Colorado Genealogy Search

Colorado family history begins with the 1859 gold rush and the mining camps, and its records follow the rush: county deed and mining claim books from the early 1860s, the 1885 state census that supplements the lost 1890 federal count, and the state vital records that began in 1907. The Colorado State Archives in Denver holds the state's records, and the Denver Public Library's Western History and Genealogy Department is one of the largest genealogy libraries in the West.

Colorado's Historic Newspapers Collection, free online from 1859 onward, is often the fastest way to find a mining era ancestor, because the camps' newspapers reported every arrival, marriage, accident and death.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

Colorado statewide genealogy links

• Colorado State Archives Historical Records IndexHistorical Records Index and Database
• Colorado Department of Public Health and EnvironmentObtain Early Vital Records
• Colorado Marriage and Divorce DatabaseOnline Marriage and Divorce Records
• Colorado State Archives and Libraries SearchColorado Archives and Libraries Search
• Colorado Historic Newspapers CollectionHistoric Colorado Newspapers
• Colorado Archives Military Online DatabaseMilitary Archives Online Indexes
• Colorado State Archives Court and Judicial RecordsColorado Archived Court and Judicial Case Files
• Colorado Probate Court Indexes from State ArchivesColorado Probate Indexes
• Colorado State Archives Family History PageSearch the Family History Records Database
• Colorado Online School ArchivesHistorical Colorado School Records
• Colorado State Penitentiary Prisoner IndexPenitentiary and Reform Records
• Colorado Virtual LibraryVirtual Library Digital Collections
• USGenWeb Archives ColoradoSearch Colorado GenWeb Archives
• National Archives Colorado Rocky Mountain RegionColorado Genealogy Research at the National Archives

Colorado began statewide birth and death registration in 1907, with Denver and a few counties keeping records from 1876, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment holds the certificates. Colorado keeps vital records confidential under state law, with copies going to family and others who qualify, and the State Archives holds the historical birth and death indexes and the older records it has received, which is where a genealogy search starts. The State Archives also holds a free online index of Colorado marriages and divorces from 1900 to 1939 and 1975 to 1992, and marriage licenses themselves are held by each county clerk and recorder from the county's founding in the 1860s and 1870s.

• Colorado Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from 1907, checked September 25, 2026
• Colorado State ArchivesMarriage and divorce index, public vital records and county records, checked September 25, 2026
• Colorado Vital Records guideHow to order certificates and what is public

The State Archives holds the 1885 state census, taken with federal help and listing every Coloradan by county, the Colorado State Penitentiary inmate registers from 1871, state hospital and school records, naturalization records from many county courts and mining claim and water right records. The Denver Public Library's Western History collection holds Colorado newspapers, city directories, mining company records and an obituary index. History Colorado in Denver holds photographs and manuscripts. Federal land patents and homestead entries for Colorado are at the General Land Office site, and the National Archives at Denver holds the federal court and Bureau of Indian Affairs records for Colorado.

• Colorado Historic Newspapers CollectionFree digitized Colorado newspapers from 1859 onward, checked September 25, 2026
• Denver Public Library Western History and GenealogyObituary index, directories and genealogy collections, checked September 25, 2026
• National Archives at DenverFederal court, land and Indian agency records for Colorado, checked September 25, 2026
• FamilySearch Colorado research guideFree indexed Colorado records and images, checked September 25, 2026

Colorado county clerks and recorders hold deeds, mortgages, mining claims and marriage licenses from each county's founding, and the district court clerks hold probate, divorce and civil case files, with the State Archives holding older district court records for many counties. Denver, a consolidated city and county since 1902, keeps its own clerk and recorder. Most Colorado recorders post grantor and grantee indexes online, and the State Archives' county records inventory lists what survives for each of the 64 counties.

• Colorado County Public RecordsCounty clerks and recorders and district courts for all 64 counties
• Colorado Court RecordsDistrict court case and probate searches

These federal and national sources complement Colorado's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when Colorado state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.

NARA, National Archives The federal government's primary archive. Holds the U.S. census (1790, 1950), ship passenger lists, naturalization records, military service files, and land entry files.

FamilySearch Free online genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Digitized microfilm copies of many county and state records worldwide.

Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy The LoC's research guides, city directories, newspapers, and Civil War records, most accessible free online through loc.gov.