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Colorado Research Tips and Strategies

Colorado Wiki Topics
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Beginning Research
Record Types
Colorado Background
Cultural Groups
Local Research Resources

Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page

The Colorado Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for Colorado. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

Colorado Research Strategies

Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Colorado:

Finding Colorado Birth, Marriage or Death Records

Finding Colorado Records

Colorado Statewide Databases

Colorado Research Process

Colorado Research Tips

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Colorado:

Birth and Death information:

  • Statewide registration: The state began registering births in 1908 and deaths in 1908, with full compliance by the 1920s.
  • County regististration: A few county health offices began recording birth and death records in 1876, until the state board took over in 1908. Registration was inconsistant.
  • Access to records: See Colorado Vital Records for more information about birth, marriages, and deaths in Colorado.


Substitute Records:

  • Secondary source: Substitute records are used when primary sources do not exist for an event, such as birth, marriage, and deaths. Secondary sources list information about the event but they were not recorded at the time of the event and they are not an official record of the event.
  • Accuracy: Because the information about an event in substitute records was not the official recording of the event (such as, cemetery or obituary records) inaccuracy may occur. Use other substitute records to help varify information.
  • List of substitute records: See Colorado Substitute Records for more information.


Finding Parents:

  • Death records: Death records created by the county starting in 1876 sometimes contain parents' names of the deceased. However, the state recorded deaths starting in 1908 and specifically requested birth and parent information. Information was not always provided and the accuracy of the information was limited by the grieving relatives' memory.
  • Obituaries: Official obituaries can also include the names of parents and other family members. See Colorado Newspapers and Colorado Obituaries for more information.
  • Church records: Knowing the denominiation of the church the family belonged to helps in locating information about the parents. See Colorado Church Records for more information.


Census Records:

  • Check all census years: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census to learn more about them and their family members. See Colorado Census Records for more information.
  • Clues to other records: There are clues in censuses regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records.
  • Finding families: Starting in 1850, all members of the household were listed in the census. By 1880, relationship to the head of household was added.

Further Colorado Research

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