Yuma County, Arizona Genealogy
Guide to Yuma County, Arizona ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
| Yuma County, Arizona | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Arizona, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Arizona in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | December 21, 1864 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Yuma |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | 250 West 2nd Street, Suite B Yuma, Arizona 85364 |
County Information[edit | edit source]
Yuma County, Arizona Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1888 | 1863 | 1888 | 1863 | 1864 | 1863 | 1830 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County has Yuma as its seat and the County was created November 9, 1864. The County is located in the southwestern area of the state.[2]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
Yuma County was created 10 Nov 1864 as an original county of Arizona.[3]
- County seat: Yuma [4] Named after the Yuma Indians. Look for records in Yuma County.
Yuma County, Arizona is in the far southwest corner of the state. Principal communities include Yuma and Somerton. It extended to Parker in the north until 1983 when the northern half of the county split off to form La Paz 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. Records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
- 18 Aug 1846 - During the war with Mexico, the US took control of Santa Fe and proclaimed sovereignty over the land that later became the New Mexico Territory.[5] Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
- 4 July 1848 - In the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico ceded part of present day Arizona.[6] The land south of the Gila River in Arizona was not ceded, it remained in control of Mexico. The land in present day Yuma County was split between the US and Mexico. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
- 9 Jan 1852 - New Mexico redefined the boundaries of previous counties and created new ones to cover all the land within its territory. The north part of present day Yuma County was then in Socorro County.[7] [8] [9] Look for records in Socorro County.
- 30 Dec 1853 - The United States bought the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico. It contained land south of the Gila River in present day Arizona, including the south part of present day Yuma County.[10] Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives, and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
- 4 Aug 1854 - The land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase was officially added to New Mexico Territory.[11] Look for records in the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
- 3 Feb 1855 - Dona Ana County gained all the land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.[12] This included land in present day Yuma County. Look for records in Dona Ana County.
- 24 Feb 1863 - The US created the Arizona Territory from the western half of New Mexico Territory.[13] All previous counties were discontinued for this new territory. Look for records in the Arizona State Library and New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
- 27 Apr 1983 - Arizona created La Paz County from the northern half of Yuma County.[14] This county named for the town of La Paz, Arizona. Look for records in La Paz and Yuma counties.
See Previous Jurisdictions to Land in Arizona showing dates the jurisdictions were created and maps. This will help in determining what jurisdiction your ancestor lived in and where the records are now located.
For animated maps illustrating Arizona county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Arizona County Boundary Maps" (1852-1993) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. However, many of the historical registers have suffered some environmental damage. Mildew and mold have affected the legibility of some books and case file contents.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[15]
| Cities | ||
|
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| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Native American communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Footnotes[edit | edit source]
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
La Paz County, Arizona | Maricopa County, Arizona | Pima County, Arizona | Imperial County, California
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1870 | 1,621 | — |
| 1880 | 3,215 | 98.3% |
| 1890 | 2,671 | −16.9% |
| 1900 | 4,145 | 55.2% |
| 1910 | 7,733 | 86.6% |
| 1920 | 14,904 | 92.7% |
| 1930 | 17,816 | 19.5% |
| 1940 | 19,326 | 8.5% |
| 1950 | 28,006 | 44.9% |
| 1960 | 46,235 | 65.1% |
| 1970 | 60,827 | 31.6% |
| 1980 | 90,554 | 48.9% |
| 1990 | 106,895 | 18.0% |
| 2000 | 160,026 | 49.7% |
| 2010 | 195,751 | 22.3% |
| Source: [1] | ||
For tips on accessing Yuma County, Arizona Genealogy census records online, see: Arizona Census.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Arizona denominations, view the Arizona Church Records wiki page.
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Yuma
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Correctional Institutions[edit | edit source]
- 1884-1910 Arizona, Yuma, Prison Records, 1884-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Yuma County (Arizona). County Recorder, (Main Author), Powers of attorney (Yuma County, Arizona), Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2002.
| Note |
Location |
Film |
|---|---|---|
| Index to grantor, v. 1, 1863-1882, 1889, 1904 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2320096 Item 3 |
| Index to grantor, 1865-1915, 1921, 1934, 1952 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2320096 Item 5 |
| Index to grantor, 1910-1969 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2320096 Item 6 |
| Index to grantee, v. 1, 1863-1881, 1889, 1904 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2320096 Item 4 |
| Index to grantee, 1910-1969 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2320096 Item 7 |
| Powers of attorney, v. C-D (p. 1-271), 1934-1945 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2320096 Items 8 - 9 |
| Powers of attorney, v. D (cont. p. 270-end) 1945-1948 |
FHL US/CAN Film |
FHL 2293272 Item 1 |
Ethnic, Political or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Yuma County, Arizona Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section Arizona Local Histories.
