Santa Ana County, New Mexico Genealogy

United States New Mexico  Santa Ana County



Parent County

 * Up until 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.
 * From 1821 until 1846 - Mexico had 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 - Santa Ana County was created based on an old Mexican government partido  as one of seven original New Mexico counties under General 's  of laws for the occupied Mexican territory. It formally became a part of the United States when the Mexican War ended in 1848 with the signing of the.

Boundary Changes

 * 9 January 1852 - All New Mexico counties were redefined. Santa Ana county was extended west to the California border including land in present day Arizona and Nevada.  There is a small chance that a few records from 1846 to 1963 in what is now Arizona may  have been sent to courthouses in their respective New Mexico counties.
 * 29 December 1863 Arizona's three judicial districts were established by the Arizona Territory Organic Act  from the western half of New Mexico Territory. All previous counties were dissolved, and eventually four new counties were created in the new Arizona Territory.
 * 1876 Santa Ana County ceased to exist because it was absorbed by Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

County Seat
The first county seat was Fort Defiance just west of the current Arizona-New Mexico border. For 1847 to 1863 it was part of Judicial District 1, and thereafter Judicial District 2.

For Santa Ana County records, see Bernalillo County, New Mexico.