Apache County, Arizona Genealogy

United States Arizona  Apache County

County Courthouse
Apache County Courthouse Clerk of The Court Apache County P.O. Box 365 St. Johns, Arizona 85936 Phone: (928) 337-4364

Clerk Superior Court has marriage, divorce probate and court frecords from 1879 County Recorder has land records from 1879

History
Apache County was created 14 Feb 1879 from Yavapai

Parent County
Arizona was part of New Spain until 1821, and then part of Mexico until 1846. Some records of early Arizona settlers may have been sent to an archives in Seville, Spain, or to archives in Mexico City.

Moreover, Arizona was part of the United States' New Mexico Territory from 1846 to 1863. In 1852 New Mexico Territory set up counties that stretched east and west including all the land that became part of Arizona. Present-day Apache County, Arizona was once part of Taos, Rio Arriba, Santa Ana, Bernalillo, Valencia, and Socorro counties of New Mexico. When Arizona was created in 1863, these former counties were dissolved within Arizona's borders and eventually new counties were created.

If an ancestor lived in what is now Apache County, Arizona between 1852 and 1863, first check for records in Apache County. However, there is also a small chance that a few papers were recorded in a parent county's courthouse in Arizona (if any), or in the corresponding parent county in New Mexico.

14 February 1879: Apache County was created from Yavapai County. County seat: St. Johns

Boundary Changes
When it was created in 1879, Apache County contained all of what is now Navajo County until the county was split in March, 1895 leaving a total area of 11,218 square miles (29,054.5 km2).

Populated Places
You may wish to search for places in the Family History Library Catalog. You can search for the more general term, such as "Arizona" and then add the county and town or city, such as "Arizona, Apache, St. Johns."

A more complete list of place names with references can be found at PlaceNames.com. For a more exhaustive list of Arizona place names see Barnes, Will C., and Byrd H. Granger. Arizona Place Names. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1960.

For links to the places, see the County Place Name list at the bottom of this page.

Neighboring Counties

 * Catron County, New Mexico
 * Cibola County, New Mexico
 * Graham
 * Greenlee
 * McKinley County, New Mexico
 * Montezuma County, Colorado
 * Navajo
 * San Juan County, New Mexico
 * San Juan County, Utah

Cemeteries
Arizona Cemetery Transcription and Photo Project

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records: Alpine, Amity, Cooley, Eagar, Greer, Nutrioso, Omer, St. Johns, Union and Vernon.

Court
The general trial courts in Arizona are the county Superior Courts. The contact information for the Superior Court is as follows:

Apache County Superior Court PO Box 667 70 West 3rd South St. Johns, Az 85936-0667 Phone: (928) 337-7555 Fax: (928) 337-7586

There is also an Apache County Superior Court Website. The Superior Court handles all cases including general civil litigation, probate, conservatorships, guardianships, juvenile cases, divorces and criminal.

The Family History Library has an Index to District Court papers, Apache County, Arizona [1881-1916] Vault US/CAN Film Number

Land
Land records from 1986 to the present are searchable online at the Apache County Recorder's Office.

Vital Records

 * 1,728 marriages from 22 May 1879 to 16 Nov 1930 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

Societies and Libraries
Apache County Historical Society 180 W. Cleveland St. Johns, AZ 85936 Telephone 928-337-4737 Hours 9-5 M-F

White Mountain Historical Society 504 East Mohave St. Springerville, AZ 85938 Hours 11-2 Thurs.-Sat., June-Aug.

Family History Centers
Introduction to Family History Centers

Chinle Arizona Highway 63 Chinle, Apache, Arizona, United States Telephone: 520-871-4605

Eagar Arizona 467 N Butler Eagar, Apache, Arizona, United States Telephone: 928-333-4100

St Johns Arizona 50 North 1st West St Johns, Apache, Arizona, United States Telephone: 928-337-2543

These are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Apache County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Apache County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)