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Arizona Land and Property for additional information about early Arizona land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861-1865 - Arizona Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Arizona, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Finding More Arizona Newspapers[edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Yuma County, Arizona Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- Arizona Historical Digital Newspapers at Arizona Memory Project
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Yuma County, Arizona Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1959-2014 - Arizona, Mesa LDS Family History Center, Obituary Index, 1959-2014 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
|
Probate[edit | edit source]
From 1850 to 1864 during the territorial period, probate records of Arizona were kept by the probate courts of New Mexico. Then until 1912, the records were handled by county probate courts. Since then probate records, such as wills, claims, administrations, case files, and calendars are kept in the custody of the clerk of the superior court in the county courthouse.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Subjects Search for Arizona, Yuma - Probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1803 – 1995 Arizona Wills and Probate Records 1803-1995 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Public Records[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Yuma County Court House
168 S 2nd Ave
Yuma, Az 85364
Phone:520-329-2170
Clerk Superior Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1863 [16]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Ajo Arizona Family History Center
- Casa Grande Arizona Family History Center
- El Centro California Family History Center
- Maricopa Arizona Family History Center
- Phoenix Arizona Family History Center
- Phoenix Arizona Hispanic Family History Center
- Scottsdale Arizona Camelback Family History Center
- Yuma Arizona Family History Center
- McClelland Irish Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Genealogical Society of Yuma Arizona (GSYA)
P.O. Box 7025
Yuma, AZ 85366-7025
Arizona Historical Society, Rio Colorado Division at the Heritage Library
350 Third Ave.
Yuma, Arizona 85364
Telephone: 928-314-2463
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Arizona Department of Health Services , the county clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1887-1935 - Arizona Birth Certificates, 1887 - 1935 at MyHeritage - index and images
- 1909-1917 - Arizona Select Births and Christenings 1909-1917 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1909-1917 - Arizona, Birth Certificates, 1909-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection, index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1870-1963 - Arizona Death Certificates, 1870 - 1963 at MyHeritage ($) - index and images
- 1910-1911 and 1933-1994 - Arizona Select Deaths and Burials 1910-1911 and 1933-1994;at [http://home.ancestry.com/
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1864-1902 - 695 marriages from 2 Apr 1864 to 17 Mar 1902 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index. Some of the early marriage volumes are difficult to read and the writing is hard to decipher due to environmental damage.
- 1833-1949 - Arizona, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1864-1982 - Arizona Marriage Collection 1864-1982 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1871-1964 - Arizona, County Marriages, 1871–1964 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection <<<<Note this does NOT include Yuma County
- 1888-1908 - Arizona Select Marriages 1888-1908 at Ancestry.com — index $
Voting Records[edit | edit source]
- 1902-1918 Arizona, Yuma County, Voting Records, 1902-1918 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index and images
Places[edit | edit source]
| Araby | Fishers Landing | Kinter | Palomas | Tacna |
| Asher | Fortuna | Kofa | Tyson | |
| Aztec | Fortuna Foothills | Laguna | Roll | Wellton |
| Blaisdell | Gadsden | Ligurta | San Dionysio (hist.) | |
| Colfred | Growler | Mohawk | Yuma Indian Homestead | |
| Dateland | Horn | Noah | Somerton | |
| Dome | Hyder | Norton | Steam | |
| Engesser Junction | Kim | Owl | Stoval |
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Yuma County, AZ History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Yuma County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Yuma County, Arizona. Page 56-57 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 52.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Yuma, Arizona," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuma_County,_Arizona 7/10/2017.
- ↑ Howell Code, Ariz. Terr. Laws 1864, 1st assy., ch. 2/ pp. 24-25
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Williams 108-110
- ↑ U.S. Stat., vol. 9, pp. 922-943; Parry, 102: 29-59; Van Zandt, 11, 28-29; Walker and Bufkin, 19, 20A
- ↑ N.M. Terr. Laws 1851, 1st assy., 1st sess./p. 119; N.M. Terr. Laws 1851, 1st assy., 2d sess. /pp. 266, 292
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Original Counties of New Mexico Territory (map) at
(accessed 9 August 2011).
- ↑ U.S. Stat., vol. 10, pp. 1031-1037; Van Zandt, 11, 29, 162
- ↑ U.S. Stat., vol. 10, ch. 245[1854]/p. 575; Van Zandt, 162; Walker and Bufkin, 21-22
- ↑ N.M. Terr. Laws 1854, 4th assy. /p. 57
- ↑ U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 56[1863]/pp. 664-665; Ariz. Terr. Laws 1864, 1st assy./ pp. vii-viii; Van Zandt, 162
- ↑ Ariz. Laws 1983, 36th assy., ch. 291/pp. 1089-1094
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Yuma County, Arizona," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuma_County,_Arizona, accessed 4 March 2019.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Yuma County, Arizona p. 57. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
