Greenlee County, Arizona
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Court Records | Vital Records | County History | County Links |

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Greenlee County was created on March 10, 1909 and was formed from part of Graham County. The county seat is Clifton. Greenlee County was named for Mason Greenlee, a pioneer prospector in the area who died in 1903.

Counties adjacent to Greenlee County are Cochise County (south), Graham County (west), Apache County (north), Catron County, New Mexico (east), Grant County, New Mexico (east), Hidalgo County, New Mexico (southeast).

Towns Include Clifton, Duncan. Unincorporated Communities include Blue .

The Official County Website is located at http://www.co.greenlee.az.us/ . See Extended History for More information.

Greenlee County Census Records - Federal Population Schedules that exist for Greenlee County, Arizona are 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

 

 

 

Search Arizona Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Greenlee County Court Records - Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Greenlee County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1911, Marriage and Divorce Records from 1911 and Probate Records from 1911 and is located at Superior Court Clerk, 223 Fifth St, P.O. Box 1027, Clifton, AZ 85533; Phone: (928) 865-4242, Fax: (928) 865-5358 .

County Court Clerks issue marriage licenses, maintain marriage and divorce records, civil, domestic, criminal, juvenile and probate records, Notary Public Bonds and Commissions, and any other duties that the presiding judge may prescribe.

Greenlee County Recorder has Land Records from 1881 and is located at Greenlee County Recorder's Office, 253 Fifth St, P.O. Box 1625, Clifton, AZ 85533; Phone: (928) 865-2632, Fax: (928) 865-4417 .

The County Recorder has two principle duties. The first duty of the County Recorder is to record documents, as required by law, to be public record. Instruments recorded include real estate transactions, mortgages, deed of trust, family trusts, personal property, tax liens, mining locations, subdivision plats, records of survey, military discharges, official appointments of office, and other documents required to be made of public record. The second major duty concerns elections since the County Recorder is also the registrar of voters for the county. This involves maintaining the county register, conducting early voting, verifying petition signatures, lists for political parties and candidates, and jury lists.

Greenlee County Assessor has Tax Records and is located at Greenlee County Assessors Office, 253 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 777, Clifton, AZ 85533; Phone: (928) 865-5302, Fax: (928) 865-4417.

The County Assessor’s Office has the statutory duty to locate, identify and value all taxable property in the county’s jurisdiction. The Assessor’s office maintains ownership of certain files, provides public services, value all land, improvements, and personal property annually, maps all parcels and maintains all tax authorities (area and boundaries). The utilization of recorded documents, deeds, plat maps and sub-divisions are among the tools used by the Assessor’s Office to accomplish several of these tasks.

Greenlee County Vital Records Office has Birth and Death Records from 1910 and is located at Office of Vital Registration, 253 5th Street, Clifton, AZ 85533; 928-865-2601. Mail to: PO Box 936, Clifton, AZ 85533 .

For Birth and Deaths occuring before 2007 contact the Arizona Bureau of Public Health Statistics, Office of Vital Records. See the Vital Records page for more information. You can Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

State and National Research

Statewide Information for Arizona Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records, Land Records, Marriage Records, Tax, Court & Probate Records, Census Records, Church & Cemetery Records, Military Records, State Genealogical and Historical Addresses.

Nationwide Information for United States Census Records, Court Records, Probate Records, Tax Records, Land Records, Military Records, Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records, Church & Cemetery Records, Immigration Records and State & County Maps.

Below is a list of online resources for Greenlee County Family Trees, web forums and other type information dealing with this county.

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Greenlee County History

 

In 1872, a group of soldiers from Silver City, New Mexico, lead by Captain Chase were seeking renegade Apaches, in the group were Jim and Bob Metcalf. While passing through the canyon the Metcalfs noticed rich copper deposits in the walls close to the present day town of Clifton and Morenci. The troops never found the Apaches and returned to Silver City. The Metcalf brother later returned to prospect and staked a claim where they located rich copper deposits. The remoteness of the area and the ever present threat of Indian attacks meant that developing these resources would require large sums of money. Henry Lesinsky, a successful Jewish merchant of Las Cruces and Silver City, New Mexico, decided to invest as a partner of Robert Metcalf, one of the original prospectors of the Longfellow claim. Lesinsky recruited miners from Mexico to do the smelting of copper ore in this new enterprise. Thus, was born the Longfellow Copper Mining Company. After several rather unsuccessful attempts, a crude, but workable smelter (three mud and rock furnaces fired by mesquite charcoal and hand bellows) was built between the confluence of Chase Creek and the San Francisco River. A small settlement of miners developed near the city (a state census record for 1874 shows a population of 132). From that day to the present, the vast majority of people from Clifton, Morenci and Duncan have depended on the mining industry for their livelihood.

Three large copper mining companies, Arizona Copper Mining Company, Detroit Copper Mining Company (Phelps Dodge) and Shannon Copper Mining Companies were all operating at once. James Colquhoun, an engineer and General Manager of the Arizona Copper Company (the A.C. Company had bought Lesinsky's property in 1882). Mr. Colquhoun pioneered a plan for concentrating low grade copper and developed the principles of leaching that led to the profitable use of low grade ores.

