La Paz County, Arizona Genealogy

United States

Arizona

La Paz County

Guide to La Paz County, Arizona ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Arizona Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Parker Organized: November 2, 1982 Parent County(s): Yuma Neighboring Counties Maricopa • Mohave • Yavapai • Yuma • Imperial (CA) • Riverside (CA) • San Bernardino (CA) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

La Paz County was created on 27 Apr 1983 and named from the Spanish word for "the peace", and is taken from the early settlement (now ghost town) of La Paz along the Colorado River. Its county seat is Parker. It is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

La Paz County Courthouse
1316 Kofa Ave, Suite 607
Parker, AZ 85344
Phone: 928-669-6131
La Paz County Courthouse

Clerk Superior Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records.
County Recorder has land records.

La Paz County, Arizona Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1909	1983	1909	1983	1983	1983	1830
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in July 1909. General compliance by 1926

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

Parent County(s): Created from Yuma on 27 Apr 1983 County Seat: Parker Arizona Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Arizona Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Arizona county 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:

Towns
Parker (county seat)	Quartzsite
Unincorporated communities
Centennial Desert Wells Hope	Love Midway Nommel Place	Planet Plomosa Swansea
American Indian Communities
Colorado River Indian Reservation
Census-designated places
Alamo Lake Bluewater Bouse Brenda Cibola	Cienega Springs Ehrenberg La Paz Valley Parker Strip Poston	Salome Sunwest Utting Vicksburg Wenden
Ghost towns
Clip Drift Desert Empire Flat	Eureka Landing La paz Mineral City	Nortons Landing Olive City Williamsport

History Timeline

1852, New Mexico Territory
Arizona is in yellow, left of the dotted line

• Until 1821 New Spain controlled land that later would become Arizona. Some records of early settlers may have been sent to an archives in Seville, Spain, or to archives in Mexico City.
  
• In 1821 Mexico obtained jurisdiction over the land that later would become Arizona. Records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
• 18 Aug 1846 During the war with Mexico, the US took control of Santa Fe and proclaimed sovereignty over the land that later became the New Mexico Territory. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
• 4 July 1848 In the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico ceded part of present day Arizona, including all of present day La Paz County. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
• 9 Jan 1852 New Mexico redefined the boundaries of previous counties and created new ones to cover all the land within its territory. The land in present day La Paz County was then in Socorro (NM). Look for records in Socorro County.
• 24 Feb 1863 The US created the Arizona Territory from the western half of New Mexico Territory. All previous counties were discontinued for this new territory. Look for records in the Arizona State Library and New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
• 10 Nov 1864 Yuma County was created as an original county of Arizona. This county named after the Yuma Indians. Look for records in Yuma County.
• 27 Apr 1983 Arizona created La Paz County from the northern half of Yuma County.

Resources

Biographies

• 1860-Onward Arizona, Biographical Database at MyHeritage — index ($)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of La Paz, Arizona online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave BillionGraves USGW Tombstone Transcription Project Interment.net
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat.org
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Arizona Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

For tips on accessing Census records online, see: Arizona Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1990	13,844	—
2000	19,715	42.4%
2010	20,489	3.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide 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 more about Arizona denominations, see Arizona Church Records.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

Desert Lawn Funeral Homes & Memorial Gardens in Parker Parker Funeral Home in Parker

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 Arizona Land and Property for additional information about early Arizona land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section Arizona Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Arizona Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1945 Arizona, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Arizona, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Obituaries

• 1959-2014 Arizona, Mesa LDS Family History Center, Obituary Index, 1959-2014 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.

Probate Records

From 1850 to 1864, probate records of Arizona were kept by the probate courts of New Mexico. From 1864 to 1912, the records were handled by county probate courts. 1912 to present, records such as wills, claims, administrations, case files, and calendars are kept in the custody of the clerk of the superior court in the county courthouse.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1803-1995 Arizona Wills and Probate Records 1803-1995 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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 Arizona Department of Health Services or the county clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

Birth

• 1800-1946 Arizona Genealogy Birth Certificates, 1800-1947 at Arizona Department of Health Services — images
• 1855-1930 Arizona, Birth Certificates and Indexes, 1855-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1887-1935 Arizona Birth Certificates, 1887-1935 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1909-1917 Arizona, Births and Christenings, 1909-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry($)
• 1909-1917 Arizona Birth Certificates, 1909-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

• 1809-2011 Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1833-1949 US Marriages – Arizona, 1833-1949 at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1864-1982 Arizona Marriage Collection, 1864-1982 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1871-1964 Arizona, County Marriages, 1871-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1888-1908 Arizona Select Marriages, 1888-1908 at Ancestry — index ($)
• Western States Marriage Index at BYU Idaho — index; Also at: FamilySearch

Death

• 1800-1972 Arizona Genealogy Record Search at Arizona Department of Health Services — images
• 1870-1951 Arizona Deaths, 1870-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1870-1963 Arizona Death Certificates, 1870-1963 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in La Paz County. For state-wide facilities, see Arizona Archives and Libraries.

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

• Lake Havasu City Arizona FamilySearch Center
• Parker Arizona FamilySearch Center
• Quartzsite Arizona FamilySearch Center
• West Valley Genealogy Society - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in La Paz County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arizona Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in La Paz County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Arizona Societies.

Parker Area Historical Society
1214 California Ave.
Parker, AZ 85344-1500
Phone: 928-669-8077
Website

Quartzsite Historical Society
161 W. Main St. Quartzsite, AZ 85346
Phone: 928-927-5229
Website

Websites

• La Paz County AZGenWeb
• La Paz County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.