Arizona Land Records

See Also Researching in Land Records - Land records provide two types of important evidence for the genealogist. Prior to the Civil War, more than eighty-five percent of all Americans owned or leased land. Therefore, almost every researcher, whether a seasoned professional or weekend hobbyist, has required land records to document the existence, association, or movement of an individual or ancestral family. Most beginning genealogists underestimate the importance of using land records to pin persons to specific locales. In the South, which has far fewer vital records than New England, the land records are even more crucial to genealogical success. For answers to these and other questions, researchers look to Land records......

On 24 February 1863, Arizona became a territory. From 1850 until that date, it had been part of New Mexico Territory. In 1866, what was then Pah-Ute County was ceded to Nevada. On 14 February 1912, Arizona became the forty-eighth state of the Union. Until long after its early explorers came in the 1500s, the state had very little settlement, and then it would be only in the area of Tucson.

The “bloody Indian wars” did not end until 1886 which were a continuing impediment to frontier expansion. For lands granted to the United States in 1848 and for private land claims, write to the National Archives-Southwest Region. For questions relating to state lands, contact the Arizona State Land Commissioner in Phoenix.

While Arizona was admitted as a territory in 1863, it wasn't until 1870 that the U.S. Federal District Land Office was first opened in Prescott. Later, one opened in Phoenix. Many of these early land claims were for mining enterprises. When searching for early land records in Arizona, one needs to include the U.S. Land Office entries at the National Archives-Southwest Region, which has mining and homestead surveys, land claims, grazing service records, and rights-of-way claims and settlements for Gila, Salt River, and Navajo Meridians or the National Archives-Rocky Mountain Region, which has state office and district land tract books and registers. Arizona is a public land state, meaning that lands could be acquired directly from the federal government. If there is reason to believe that an ancestor did obtain land in this manner, direct inquires to the General Branch, National Archives and Records Service, Washington, DC 20409. Indicate the person's name, state of Arizona, and whether it was before 1908. Arizona records prior to 1908 have been indexed.

The county recorder for each county has jurisdiction over land records within their respective counties. Before good use can be made of land transactions in Arizona, the researcher must bear in mind how ownership was acquired. Since Arizona entered the jurisdiction of the United States as part of the New Mexico Territory, where pueblos had already been established, most of the previous claims were recognized by the federal government. In examining land records, it will be normal to find Spanish phrases such as “leagues” and “varas,” as units of measurement for surveys.

• Arizona Land Books at Amazon.com
• BLM Land Records
• Land Records from All States
• Search County Property Records
• Search County Land Patents

U.S. House of Representative Private Claims, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 or Vol. 3

The right to own land has always been one of the great incentives for living in the United States. Yet researchers often overlook the importance of land records as a source of family history information. Written evidence of people’s entitlement goes back in time further than virtually any other type of record family historians might use.

Land records meet the needs of researchers in different ways and contain a variety of genealogical and historical data. They are a major source of information for many family histories and provide primary source material for local history as well. They are closely related to probate and other official court records and should be investigated in connection with them. Land and property are leading issues in the settlement of estates, and the majority of civil cases in the courts deal with real and personal property. Although land records rarely yield vital statistics, in many instances they provide the only proof of family relationships. Often they include the names of heirs of an estate (including daughters’ married names and a widow’s subsequent married name) and refer to related probates and other court cases by number and court name. In some places where other records are scarce, the land records take on extra importance. Occasionally these documents disclose former residences and more often provide the new address of the grantors or heirs at the time of the sale of the property.

Land records provide two types of important evidence for the family historian. First, they often document family relationships. Second, they place individuals in a specific time and place, allowing the researcher to sort people and families into neighborhoods and closely related groups. One of land records’ most important qualities is that they are sometimes the only records that allow us to distinguish one person of a common name from another.

The National Archives has bounty-land warrant files, donation land entry files, homestead application files, and private land claim files relating to the entry of individual settlers on land in the public land states. There are no land records for the original thirteen states or for Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. Records for these states are maintained by state officials, usually in the state capital. Searching for the record of a particular land grant from the federal government requires contacting both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Archives (NARA) .