Colorado 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 Colorado online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
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.
XXXXFederal Censuses
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For more information on census records, see Colorado Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Colorado statewide beginning in 1907, although counties may have kept earlier records. 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.
Marriages
- 17th-20th: US Marriages – Colorado at Findmypast - index & images ($)
- 1853-2006: Colorado Statewide Marriage Index at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1859-1900: Colorado Compiled Marriages from Mesa, Arapahoe and Boulder Counties at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1862-2006: Colorado County Marriages and State Indexes at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1864-1995: Colorado, County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1900-1939: Colorado Statewide Marriage Index at Ancestry; images only ($)
- 1975-2004: Marriages at MyHeritage - index only ($)
- Western States Marriage Index at BYU Idaho
Deaths
- 1935-2014: US Social Security Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1936-2007: US Social Security Applications and Claims Index at Ancestry - index only; incomplete ($)
- 1962-2014: US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch; index only
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Colorado, see How to Find Colorado Birth Records, How to Find Colorado Marriage Records, and How to Find Colorado Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1907. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- Native American Obituaries at FamilySearch; index only
- 1980-2014: US GenealogyBank Obituaries at FamilySearch; index & images
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch How to Use This Collection
- Colorado Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Colorado Cemetery Records at Interment
- Colorado Gravestone Photo Project at ColoradoGravestones - images
- Colorado Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Colorado Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Hebrew Cemeteries in Colorado at Find-A-Grave
- Colorado Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Colorado Obituaries and Colorado Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Colorado, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Colorado, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Colorado Online Genealogy Records.
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 Colorado 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.