Sorted by Colorado census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
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Colorado, U.S., State Census, 1885 | 195,979 |
Navajo Springs, Colorado Ute Census, 1904-08 | 3,350 |
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Sorted by Colorado birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
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U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 | 3,655,095 |
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 | 2,891,271 |
U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989 | 1,868,002 |
Web: Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2016Free | 1,826,254 |
Colorado, U.S., Select County Marriages, 1863-2018 | 1,786,194 |
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Sorted by Colorado military | Sort by Count |
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U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 | 54,144,553 |
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 | 14,501,913 |
Colorado, Roster of Men and Women Who Served in World War I, 1917-1918 | 42,273 |
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Colorado, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1868-1990 | 296,216 |
Colorado, U.S., Passenger and Crew Manifests, 1959-1960 | 310 |
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Colorado, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current | 65,296,260 |
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Texas, U.S., Select Headstone Photos, 1850-2005 | 94,225 |
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Sorted by Colorado directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
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U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995 | 465,389 |
Colorado, Steelworks Employment Records, 1887-1979 | 350,223 |
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 | 210,143 |
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 | 52,945 |
An Enduring Legacy | 26,448 |
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Sorted by Colorado court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
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Colorado, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1875-1974 | 40,607 |
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Sorted by Colorado dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
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Encyclopedia of biography of Colorado : history of Colorado | 592 |
Inventory of the county archives of Colorado: Morgan County | 297 |
Guide to vital statistics records in Colorado. | 170 |
Inventory of the county archives of Colorado: San Miguel County | 146 |
Inventory of the church archives of Colorado. | 41 |
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There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to Colorado | |
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Sorted by Colorado stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
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An Enduring Legacy | 26,448 |
U.S., Women of the West, 1928Free | 4,669 |
History of Colorado | 2,481 |
History of Clear Creek and Boulder valleys, Colorado | 733 |
Historic towns of the western states | 732 |
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A genealogical history
Statehood: 1 August 1876
Capital: Denver
Largest City: Denver
Counties: 64
State motto: Nil Sine Numine (Nothing Without the Deity)
State nickname: Centennial State
Neighboring states: Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah, Arizona
Pack train leaving Ouray with supplies for the mines, Colorado, c. 1905
Interesting facts
- Native American tribes that called Colorado home included the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Pueblo (Anasazi), Shoshone, and Ute.
- Much of eastern Colorado was acquired through the Louisiana Purchase and most of the remainder was ceded to the U.S. in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that following the Mexican-American War in 1848.
- In 1859, the discovery of gold in Colorado brought an influx of argonauts to Colorado, giving rise to mining towns like Denver and Boulder. Two decades later, a silver boom drew miners to the Leadville area.
Featured Colorado collections
Famous people
Help and advice
Resources
Colorado Census Research
Federal census records for Colorado began in 1870, and were taken every ten years.
Territorial and State censuses: The area which would later become Colorado was included in parts of several territorial censuses in 1860.
- Arapahoe County was included in the Kansas territorial census in 1860.
- Boulder City, Boulder Creek Settlement, Gold Hill Settlement, Miraville City, and the Platte River Settlement were enumerated with Nebraska Territory.
- Denver City was partly enumerated with Nebraska and partly with the Kansas territorial census.
- The southeast portion of Colorado (known as the Rio Grande Valley) was enumerated in parts of Taos and Mora counties of New Mexico Territory.
- Leadville, although a booming mining town at the time and located in what is now Lake County, was in Utah Territory and not enumerated.
A Colorado state census was taken in 1866, but the only available returns are for the northeastern section which included the counties of Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Weld, and parts of Washington and Yuma. The records are available at the Colorado State Archives.
In 1885, a more complete census of Colorado included population, mortality, agricultural, and manufacturing schedules. The population schedules are available on Ancestry.com as the Colorado State Census, 1885. Other schedules can be found at the Colorado State Archives. Both state and county copies of this census exist, though for complete information, the researcher will need to use the original state copy.
Colorado Vital Records
Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1875, though compliance was intermittent. Statewide registration was successfully implemented in 1910 for births and 1900 for deaths. Most marriage records are still maintained by individual county clerks.
Colorado vital records are restricted by law to those with a proven direct relationship or tangible interest. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Genealogy page provides useful information on sources and ordering of vital records.
- Colorado Vital Records: Holds records of births since 1910; deaths from 1900; marriages from 1900-1939 and 1975-present; and divorces 1851-1939 and 1968-present. For marriages from 1940 to 1974 or divorces from 1940-1967, contact the county where the license or decree of divorce was issued.
- Colorado State Archives: Holds a microfiche index of approximately 3,000 Colorado births from 1863-1899, and an index of marriages and divorces from 1900-1939.
- Western States marriage index (BYU Idaho) special collections: a searchable index to marriages in several western states, including Colorado. See the web site for specific counties and years included in the index.
Colorado Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Colorado history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Genealogy page: provides useful information on sources and ordering of vital records.
- Colorado State Archives: The Archives maintains a research room for on-site visitors. Several important online and digital collections are available from their web site. A historical records index search contains a range of vital records, census entries, wills, tax records, and more. Many records are also available from their family history site which includes links to census, directory, veteran, penitentiary, and other records; and a digital archive which contains scanned records.
- Colorado State Library
- History Colorado: The Stephen H. Hart library contains a range of genealogy resources, including census, directory, newspaper, and biographical records.
- Colorado Genealogical Society: Holds regular meetings, sponsors special events, and publishes The Colorado Genealogist journal. The web site includes a useful listing of Colorado internet genealogy resources.
- Colorado GenWeb: Provides links to county-based genealogy web pages and research links.
- RootsWeb Colorado Resources: Contains links to Colorado genealogy resources, including state and county-level websites; societies and organizations; and personal and miscellaneous web sites related to Colorado research.
- Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection: An online search of a growing collection of digitized Colorado newspapers.
- National Archives at Denver. This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Colorado, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office Records: The BLM administers Federal Land for public land states including Colorado, and maintains records of land patents which granted land from the Federal Government to individuals. Use the Land Patent Search to locate land grants by name. Many record images are available on the web site. See the FAQ for more information on how to locate and use land patents.
Local and Regional Research
- Boulder Library – Carnegie Branch for Local History: Describes the available collections which cover local people and history.
- Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy Collection: An extensive list of genealogy resources and research tools includes links to sources of maps, obituaries, military information, newspapers, building history research, and more.