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Arapahoe County, Colorado Genealogy

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Guide to Arapahoe County, Colorado ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Littleton
Organized: November 1, 1861
Parent County(s): Original county[1]
Neighboring Counties
Adams • Denver • Douglas • Elbert • Jefferson • Lincoln • Washington
See County Maps
Courthouse
ColoradoArapahoeCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Colorado Arapahoe County.png

County Information

Description

Arapahoe County was created 1 Nov 1861[2] and was named for the Arapaho Native American tribe, who once lived in the region. Its county seat is Littleton. It is located in the north-central area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

Arapahoe County Courthouse
5334 S Prince Street
Littleton, CO 80166-0001
Phone: 303-795-4200
Arapahoe County Website

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder's Office
5334 S. Prince St.
Littleton, CO 80120
Ph: 303-795-4520
TDD: 303-738-7890

County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1902 burial records to 1941;
County Court has divorce, probate and court records[4]

Arapahoe County, Colorado 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 Government County Records[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1872 1902 1887 1902 pre 1901 1902 1860
*Statewide registration for births in 1910 and deaths in 1910. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

Boundary Changes

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:[7]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Arapahoe, Colorado online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Colorado Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

In 1860, present-day Colorado was enumerated in the Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah Territories. Colorado Territory was created in 1861 and was enumerated as such in the 1870 Census. A state census was taken in 1885 for Colorado.[8] See links listed below.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1870 6,829 —
1880 38,644 465.9%
1890 132,135 241.9%
1900 153,017 15.8%
1910 10,263 −93.3%
1920 13,766 34.1%
1930 22,647 64.5%
1940 32,150 42.0%
1950 52,125 62.1%
1960 113,426 117.6%
1970 162,142 42.9%
1980 293,621 81.1%
1990 391,511 33.3%
2000 487,967 24.6%
2010 572,003 17.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State and Territory Census Records

The Colorado Genealogical Society's 1885 Colorado State Census - Arapahoe County PDF File with every name indexed.

Federal Census Records

The 1880 Census was the first Federal Census for Colorado after it became a state in 1876.[9] For links to Federal Census indexes, see Colorado Census.

  • 1860-1940 Colorado Census Records from 1860 to 1940 at FamilySearch.org — index & images

Church Records

Church records 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 Colorado denominations, view the Colorado Church Records wiki page.

Online Church Records

Presbyterian Church


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Numerous records are available at Colorado Archives. To use this link scroll down the page to where it asks for Record Type. Click there and scroll down the list to the records you want and select. The next field asks for county. Select the county you want and then click on Search. You can narrow the search by adding the additional information it asks for.

  • 1933-1936. Colorado Archives An Index compiled from the official record of the applications granted by the Arapahoe County Commissioners during these years. Record may show the following:
  • Name of Applicant
  • Date and Amount of pension payment
  • Any adjustments to the pension
  • Person's age
  • Town nearest to where they lived
  • Other Actions done by the County

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

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 Colorado Land and Property for additional information about early Colorado land grants.

After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where current records are also housed.


Online Land Indexes and Records


For more information see Colorado Land and Property

Local Histories

Online County Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Error: No valid link was found at the end of line 10.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Online Collections

These collections are unique to Colorado. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Colorado Military Records.

All Veterans

Civil War

Spanish-American War (1898)

World War I

World War II

Vietnam War

For further information see Colorado Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Records

Newspapers

For more information, see Colorado Newspapers.

Colorado Newspapers Online


Colorado Newspaper Catalogs

  • U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper

Obituaries

Other Records

Pension Records

Hospital Records

Voting Registers

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records have been kept by the county courts. Colorado probate records include bonds, affidavits, letters, claims, appraisals, fee accounts, minutes, judgments, dockets, calendars, case files, and wills. The FamilySearch Library does not have copies of probate records from Colorado.

You may obtain copies of documents from the clerk's office in the county courthouse.


Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Colorado tax records complement land records and can be used as supplements to censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records. To find tax records in the FamilySearch Catalog, do a Place Search for the county.


Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Vital Records Section Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Colorado.


