McKinley County, New Mexico Genealogy

United States

New Mexico

McKinley County

Guide to McKinley County, New Mexico ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts County seat: Gallup Organized: January 1, 1901 Parent County(s): Bernalillo Neighboring Counties Apache (AZ)  • Cibola  • San Juan  • Sandoval See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

McKinley County is a county located in the northwestern section of the state. McKinley County was created 23 February 1899 but did not take effect until 1 January 1901. It was named for William McKinley. The county seat is Gallup.

County Courthouse

McKinley County Courthouse
200 W Hill Avenue
Gallup, NM 87301-6309
Phone: 505.863.6866
McKinley County Website

County Clerk has birth records 1907-1958, probate and land records from 1901, and voter registration
District Court Clerk has divorce records.

McKinley County, New Mexico Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1907	1901	1907	#11	1901	1901	1790
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1907. General compliance by 1930.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Up until 1821 -  New Spain controlled land that later would become New Mexico and Arizona. Some records of early settlers may have been sent to an archives in Seville, Spain, or to archives in Mexico City. From 1821 until 1846 - Mexico had jurisdiction over the land that later would become New Mexico and Arizona. Some records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City. Starting in 1846 United States forces occupied New Mexico during the Mexican-American War. 1848 -  Land that became McKinley County formally became a part of the United States when the Mexican-American War ended with ratification of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. 1901--McKinley County was created 1 January 1901 (law dated 23 February 1899) from Bernalillo County. County seat: Gallup Interactive Formation Boundary Map of New Mexico - shows boundary changes for New Mexico Counties New Mexico Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library 1901 - On 18 March 1901, McKinley gained from Bernalillo, San Juan, and Valencia counties, assuming present shape. For animated maps illustrating New Mexico County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation New Mexico County Boundary Maps" (1845-1981) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

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:

Cities
Gallup (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Borrego Pass Chi Chil Tah Continental Divide Gamerco	Jamestown Pinedale Prewitt Rehoboth	Smith Lake Vanderwagen
Census-designated places
Black Rock Brimhall Nizhoni Church Rock Crownpoint Crystal Nakaibito	Navajo Pueblo Pintado Ramah Rock Springs Thoreau Tohatchi	Tse Bonito Twin Lakes Yah-ta-hey Zuni Pueblo

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of McKinley County, New Mexico online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com NMGenWeb NMGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project New Mexico Gravestone Project NM Cemetery Project NM Interment Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Cemeteries of New Mexico Cemeteries in or near McKinley by EPunk
See New Mexico Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	12,963	—
1920	13,731	5.9%
1930	20,643	50.3%
1940	23,641	14.5%
1950	27,451	16.1%
1960	37,209	35.5%
1970	43,208	16.1%
1980	56,449	30.6%
1990	60,686	7.5%
2000	74,798	23.3%
2010	71,492	−4.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for New Mexico starting in 1850. For links to Federal census indexes, see New Mexico Census.

State Census Records

• 1885 New Mexico Territorial Census 1885 at Ancestry(free)
• Late 1800s 1800s Arizona and New Mexico Territories Census, Late 1800s ($)

Church Records

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 New Mexico denominations, view the New Mexico Church Records wiki page.

Catholic

Parish registers (baptisms, marriages, and burials) are available online for the following years:

FS = FamilySearch - free

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Zuni, Parish Registers Online
	Baptisms		Marriages		Burials
	Indexes	Images	Indexes	Images	Indexes	Images
FS	1725-1772	1725-1772	1697-1771	1697-1771		1700-1719

LDS

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Gallup
• Ramah

Land and Property Records

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 New Mexico Land and Property for additional information about early New Mexico land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

The primary function of the McKinley County Clerk is to file and record documents of all kinds, including all land documents, maps and plats for the county, subdivision maps and surveys, legal descriptions, bills of sale, and property tax liens.
   McKinley county Clerks Office

   McKinley county NM Courthouse
   207 West Hill St
   Gallup, NM 87301
 
Online Land Records

• Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
• 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry- index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
  
• 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Local Histories

Local histories are available for McKinley County, New Mexico 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 New Mexico Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Interactive Formation Boundary Map of New Mexico - shows boundary changes for New Mexico Counties
• NMGenWeb - historical maps

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• 1775 - 1783 - United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - images only
  
• For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

• 1861 - 1865 - New Mexico Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War I

• 1917 - 1919 - New Mexico, World War I Records, 1917-1919 at Ancestry($)
• For more natiowide World War I databases, see US Military OnlineGenealogy Records.

World War II

• 1941 - 1945 - World War II Records, 1941-1945 State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel from: New Mexico
• 1941 - 1945 - World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel from: New Mexico
• 1941 - 1945 - New Mexico, World War II Records, 1941-1945 at Ancestry($)
• For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy.

Probate Records

Since statehood in 1912, probate matters have been under the jurisdiction of probate courts in each county. Records of guardianship and adoption have usually been transferred to the district courts. In 1953 the district courts were given concurrent jurisdiction with the probate court over all probate matters in each county.

See the wiki page New Mexico Probate Records for information about how to find earlier probate records.

The Family History Library does not have copies of the New Mexico county probate records. They are available at each county courthouse. You can obtain copies by contacting the county clerk.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, and adoption.

Online Probate Records

• 1801 – 1993 New Mexico Wills and Probate Records 1801-1993 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Tax Records

New Mexico tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the Wiki page New Mexico Taxation.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the Wiki page, New Mexico Vital Records, for additional information about the vital records in New Mexico.

Marriage records - are at the County Clerk's office

Divorce records - are at the office of the County Clerk of Court

Birth and death records - are at the New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics Office which has records since 1920 and delayed records since 1880.

See also How to order New Mexico Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for New Mexico Birth Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.

Birth

• 1726 – 1918 New Mexico Births and Christenings, 1726-1918 at FamilySearch

Marriage

• 1727 - 1900 New Mexico Marriages 1727-1900 at Ancestry($)
• 1751 - 1918 New Mexico Marriages, 1751-1918 at FamilySearch

Death

• 1788 – 1798; 1838 – 1955 New Mexico Deaths and Burials, 1788-1798; 1838-1955 at FamilySearch
• 1889 - 1945 New Mexico Deaths, 1889-1945 at FamilySearch

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• Gallup New Mexico Family History Center 601 Susan Dr Gallup NM 87301 United States Location Map
• Ramah New Mexico Family History Center 21 Lewis St Ramah NM 87321 United States Location Map
• Thoreau New Mexico Family History Center 29 Navarre Blvd Thoreau NM 87323 United States Location Map

Societies

Gallup Historical Society, Inc.
300 West Historic 66 Avenue
Gallup, New Mexico, 87301
Telephone: 505-863-1363

Red Rock Historical Society
PO Box 328
Gallup, New Mexico, 87305-0328

Luna County Historical Society
301 S. Silver Ave.
Deming, NM 88030
Telephone: 575-546-2382
E-mail:dlmm@qwestoffice.net
Website

Websites

• McKinley County, NM History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• New Mexico Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• New Mexico Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb for McKinley county NM. Has Cemeteries, Census, History, and Obituary information.
• General Land Office records for original land patents.
• FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records