Arizona Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Arizona online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.[edit | edit source]
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
Federal Censuses
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Territorial and State Censuses (with househeld members
| Year | Type of Census | Links |
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| 1864 | Territorial, names of household members | Ancestry ($) — index and images Ancestry ($) — index |
| 1882 | Territorial, household members | Ancestry ($) — index and images |
For more information on census records, see Arizona Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.[edit | edit source]
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Arizona beginning in 1909. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1800-1972 Arizona Genealogy Record Search at Arizona Department of Health Services; images
- 1870-1951 Arizona Deaths, 1870-1951 at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1870-1963 Arizona Death Certificates, 1870-1963 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1910-1911, 1933-1994 Arizona, Deaths and Burials, 1910-1911, 1933-1994 at FamilySearch; index; Also at: Ancestry($)
Marriages
- 1809-2011: Western States Marriage Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1833-1949: US Marriages – Arizona at Findmypast - index only ($)
- 1864-1982: Arizona Marriage Collection at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1865-1949: Arizona Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1871-1964: Arizona County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1888-1908: Arizona Select Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
- Western States Marriage Index at BYU Idaho — index; Also at: FamilySearch
Deaths
- 1800-1972: Arizona Genealogy Record Search at Arizona Department of Health Services; images only
- 1870-1951: Arizona Deaths at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1870-1963: Arizona Death Certificates at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
- 1910-1911; 1933-1994: Arizona Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1935-2014: US Social Security Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1936-2007: US Social Security Applications and Claims Index at Ancestry; incomplete ($)
- 1962-2014: US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch; index only
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Arizona, see How to Find Arizona Birth Records, How to Find Arizona Marriage Records, and How to Find Arizona Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.[edit | edit source]
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1909. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- Online Arizona Death Records & Indexes
- Arizona Obituary Archive
- Native American Obituaries Digitized with full name index.
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
- Arizona Obituary Index to Arizona Newspapers, 1993-1994 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- State of Arizona Obituary and Death Notices Collections at GenealogyBuff.com — index
Cemetery Records
- Findagrave.com
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection
- Arizona Cemetery at at AccessGenealogy
- Arizona Cemetery Records at Interment
- Arizona Deaths and Burials, 1910-1911; 1933-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- Arizona Gravestones Photo Project at Arizona Gravestones
- Arizona Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Arizona Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Pioneer Cemeteries at Pioneers' Cemeteries Association - PDF lists
- Arizona Cemeteries at American Pioneer and Cemetery Research Project
For more information, see Arizona Obituaries and Arizona Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..[edit | edit source]
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Arizona, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Arizona, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Arizona Online Genealogy Records.[edit | edit source]
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Arizona Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.