New Mexico History

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New Mexico

History

Online Resources

• Historical Encyclopedia of New Mexico by the Historical Association, 1947. Index.
• A concise history of New Mexico ($)
• County and Town Histories, includes biographies
• Founding Spanish Families of New Mexico
• New Mexico History.org
• New Mexico State Library
• 1950-1990 U.S., Aerial Photos from VintageAerial.com, 1963-2009 (1950-1990) at Ancestry — index & images ($); incomplete for all states, only rural areas included

Brief History

New Mexico is a state in the western portion of the United States. It is divided into 33 counties. New Mexico was the 47th State to join the Union on January 6, 1912. The State of New Mexico was created from the New Mexico Territory. The capital city is Santa Fe.

In the past, New Mexico has been "Santa Fe de Nuevo México" as part of the Spanish Kingdom, "Nuevo México" when the area was a province of Mexico, as well as New Mexico Territory and the state of New Mexico when it became part of the United States of America.

Santa Fe de Nuevo México was established in the early seventeenth and had an estimated population of 2,500 by 1680.

In the United States, New Mexico has the second largest Native American population by percentage. These tribes include Navajo, Pueblo and Apache.

The following important events in the history of New Mexico affected political boundaries, record keeping, and family movements.

Dates	Events
1540	– Francisco Vásquez de Coronado explored New Mexico.
1598	San Juan was founded as the first permanent Spanish colony in New Mexico.
1609	Santa Fe was first settled at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
1598	Santa Fe became the new captial. The San Miguel Chapel was built in Santa Fe and is the oldest church structure in the United States today.
1680-1700	The Pueblo Indians revolted and drove the Spanish out of northern New Mexico to El Paso. By 1700 the Spanish reestablished control.
1706	Albuquerque was founded and became a center of settlement.
1821	After the Mexican War of Independce, Mexico achieved independence from Spain and Nuevo México became a Mexican province. Trade with the United States was opened over the Santa Fe Trail.
1836	Texas seceded from Mexico while claiming the area east of the Rio Grande, which includes portions of present-day New Mexico. However, Texas was neaver able to control the area. In 1850, Texas gave up it's claim to this area for financial compensation for the US Government.
1848	Mexico ceded New Mexico to the United States. The Santa Fe Trail soon became a favorite route of those heading to the California gold fields.
1850-1863	Congress created the New Mexico Territory September 9,1850 and the first counties were established. The Territory included most of Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Colorado. The territory was enlarged somewhat with the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853, but greatly reduced by the creation of Colorado Territory in 1861 and Arizona Territory in 1863.
1863	Kit Carson led a U.S. army force against Navajo Indians in southwestern United States. The Navajo were removed to Fort Sumner a 350 miles, this became known as "The Long Walk"
1866	The New Mexico Territory was split into the Arizona and New Mexico Territories
1868	June 1 - Treaty of Bosque Redondo signed at Fort Sumner the Navajo Indian reservation was created.
1880	The Southern Pacific Railroad entered New Mexico through the Arizona Territory; the Denver & Rio Grande Railway entered the territory through Colorad
1880-1904	The coming of the railroad stimulated settlement in eastern and southern New Mexico. Conflicting land claims led to disputes among ranchers, homesteaders, and the old Spanish families. The claims were finally settled in 1904.
1898	Over 300,000 men were involved in the Spanish-American War which was fought mainly in Cuba and the Philippines.
1912	January 6 - New Mexico became a state.
1917–1918	More than 26 million men from the United States ages 18 through 45 registered with the Selective Service. World War I over 4.7 million American men and women served during the war.
1930's	The Great Depression closed many factories and mills. Many small farms were abandoned, and many families moved to cities.
1940–1945	Over 50.6 million men ages 18 to 65 registered with the Selective Service. Over 16.3 million American men and women served in the armed forces during World War II. In 1942, forty-two Navajo recruits went to boot camp and became the foundation for the Code Talkers to assist in the war effort
1950–1953	Over 5.7 million American men and women served in the Korean War.
1950's–1960's	The building of interstate highways made it easier for people to move long distances.
1964–1972	Over 8.7 million American men and women served in the Vietnam War.

