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Colorado Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP Naturalization records The Family History Library has microfilms of U.S. District Courts Naturalization Records for Denver (1877-1952) and Pueblo for the years (1906-1949).
The Colorado Genealogical Society has indexed abstracts of some naturalization records and published these in The Colorado Genealogist (see the “Periodicals” section of this outline).
For naturalization records after September 1906, contact the National Archives—Rocky Mountain Region or the local office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or order films from the Family History Library.
The Western History Department of the Denver Public Library and the Colorado Historical Society have the most complete collections of Colorado newspapers. Both repositories have indexes to newspaper obituaries. The availability of newspapers is also described in Donald E. Oehlerts, Guide to Colorado Newspapers, 1859-1963 (Denver: Bibliographical Center for Research, 1964; FHL book 978.8 B3o; film 1000145 item 4).
The major genealogical periodicals and magazines helpful for Colorado research are:
Boulder Genealogical Society Quarterly. 1969-. Published by the Boulder Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3246, Boulder, CO 80307-3246. (FHL book 978.863/B1 B2b; fiche 6048579-97, vols. 2-20.)
The Colorado Genealogist. 1939-. Published by the Colorado Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 9218, Denver, CO 80209-0218. (FHL book 978.8 B2cg; on FHL film 1421853 items 5-14, vols. 1-10.) There is a subject index for 1939 to 1981.
Pinon Whispers. 1980-. Published by the Southeastern Colorado Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 4207, Pueblo, CO 81003-0207. (FHL book 978.8 D25p.)
Probate records A source of information from early Denver probate records is Ella Ruland MacDougall, Abstracts of Early Probate Records (S.p.; FHL book 978.8 A1 No. 13; film 928039 item 10.)
A law was passed in 1876 requiring counties and towns to record births and deaths. In those counties where the clerks complied, the records are available at the local courthouse. Most early files are incomplete.
Statewide registration began in 1907 and was generally complied with by 1920. Some of the earlier county records and delayed registrations of births
You can also write to the Colorado Department of Health for current information. State your relationship to the individual you want information about and your reason. Certificates are released only to members of the immediate family.
The Family History Library does not have copies of Colorado's civil vital records.
Each county has kept marriage records since the date it was organized. A few records date from 1860. You can write to the appropriate county clerk for information.
The Colorado Department of Health has a statewide index to marriages from 1900 to 1939 and from 1975 to the present. (On 106 FHL films beginning with 1690047, years 1900-1939, 1975-1992). They will check the index and then forward the inquiry to the correct county office.
The Colorado Division of State Archives and Public Records also has copies of marriage records for 20 counties, including Denver from 1861 to 1952.
Some county marriage records have been extracted and published. For example, many early marriage records have been published in The Colorado Genealogist (see the “Periodicals” section of this outline). The earliest Denver and Arapahoe County marriage records have recently been published in Marriages of Arapahoe County, Colorado, 1859-1901: Including Territory That Became Adams, Denver, and Other Counties (Denver: Colorado Genealogical Society, 1986; FHL book 978.882, V2m, fiche 6087871).
Divorce records are available from the clerk of the district court in the county where the decree was granted. The Colorado Department of Health has a statewide index of divorce records for the years 1900 to 1939 and 1968 to the present. The index identifies the county that granted the divorce. The department of health does not provide certified copies. You can write to the county clerk for copies of the records.
You can learn more about the history and availability of vital records in Guide to Vital Statistics Records in Colorado, vol. 1 (Denver: Historical Records Survey, 1942; FHL book 978.8 A3h; film 897482 item 10).
A guide to materials about Colorado is Florence Runyan Clint, Colorado Area Key: A Comprehensive Study of Genealogical Record Sources of Colorado, Including Maps and Brief History (Denver: Eden Press, 1968; not at Family History Library).
Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Source
were filed in local or federal courts until 1906 when the U.S. district courts were given jurisdiction. Some territorial and early statehood records are at the Colorado Division of Archives and Public Records. The National Archives and Records Administration—Rocky Mountain Region has declarations and petitions for the years 1877 to 1952 for the U.S. District Courts of Denver, Pueblo, Del Norte, and Montrose. The U.S. District Court in Denver has an index to naturalizations granted in these courts since 1876.
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NEWSPAPERS
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PERIODICALS
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PROBATE RECORDS
have been kept by the county courts except in Denver, where a separate probate court has been established. Colorado probate records include bonds, affidavits, letters, claims, appraisals, fee accounts, minutes, judgments, dockets, calendars, case files, and wills. The Family History Library does not have copies of probate records from Colorado. You may obtain copies of documents from the clerk's office in each county courthouse.
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VITAL RECORDS
Births and Deaths
since 1941 are at the Colorado Department of Health. To obtain copies of these records, write to:
Vital Records Section
The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces (Hyattsville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993, FHL book 973 V24wv). Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and Many Family History Centers.
Colorado Department of Health
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80222-1530
Telephone: 303-756-4464
Marriages
Divorces
Guide to Vital Records
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FOR FURTHER READING
The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:
Paper publication: Second edition July 1997. English approval: 7/97
©1998, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Publications Coordination
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
USA
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Version of Data: 6/8/2001]