Clifton has been under the jurisdiction of several counties. In 1872 they were recorded in Prescott, the county seat of Yavapai County. Later the territory was placed under the jurisdiction of Apache County. In 1881 Graham County was created from parts of Apache and Pima counties. Clifton was in the part of Apache County that was ceded to Graham County. The people were glad because now their county seat was only 45 miles away at Solomonville. Being a wild mining town, Clifton was not interested in government or they would have fought for the county seat, because Clifton had far more population than Solomonville. By the turn of the century the people of Clifton began to fight for the establishment of a new county. Clifton and Morenci had a combined population of 10,000 while Safford and Solomonville had about half that number. The people of Clifton-Morenci felt that it was the old story of taxation without representation since most of the county officers were chosen by the political machine at Safford. The Clifton and Morenci mines were paying most of the county's taxes.

In the early 1900's the fight for county division was renewed. The managers of the three mining companies had taken up the fight. The Arizona Copper Company wished to name the county after Mr. Colquhoun, who was the head of the company. The leaders in Morenci wanted the name to be Douglas in honor of Dr. James Douglas, superintendent of the Detroit Copper Company of Morenci. This proposal caused the Clifton leaders to give up their proposed name of Colquhoun and substitute Lincoln instead. They sent John R. Hampton a young, able lawyer who worked for the Shannon Copper Company, to the state legislature. He organized the fight at the territorial capital, which led to the establishment of Greenlee County. The mining companies decided to send a large delegation of local men to Phoenix to lobby for division. In Safford and Solomonville a fight was led by Charles Solomon, a banker, against the county division. When the bill was introduced before the legislature, many farmers and townspeople from Graham County made the trip to Phoenix to lobby against it. The bill was introduced on February 25, 1909 as council bill 94. It passed by a majority of 10 to 1. The bill went to the house where it was passed with an amendment to change the name from Lincoln to Greenlee. This was done to delay the final passage of the bill, the amendment lost by a vote of 5 to 4. Mr. Mills, General Manager of the Detroit Copper Company made a trade with the Safford opponents where the final division would be delayed for two years. This agreement and the assumption of all Graham county debts, which were $146,000, by the new county appeased the Safford delegation. Nearly all opposition ceased and the bill passed the next day by a vote of seven to two in the Council. The bill to create a new county was approved March 10, 1909 by Governor Joseph H. Kibbey. It was one of the smaller counties, being only 120 miles long and 20 miles wide containing 1,037,713 acres. With only four populated towns the new county had a population of about 12,000 to 13,000 people.

Both Clifton and Duncan fought to become the county seat. The citizens of Duncan argued that since Duncan was the county's outlet to the rest of the world, and more accessible to the rest of the world, it should become the County's seat. Clifton argued that it was nearer the geographical center of the county and nearer to the population centers of Morenci and Metcalf. Clifton won the fight and the seat was located there.

Besides the Copper Mines of the Clifton-Morenci-Metcalf area, there are mines in the Duncan District of the Gila Valley. Precious metals have been produced at Ash Peak and from the mines in the mountains east of Duncan. Duncan is considered a farming and ranching area. Ranching on Blue River, Eagle Creek, and the "Frisco" River has added to the County economy since the 1870's. One of the three largest cattle company to operate in Arizona was the Double Circle with ranch headquarters on Eagle Creek.

" Mason Greenlee (b. Virginia, 1835; d. April 10, 1903) was one of the first settlers in the county which today bears his name. Greenlee made the first location in the Greenlee Mining District north of Clifton. He had come first to the Clifton area in 1874, but was forced to leave by Indians. He returned in 1879 and never again left the area.

Greenlee County was created from the eastern part of Graham County by act of the 25th Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1909, but not until 1911 was the new county finally organized as an active unit. The delay was caused by political difficulties between the mother county and the new county. The youngest county in Arizona, Greenlee is principally a mining and stock raising area containing 1,199, 360 acres. The county seat is at Clifton."

Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1960. P. 162.

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Greenlee County Links

 

Greenlee County Family Histroy Site Links - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher. When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide.

  • Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
  • The Arizona Family Group Sheets Project
  • Stories, Memories & Histories - Stories and histories compiled by others researching a person or area can be an amazing source of information about your ancestors. Not only do they generally contain dates and places of vital events like birth, marriage, and death, but they often relate stories and memories that help you really get to know the character of your ancestors.
  • Arizona USGenweb Site
  • National USGenweb Main Page
  • Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
  • Family Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
  • Greenlee County, Arizona Family Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County Court, Probate, Land, Immigration, and Tax Record Links - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

  • Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which covers the State of Arizona. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
  • Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
  • Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
  • Greenlee County, Arizona Court Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Record Links - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service. - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Arkansas obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Arkansas newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Arizona . Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Arkansas newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
  • Greenlee County, Arizona Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County Census Record Links - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

  • Research In American Census Records
  • U.S. Census Extraction Forms - These are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research.
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
  • Greenlee County, Arizona Census Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County Military Record Links - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

  • Military - The men and women called to serve their country in military duty are a source of pride to their families and to their nation. Now, with databases containing more than 16 million names and thousands of government records available to search, researching your veteran ancestors has become easier than ever before.
  • Greenlee County, Arizona Military Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County Church Links

  • Greenlee County, Arizona Church Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County Cemetery Links - Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

Greenlee County Map & Atlas Links

  • Research In State Map Collections
  • Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Arkansas and other states.
  • Rotating animated maps for Arizona showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries .
  • Arizona Department of Transportation - You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at The Arkansas Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
  • Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
  • Greenlee County, Arizona Map Books at Amazon.com

Greenlee County General Genealogy Links

  • Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
  • Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
  • Search the Family Tree DNA Project - Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
  • Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Arizona Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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