Historical Content

Histories are great sources of genealogical information. Many contain biographical information about individuals who lived in the area, including:

Parents' names Maiden names of women Place of birth, death, or marriage

Occupation Migration Military service

Descendants

Local Histories

Some of the most valuable sources for family history research are local histories. Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain accounts of families. They describe the settlement of the area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses. You can also find lists of pioneers, soldiers, and civil officials. Even if your ancestor is not listed, information on other relatives may be included that will provide important clues for locating your ancestor. A local history may also suggest other records to search. Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. The "United States History" page cites nationwide bibliographies of local histories which include histories of Nebraska. The following sources are helpful for identifying local histories:

• Filby, P. William. A Bibliography of American County Histories. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1985. FS Catalog book 973 H23bi. At various libraries (WorldCat).

• Kaminkow, Marion J. United States Local Histories in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography. 5 vols. Baltimore: Magna Charta Book, 1975-76. FS Catalog book 973 A3ka. At various libraries (WorldCat).

Many articles and books on New Mexico local history are listed in:

• Swadesh, Frances Leon. 20,000 Years of History: A New Mexico Bibliography. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Sunstone Press, 1973. FS Catalog book 978.9 A3s.

The University of New Mexico Library and the of New Mexico Library have good collections of local histories.

Colonial Period

For information on some of the earliest records for New Mexico, you will want to examine this inventory made by Ralph Emerson Twitchell:

• Twitchell, Ralph E. The Spanish Archives of New Mexico: compiled and chronologically arranged with historical, genealogical, geographical, and other annotations, by authority of the state of New Mexico. 2 volumes. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Torch Press, 1914. FS Catalog book 978.9 A3t or film 845276. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library.

To view the documents mentioned by Twitchell on microfilm, see Calendar of the microfilm edition of the Spanish archives of New Mexico, 1621-1821 Santa Fe, NM: New Mexico Records Center, 1968. FS Catalog book 978.9 A3nm.

Visit the website of the New Mexico State Archives to help correlate Twitchell's document numbers with the microfilm desired. The microfilms are available at the FamilySearch Library or some FamilySearch Centers FS Library films 581463-581478.

More documents from the early history of New Mexico can be found among the manuscripts of the National Archive of Mexico in Mexico City or the Archivo General de la Nación. Transcripts of this early history can be found on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library or some FamilySearch Centers. Ramo de Historia: 1522-1822. FS Library INTL films 1857420, items 2-3 and 1857433, item 1.

State Histories Useful to Genealogists

Good genealogists strive to understand the life and times of their ancestors. In this sense, any history is useful. But certain kinds of state, county, and local histories, especially older histories published between 1845 and 1945, often include biographical sketches of prominent individuals. The sketches usually tend toward the laudatory, but may include some genealogical details. If these histories are indexed or alphabetical, check for an ancestor's name. A useful source for studying the history of New Mexico is:

• Twitchell, Ralph E. The Leading Facts of New Mexico History, 5 vols. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Torch Press, 1911-1917. FS Catalog book 978.9 H2t; FS Library film 1000218. Includes many biographies; each volume is indexed.

United States History

The following are only a few of the many U.S. history sources that are available:

• Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M. The Almanac of American History. Greenwich, Conn.: Bison Books, 1983. FS Catalog book 973 H2alm. At various libraries (WorldCat). This provides brief historical essays and chronological descriptions of thousands of key events in United States history.

• Dictionary of American History, Revised ed., 8 vols. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976. FS Catalog book 973 H2ad. At various libraries (WorldCat). This includes historical sketches on various topics in U.S. history, such as wars, people, laws, and organizations. A snippet view is available at Google books.

• Webster's Guide to American History: A Chronological, Geographical, and Biographical Survey and Compendium. Springfield, Mass.: G&C Merriam, 1971. FS Catalog book 973 H2v. Limited view at Google Books. At various libraries (WorldCat). This includes a history, some maps, tables, and other historical information.

• Writings on American History. By American Historical Association, Library of Congress, United States National Historical Publications Commission. Published by KTO Press, 1921. FS Catalog book 973 H23w. At various libraries (WorldCat). Full text available at Google Books.

To find more books and articles about Montana 's history try a Google search. Search for phrases like "New Mexico history." The FamilySearch Catalog "Place-names" search lists many more histories under topics like:

NEW MEXICO - HISTORY

NEW MEXICO, [COUNTY] - HISTORY

NEW MEXICO, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - HISTORY

NEW MEXICO, BIBLIOGRAPHY

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