during the indexing process.