Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado census & voter lists
Sort by Count
Colorado, U.S., State Census, 1885195,979
Navajo Springs, Colorado Ute Census, 1904-083,350
View other census & voter lists collections related to Colorado (20)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado birth, marriage & death
Sort by Count
U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-19473,655,095
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-19702,891,271
U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-19891,868,002
Web: Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2016Free1,826,254
Colorado, U.S., Select County Marriages, 1863-20181,786,194
View all Colorado birth, marriage & death (15)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado military
Sort by Count
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-194754,144,553
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 194214,501,913
Colorado, Roster of Men and Women Who Served in World War I, 1917-191842,273
View other military collections related to Colorado (193)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado immigration & emigration
Sort by Count
Colorado, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1868-1990296,216
Colorado, U.S., Passenger and Crew Manifests, 1959-1960310
View other immigration & emigration collections related to Colorado (34)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado newspapers & periodicals
Sort by Count
Colorado, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current65,296,260
View other newspapers & periodicals collections related to Colorado (25)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado pictures
Sort by Count
Texas, U.S., Select Headstone Photos, 1850-200594,225
View other pictures collections related to Colorado (16)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado directories & member lists
Sort by Count
U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995465,389
Colorado, Steelworks Employment Records, 1887-1979350,223
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970210,143
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-197052,945
An Enduring Legacy26,448
View all Colorado directories & member lists (36)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado court, land, wills & financial
Sort by Count
Colorado, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1875-197440,607
View other court, land, wills & financial collections related to Colorado (69)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference
Sort by Count
Encyclopedia of biography of Colorado : history of Colorado592
Inventory of the county archives of Colorado: Morgan County297
Guide to vital statistics records in Colorado.170
Inventory of the county archives of Colorado: San Miguel County146
Inventory of the church archives of Colorado.41
View other dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference collections related to Colorado (101)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado maps, atlases & gazetteers
Sort by Count
There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to Colorado
View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Colorado (7)

Data Collections
Sorted by Colorado stories, memories & histories
Sort by Count
An Enduring Legacy26,448
U.S., Women of the West, 1928Free4,669
History of Colorado2,481
History of Clear Creek and Boulder valleys, Colorado733
Historic towns of the western states732
View all Colorado stories, memories & histories (21)

A genealogical history

Colorado in brief

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

U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970
Colorado, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Colorado, U.S., Select County Marriages, 1863-2018
Colorado, U.S., Compiled Marriages from Mesa, Arapahoe and Boulder Counties, 1859-1900

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