Birth

Birth records may become public records when 100 years have elapsed after the date of birth. EXCEPTION: The birth record of any individual who is known to be currently alive will remain confidential even if they are 100 years of age or greater. [11]

To obtain a recent birth certificate for yourself or a near relative, contact the Tri-County Health Department by calling 303-220-9200 or visiting:
6162 S. Willow Drive #100
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Marriage

The Arapahoe County Recorder's office will search their indexes if you call or come in to the office. If a record is found, a copy can be purchased in person or by mail. Call 303-795-4520 and press 0 to speak to a clerk.

Death

Death records may become public records when 75 years have elapsed after the date of death. [11]

To obtain a recent death certificate for yourself or a near relative, contact the Tri-County Health Department by calling 303-220-9200 or visiting:
6162 S. Willow Drive #100
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Divorce

Arapahoe County is part of the Colorado 18th Judicial District. To contact them for divorce information prior to 1992 or after 2009, call 303-649-6355 or write to Arapahoe Combined Courts at 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial CO 80112. In this letter include the names of the parties at the time of the divorce, the approximate year of the divorce, and your phone number. Do not forget to include your phone number! There is a fee for a search ($5 in 2014), and a small fee for each page copied.

Online Records

For the years 1992 to 2009, the divorce records are in the state archives https://www.colorado.gov/archives/arapahoedivorce . Follow the directions on that site to obtain the record.

Research Facilities

Colorado State Archives
1313 Sherman St., Room 1B-20
Denver, CO 80203
Request a Record
Telephone: 303-866-2358
Website

Contains online database Archives Search. See Colorado State Archives for a full list of online holdings
1880-1939 Divorce Index
1883-1900 Mine Accidents, Non - fatal
1897-1920 Horseshoers
1936-1942 Civilian Conservation Corps Enrollments
1966-1968 Vietnam Deaths

Arapahoe County Civil Docket Book 1867 - 1869
Arapahoe County Hospital 1891 - 1899
Arapahoe County Old Age Pension 1933 - 1936
Arapahoe County Poor Hospital 1895 - 1899
Arapahoe County Probate Cases 1902 - 1937
Arapahoe County Teachers Cards Dist 1 and 6 1953
Arapahoe County Voter Registrations 1893 - 1905

Archives

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Arapahoe County. For state-wide library facilities, see Colorado Archives and Libraries.

Arapahoe Library District
12855 E Adam Aircraft Circle
Englewood, CO 80112
303-542-7279
Website

Aurora Public Library
15151 E Alameda Parkway
Aurora, CO 80012
303-739-7000
Email: access@auroragov.org
Website

Edwin A. Bemis Public Library
6014 S Datura St
Littleton, CO 80120
303-795-3961
Website

Englewood Public Library
1000 Englewood Parkway
Englewood, CO 80110
303-762-2560
Website

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Arapahoe County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Colorado Societies.

Aurora Genealogical Society
PO Box 31732
14949 E Alameda Pkwy
Aurora, CO 80041-0732
303-739-6686
Email:aurgs1981@yahoo.com
Website
Facebook

Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society
PO Box 2074
Centennial, CO 80161-2074
Email: ColumbineGenealogy@gmail.com
Website

Mount Rosa Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
Littleton, CO
Email: mountrosaregent@coloradodar.org
Website
Facebook

Sheridan Historical Society, Inc.
4101 S Federal Blvd
Sheridan, CO 80110-4316
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. ↑ https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CO_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Arapahoe County, Colorado," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arapahoe_County,_Colorado&oldid=1220415946 (accessed May 28, 2024).
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Arapahoe County, Colorado. Page 97At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Arapahoe County, Colorado. Page 97 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 92.
  6. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Arapahoe County, Colorado," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapahoe_County,_Colorado, accessed May 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses (Bountiful, UT: American Genealogical Lending Library, 1985), page 51-54; Alice Eichholz, ‘’Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources,’’ 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 2004), 86. Free online version; FS Library Book 973 D27rb 2004; WorldCat entry.
  9. ↑ William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses (Bountiful, UT: American Genealogical Lending Library, 1985), page 54.
  10. ↑ Colorado Online Historical Newspapers, https://sites.google.com/site/onlinenewspapersite/Home/united-states-online-historical-newspapers/colorado-online-historical-newspapers, accessed 19 July 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Letter from Colorado State Registrar, Dated September 1, 2011. Policy Number 2011- 08. http://www.colorado.gov


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