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Gila County, Arizona
Map
Location in the state of Arizona
Location of Arizona in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	February 8, 1881
County Seat	Globe
Courthouse
Address	1400 E. Ash Street Globe, AZ 85501 928-425-3231

United States Arizona Gila County

Wikipedia has more about this subject: Gila County, Arizona

County Courthouse 

Gila County Courthouse
1400 East Ash Street
Globe, AZ 85501-1414
Phone: 520-425-3231 ^[1]

County Clerk has marriage records from 1881
divorce, probate and court records from 1914
County Recorder has land records

Gila County is located northeast of Maricopa and Pinal Counties in Arizona.  It contains some of the early settlements in Arizona going back to the 1870s. Gila County is named for the Gila River that flows through portions of the southern part of the county. ^[2]

Payson is the largest town today, its name came from a situation where the town needed a post office and a congressman was reported to have said that if they named the town Payson they would get a post office. The second town that took up the dare was Payson, Utah.

Other towns include Pine, Roosevelt, and Claypool. Defunct localities include 'Motel Point' where a motel once stood just yards northeast of the present-day Roosevelt Dam.

Parent County

• Until 1821 -  New Spain controlled land that later would become Arizona. Some records of early settlers may have been sent to an archives in Seville, Spain, or to archives in Mexico City.
  
• In 1821 - Mexico obtained jurisdiction over the land that later would become Arizona. Some records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
• In 1846 - New Mexico Territory was setup, it included land that later would become Arizona.
• In 1852 - New Mexico Territory created counties that stretched east and west from the Texas border to the California border, including all the land that became Arizona. Land in present-day Gila County, Arizona was once part of Socorro county of New Mexico.^{[3] [4]} Some records during this period may have been sent to the Socorro County, New Mexico courthouse.
• In 1863 -  Arizona Territory was created from the western half of New Mexico territory. All previous counties were dissolved, and eventually four new counties were created in the new Arizona Territory.

8 February 1881 - Gila County was created  from Maricopa and Pinal Counties.^[5]  County seat: Globe ^[6]

Boundary Changes

• 12 Mar 1885 Gila County exchanged property with adjacent Graham County.^[7]
• 21 Mar 1889 Gila County added a portion of Yavapai County.^[8]
• 19 Mar 1891 Gila County gained additional land from Yavapai County.^{[9] [10]}

See also Previous Jurisdictions to land in Arizona showing dates the jurisdictions were created and where. This will help in determining what jurisdiction your ancestor lived in and where the records are now located.

Record Loss

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Coconino, Arizona
• Graham, Arizona
• Maricopa, Arizona
• Navajo, Arizona
• Pinal, Arizona
• Yavapai, Arizona

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries in Gila County at Arizona Gravestones

Cemeteries in Gila County at Fina A Grave

Individual cemeteries:

• Mountain View Cemetery in Winkelman AZ at BillionGraves

Census

For tips on accessing Gila County, Arizona census records online, see: Arizona Census.

Church

LDS Ward and Branch Records: Globe, Hayden, Miami, Nephi and Pine.

Court

Land

Local Histories

Maps

Military

Newspapers

Probate

Taxation

Vital Records

• Many early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.
• Gila County, Arizona Obituary and Death Notices Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. This collection is from Various Funeral Homes in the Payson, Globe, Miami, Winkelman, Hayden, and Dudleyville areas.

Societies and Libraries

Arizona Cornish Society
P.O. Box 1
Claypool, Arizona 85532
Contact: Mrs Linda Carnahan
Telephone: 925-473-2071
E-Mail: lyddy@cableone.net

Northern Gila County Historical Society
PO Box 2532
Payson, AZ 85547
Telephone 928-474-3483

Gila County Historical Society
1330 N. Broad St.
Globe, AZ 85502
Telephone 928-425-7385
Hours 10-4 M-F; 11-3 Sat.

Family History Centers

Introduction to Family History Centers

Globe Arizona
1701 Ensign St
Globe, Gila, Arizona, United States
Telephone: 928-425-9570

Payson Arizona
913 N Ponderosa St
Payson, Gila, Arizona, United States
Telephone: 928-468-0249

These are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

• Gila County AZGenWeb. Has info on Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, Military, Vitals, Towns, Schools, Obituaries, Newspapers, Misc., Marriages, & Death.
• Family History Library Catalog
• Gila County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Gila County, Arizona p. 56. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ See Barnes, Will C., and Byrd H. Granger. Arizona Place Names. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1960, p. 94. WorldCat 479862
3. ↑ William Thorndale, and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1987), 26. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 X2th.
4. ↑ Original Counties of New Mexico Territory (map) at http://www.nmgs.org/Graphics/nmcoun-orig.jpg (accessed 9 August 2011).
5. ↑ Arizona Territorial Laws 1881, 11th assy. pp. 14-17
6. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
7. ↑ Arizona Territorial Laws 1885, 13th assy. p. 215
8. ↑ Arizona Territorial Laws 1889, 15th assy. pp. 49-52
9. ↑ Arizona Territorial Laws 1891, 16th assy. pp. 102-103
10. ↑ Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, The Newberry Library, Chicago. Viewed on 11 November 2011.

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