Maricopa County, Arizona
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

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

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Maricopa County was created on February 14, 1871 and was formed from parts of Pima County and Yavapai County. The county seat is Phoenix. Maricopa County was named for the Maricopa Native American people.

Counties adjacent to Maricopa County are La Paz County (west), Yuma County (west), Pima County (south), Pinal County (southeast), Gila County (east), Yavapai County (north).

Cities include Apache Junction (most of Apache Junction is in Pinal County), Avondale, Chandler, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Mesa, Peoria (part of Peoria is in Yavapai County), Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson.

Towns Include Buckeye, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Gila Bend, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Paradise Valley, Queen Creek (part of Queen Creek is in Pinal County) Wickenburg, Youngtown.

Unincorporated Communities include Aguila, Anthem, Arlington, Circle City, Higley, Komatke, Laveen, Liberty, Mobile, Morristown, Palo Verde, Theba, Tonopah, Tortilla Flat, Waddell, Wintersburg, Wittmann.

The Official County Website is located at http://maricopa.gov/ . See Extended History for More information.

Maricopa County Census Records - Federal Population Schedules that exist for Maricopa County, Arizona are 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree are Industry and Agriculture Schedules available for the year 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the year 1880.

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....

Maricopa 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.

Maricopa County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1878, Marriage and Divorce Records from 1871 and Probate Records from 1871 and is located at Office Locations and Hours .

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.

Maricopa County Recorder has Land Records from 1871 and is located at 111 S. Third Ave., Phoenix AZ 85003; Hours: 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Monday - Friday, Phone: 602-506-3535 .

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.

Maricopa County Assessor has Tax Records and is located at 301 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85003; 602-506-3406 .

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.

Maricopa County Vital Records Office has Birth and Death Records from 1950 and is located at 3221 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016

Our office hours are 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. however, in order to receive service we recommend that you arrive no later than 4:00p.m. Starting April 1, 09, all certificates will be $15.00 and paternities, corrections, and amendments for births, which occurred from 1997 to the present, are $25.00. Paternities, corrections, and amendments are accepted Monday - Friday from 8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. We may be reached by phone at (602) 506-6805.

The Office of Vital Registration may issue certified copies of birth certificates for births that occurred in Arizona from 1950 to the present. Our office may issue certified copies of death, fetal death, and certificates of birth resulting in stillbirth for recent events. .

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 Maricopa County Family Trees, web forums and other type information dealing with this county.

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Maricopa County History

 

This county is bounded on the north by Yavapai county; on the east by New Mexico; on the south by the Gila river, or Pima county, and on the west by Yuma county. The people are nearly all engaged in agriculture, the most of whom are located in Salt River Valley. This valley is one of the largest and most productive in the Territory; has been settled less than four years, and now contains sufficient population to sustain a county government. The lands are cultivated by irrigation, and there is an abundance of water in Salt River for the use of a vast extent of country. The people who settled here commenced with little or no means, and by industry and economy have constructed irrigating canals and made improved farms, and are now in a prosperous and comparatively independent position. The products raised for sale have been barley, corn and wheat. Wheat and barley are usually sown from November to February, and harvested in May. The average yield of wheat is from 20 to 40 bushels per acre, and of barley from 30 to 60, and sells at from three to four cents per pound. There has been a demand for all the grain that has been raised. After the wheat and barley are harvested, corn can be planted on the same soil, with ample time for it to mature. Much of the land of Arizona is cultivated in this way, and produces two crops each year. The average yield of corn is from 30 to 60 bushels per acre. Vegetables, with the exception of Irish potatoes, do remarkably well. Sweet potatoes in particular grow to a large size and are very prolific. Fruit trees grow rapidly, and it is thought that oranges and lemons maybe raised in abundance. Experiments in planting grapes have proved very successful. Vines in two years after planting, produce abundantly of an excellent quality.

There are thousands of acres of excellent land in this valley yet unoccupied, that can be pre-empted and purchased by actual settlers at $1.25 per acre. It was once the abode of an immense population who have passed away, and no one knows who they were. Their irrigating canals, constructed with considerable engineering skill, can now be traced for many miles over these plains; and ruins of houses, that were once the abode of a large population, are visible on every band. There is some farming carried on in this county on the north side of the Gila River as far up the river as Florence. Above this point, owing to the hostility of the Apache Indians, the county is entirely vacant, though the Gila Valley, for two hundred miles, presents most inviting fields for settlements. Large tracts of excellent agricultural lands are found at almost any point along it and its tributaries, and the table lands and mountains adjacent are covered the year round with excellent grass. A colony one hundred strong, that would co-operate together, could take possession of, and hold, any of these lands against the savages. The county north of the Gila Valley and east of the settlements, is generally broken and mountainous. There are a number of fine streams of water flowing through it, and each of these contains many rich valleys. Wood and grass are found in abundance, also many large forests of heavy timber.

The savages have held possession of this section- of the country with such tenacity, that very little prospecting for minerals has been accomplished. Sufficient explorations have been made to know that gold, silver, copper and lead exist inmost of the mountain ranges, and it is believed, when opportunity is presented, valuable mines will be found and worked. An excellent vein of coal has been found near Camp Apache, and also a mountain of pure salt on Salt river. Many legends have been told by captives who have escaped from the Indians, and by Indians who have been taken prisoners, of the existence somewhere in this section of rich placer mines, but all efforts to find them have so far proved futile.

TOWNS - Phoenix is located in Salt River Valley, about 25 miles above the confluence of the Gila and Salt rivers. By an act of the Legislature Phoenix has been selected as the site for the Territorial Penitentiary, though no building has yet been erected. It is the county seat of the county, and has a flour mill and several stores; there are also a store and flourmill at Mill City, three miles distant. There are many families located in this valley. The people feel a deep interest in education, and a free school will undoubtedly soon be established.

CLIMATE AND HEALTH - The climate and health in the valleys of Salt river and the Gila, as far up as is settled, are similar to those conditions on the Colorado river. East of the settlements and north of the Gila, the climate is about the same as Yavapai county. It is safe to say that no more healthy county can be found anywhere.

Source: Resources Of Arizona Territory. Francis & Valentine, Steam Printers And Engravers. 1871.

" The first county in Arizona to be carved from the original four (Pima, Yuma, Mohave, and Yavapai) was Maricopa County on February 12, 1871. The new county was named for an important Yuman tribe known to have been living with and below the Pima Indians at least as early as 1775, according to Francisco Garces. Maricopa was the name applied to them by the Pimas (Maricopas called themselves Pipatsje, "people"). Apparently, the Maricopas moved gradually from the Gulf of California to the location noted by Fr. Garces. Col. Kit Carson found them at the mouth of the Gila in 1826.

A reservation for the Maricopa Indians was established on February 28, 1859, on the Gila River, the area being enlarged by various executive orders thereafter. No treaty was ever made with the Maricopa or Pima Indians, the having always been friendly toward the white men.

The county seat of Maricopa is Phoenix, the state's largest city, also the site of the Arizona State Capitol. Maricopa County is a rich agricultural district, irrigated in large part by the waters of the Salt River impounded in Roosevelt Lake, Apache Lake, and Canyon Lake. A number of mountain ranges cross the country. The area of the county is 5,904,640 acres."

Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1960. P. 174.

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Maricopa County Links

 

Maricopa 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.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona Family Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa 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.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona Court Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa 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.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa 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.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona Census Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa 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.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona Military Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa County Church Links

  • Maricopa County, Arizona Church Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa 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.

Maricopa 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.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona Map Books at Amazon.com

Maricopa 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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