Bernalillo County, New Mexico Genealogy

United States New Mexico  Bernalillo County

Guide to Bernalillo County, New Mexico ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.



County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage records from 1885, probate records from 1895 and land records from 1888; District Court Clerk has divorce and court records.

Parent County

 * Before 1821 - New Spain controlled land that later would become New Mexico and 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 New Mexico and Arizona. Some records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
 * 22 September 1846 - Bernalillo County was created based on an old Mexican government partido  under the  of laws for the occupied Mexican territory. Bernalillo county was one of seven original New Mexico counties. This code named after General  In 1848, New Mexico Territory formally became a part of the United States when the  ended with the signing of the.



Description
Bernalillo County, one of the original counties or partidos of Spanish and Mexican times, and one of the largest in the period of the American occupation in 1846, has been reduced by various legislative enactments creating other counties until it is at the present, 1916, the smallest of the county sub-divisions of the State. The name is derived from one of the early Franciscan friars laboring in the province. Portions of McKinley, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties at one time were included within its limits. The plaza or village of old Albuquerque has been the county seat since 1854.

Georgraphically the county lies near the center of the State, its eastern end being covered by the Sandia and Manzano ranges of mountains, its western half being succession of high table lands rising toward the continental divide.

The Rio Grande del Norte has its course almost through the center of the county from north to south, with a valley from two to seven miles in width, in which is to be found one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the Southwest.

Practically the entire population lives in the city of Albuquerque, in its immediate environs, and in this tributary valley, and outside of the city it is almost wholly agricultural.

Boundary Changes

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of New Mexico - shows boundary changes for New Mexico Counties
 * New Mexico Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
 * 9 January 1852 - All New Mexico counties were redefined. Bernalillo county was extended west to the California border including land in present day Arizona and Nevada.  Residents far from the county seat, probably did not send many records to the county offices.
 * 29 December 1863 - Arizona Territory was created from the western half of New Mexico Territory. Bernalillo county was reduced in size to the portion that was still in New Mexico Territory.
 * 13 Jan 1876 SANTA ANA county discontinued, BERNALILLO county gained all of its lands and records.
 * 1 Jan 1901 BERNALILLO county lost land to the creation of McKINLEY county.


 * 14 Apr 1903 BERNALILLO county lost land to the creation of SANDOVAL county. 1 Jan 1905 BERNALILLO county lost land to the creation of TORRANCE county.


 * For animated maps illustrating New Mexico County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation New Mexico County Boundary Maps" (1845-1981) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website. See also Previous Jurisdictions to Land in Arizona for further details.


 * New Mexico Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

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

Cities

 * Albuquerque (county seat)

Town

 * Edgewood

Villages

 * Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
 * Tijeras

Census-designated places

 * Carnuel
 * Cedar Crest
 * Cedro
 * Chilili
 * Edith Endave
 * Isleta Village Proper
 * Manzano Springs (partial)
 * North Valley
 * Pajarito Mesa
 * Paradise Hills
 * Ponderosa Pine
 * San Antonito
 * Sandia Heights
 * Sandia Knolls
 * Sandia Park
 * Sedillo
 * South Valley

Unincorporated communities

 * Carpenter
 * Isleta Pueblo
 * Laguna Pueblo
 * Zuzax

Neighboring Counties

 * Cibola, New Mexico
 * Sandoval, New Mexico
 * Santa Fe, New Mexico
 * Torrance, New Mexico
 * Valencia, New Mexico

Cemeteries

 * New Mexico Cemetery Records
 * AHGP New Mexico Cemetery Transcription &amp; Photo Project
 * New Mexico Cemetery Records, Luna to Valencia
 * New Mexico Cemetery Record Information Online
 * New Mexico Tombstone Transcription Project
 * New Mexico Cemeteries Project
 * New Mexico Vital Record Information: Cemeteries
 * Online New Mexico Death Records and Indexes
 * Cemeteries of New Mexico
 * BillionGraves.com - Provides photos and GPS locations of grave markers.
 * Cyndi's List - Cemeteries &amp; funeral homes
 * Findagrave.com
 * Interment.net
 * Rootsweb
 * UsGenweb.org


 * Tijeras Cemetery, Tijeras at BillionGraves. Cemetery appears to be inside south part of freeway interchange involving State Highway 337, US 85, and I-40. A small church is also inside this as well.

State Census Records

 * 1885 New Mexico Territorial Census 1885 at Ancestry (free)
 * Late 1800s 1800s Arizona and New Mexico Territories Census, Late 1800s ($)

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for New Mexico starting in 1850. For links to Federal census indexes, see New Mexico Census.

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Albuquerque

Land
Online Land Records
 * Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
 * 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
 * 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images

Maps

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of New Mexico - shows boundary changes for New Mexico Counties
 * NMGenWeb - historical maps

Revolutionary War

 * 1775 - 1783 - at FamilySearch - images only
 * For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch
 * For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - New Mexico, World War I Records, 1917-1919 at Ancestry ($)
 * For more natiowide World War I databases, see US Military OnlineGenealogy Records.''

World War II

 * 1941 - 1945 - World War II Records, 1941-1945 State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel from: New Mexico
 * 1941 - 1945 - World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel from: New Mexico
 * 1941 - 1945 - New Mexico, World War II Records, 1941-1945 at Ancestry ($)
 * For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy.

Newspapers

 * NewspaperArchive.com ($) has a large collection of Albuquerque and Santa Fe newspapers online. Their database is sometimes free at libraries.

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1801 – 1993 New Mexico Wills and Probate Records 1801-1993 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Births

 * 1726 – 1918 at FamilySearch

Deaths

 * 1788 – 1798; 1838 – 1955 at FamilySearch
 * 1889 - 1945 at FamilySearch

Marriages

 * 1727 - 1900 New Mexico Marriages 1727-1900 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1751 - 1918 at FamilySearch

Societies and Libraries
Albuquerque Genealogical Society PO Box 25512 Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87125-0512 E-mail:[mailto:atkinsosgenealogy@outlook.com atkinsosgenealogy@outlook.com] Website

Albuquerque Historical Society PO Box 1293 Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87125 Website

Family History Centers

 * Albuquerque New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico
 * Albuquerque New Mexico East in Albuquerque, New Mexico
 * Albuquerque New Mexico West in Albuquerque, New Mexico
 * Zimmerman Library  at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico


 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Bernalillo County, NM History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Bernalillo County, NMGenWeb County Burials, Census, Marriages, Yearbooks, Bibliography, Cemeteries, cities, maps, and photos for this county.
 * Bernalillo County Genealogy at New Mexico Genealogy
 * Bernalillo County Genealogy at New Mexico Genealogy