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Chaffee County, Colorado Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Salida
Organized: November 1, 1861
Parent County(s): Original county[1]
Neighboring Counties
Fremont • Gunnison • Lake • Park • Pitkin • Saguache
See County Maps
Courthouse
ColoradoChaffeeCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Colorado Chaffee County.png

County Information

Description

Chaffee County was created 10 Feb 1879[2] and was named for Jerome B. Chaffee, Colorado's first United States Senator. Its county seat is Salida. It is located in the central area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

Chaffee County Courthouse
132 Crestone Ave
PO Box 699
Salida, CO 81201-1566
Phone 719-539-6913
Chaffee County Website

County Clerk has marriage and land records[4]

Chaffee 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
1884 1866 1884 1879 1879 1879 1860
*Statewide registration for births in 1910 and deaths in 1910. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

  • Parent County: Chaffee County was created as an original county on 1 November 1861. It was formally known as Lake County (while Lake County was known as Carbonate County) for a brief period before the name was changed to Chaffee on 10 February 1879.
  • County Seat: Salida[6]
  • Colorado Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county
  • Colorado Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Colorado county boundary changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. TThe following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Princeton
  • Riverside
  • Rockdale
  • Stonewall
  • Turret
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Chaffee, 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. %±
1880 6,512 —
1890 6,612 1.5%
1900 7,085 7.2%
1910 7,622 7.6%
1920 7,753 1.7%
1930 8,126 4.8%
1940 8,109 −0.2%
1950 7,168 −11.6%
1960 8,298 15.8%
1970 10,162 22.5%
1980 13,227 30.2%
1990 12,684 −4.1%
2000 16,242 28.1%
2010 17,809 9.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State and Territory Census Records

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.

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 7.

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

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]

Marriage

Death

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

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

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


1878-1979Chaffee County Probates
1879-1889Chaffee County Teacher Certificate Register

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 Chaffee County. For state-wide library facilities, see Colorado Archives and Libraries.

Buena Vista Public Library
131 Linderman Avenue
PO Box 2019
Buena Vista, CO 81211
719-395-8700
Email: info@buenavistalibrary.org
Website

Salida Regional Library
405 E Street
Salida, CO 81201
719-539-4826
Website

Museums

Societies

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

Buena Vista Heritage Association
PO Box 1414
Buena Vista, CO 81211
719-398-1682
Email: buenavistaheritage@msn.com
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, "Chaffee County, Colorado," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chaffee_County,_Colorado&oldid=1220416116 (accessed May 30, 2024).
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Chaffee County, Colorado. Page 97At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ 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, "Chaffee County, Colorado," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaffee_County%2C_Colorado, accessed May 16, 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. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 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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