Colorado Public Records
| How
To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
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Colorado Vital Records
Statewide registration of births and deaths was attempted in 1875,
though compliance was sporadic. Successful implementation began in
1910 for births and 1900 for deaths. Most marriage records are still
maintained by individual county clerks. For births after 1910, deaths
after 1900, marriages 1900-1939/1975-present and divorces 1900-1939/1968-present
write:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Vital Records
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80222-1530
Tel: 303-756-4464
Fax: 303-782-5576
http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/cdphe_dir/hs/cshom.html
For earlier dates, some records may be found at the
county level.
http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/cdphe_dir/hs/certs.html
For earlier records, and for marriages, write to
the clerk of the county in question.
Colorado Land Records
Colorado is a federal-land state. Lands were generally obtained
from the federal government or from other individuals. Early settlers
in Colorado also received land under Spanish and Mexican governments.
Case files for most private land claims (the settling of property
ownership by the government of the United States for lands previously
acquired under a different sovereign) are housed at the National
Archives in Washington, D.C.. Many of the records of the Spanish
and Mexican land grants are located in the Western History Collection
at the Denver Public Library, 1357 Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80203.
Once the area fell under U.S. jurisdiction, land
was first transferred from the federal government to individuals.
The Homestead Act of 1862 provided for the disposal of most of Colorado's
land. Land offices existed in Cental City, Del Norte, Denver, Durango,
Glenwood Springs, Gunnison, Hugo, Lamar, Leadville, Montrose, Pueblo,
and Sterling. The case files for federal patents are located at
the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and at the Bureau of
Land Management, Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street,
Lakewood, Colorado 80215.
For transactions between individuals, consult the
local County Recorder. For further reference to all transactions,
consult:
Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the
United States. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997.
Colorado Court Records
Court records entail probate records, guardianship, naturalization,
and a wide variety of other sources. It should be remembered that
there are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United
States, all of which should be considered for research under various
circumstances. Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court,
District Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court. See: "Research
in Court Records" by Arlene H. Eakle, found in Loretto Dennis
Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds., The Source: A Guidebook
to American Genealogy, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).
Colorado Military Records
The Division of State Archives and Public Records holds the National
Guard muster rolls from 1861–1919 and the Colorado National
Guard service records from 1861–1945. The Adjutant General
has a microfilmed copy of the "Index to Compiled Service Records
of the Union Army for Colorado." The researcher may also wish
to search Sherman Lee Pompey's Confederate Soldiers Buried in Colorado
(Independence, CA: Historical and Genealogical Publishing Company,
1965) and John H. Nankivel's History of the Military Organizations
of the State of Colorado 1860–1935 (Denver: W. H. Kistler Stationary
Company, ca. 1935).
Soldiers' discharge papers for post World War II
and later conflicts are located at the county level in the clerk
and recorder's office. For further information, consult:
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide
to Federal and State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1994.
Additional Sources
Hinckley, Kathleen W. "Genealogical Research in Colorado."
National Genealogical Society Quarterly 77 (June 1989): 107–27.
Joy, Carol M., and Terry Ann Mood, comps. Colorado
Local History: A Directory. Denver: Colorado Historical Society,
1986. (Contains descriptions of over 100 smaller repository collections.)
Noel, Thomas J, ed. The W.P.A. Guide to 1930's Colorado.
Reprint. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press, 1987.
Colorado Genealogical Society, comp. Colorado Families:
A Territorial Heritage. Denver: Colorado Genealogical Society, 1981.
(These family pedigrees and histories of families in Colorado by
or before 1876 include maps and an every-name index.)
Colorado Vital Records:
Event: Birth or death
Cost of copy: $15.00
Address:
Vital Records Section
Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
HSVRD-VS-A1
Denver, CO 80222-1530
Remarks: State office has had death records since
1900 and birth records since 1910. State office also has birth records
for some counties for years before 1910. Additional copies of the
same record ordered at the same time are $6.00. Pocket size birth
cards are available for birth years 1960 to present and contain
name, sex, date, place of birth, state file number, date filed,
and date issued.
Check or money order should be made payable to Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment. Personal checks are
accepted. To verify current fees, the telephone number is (303)
756-4464. This will be a recorded message. Information on how to
obtain certified copies is also available via the internet at Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment
Search All Colorado Records
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: See remarks
Address:
Vital Records Section
Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
HSVRD-VS-A1
Denver, CO 80222-1530
Remarks: Certified copies are not available from
State Health Department. Statewide index of records for 1900-39
and 1975 to present. Fee for verification is $12.00.
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Event: Marriage (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Copies available from County Clerk in county
where license was issued.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: See remarks
Address:
Vital Records Section
Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
HSVRD-VS-A1
Denver, CO 80222-1530
Remarks: Certified copies are not available from
State Health Department. Statewide index of records for 1900-39
and 1968 to 1995. Fee for verification is $12.00.
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Event: Divorce (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Copies available from Clerk of District
Court in county where divorce was granted.
Search All Colorado Records
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