Previous Jurisdictions to Land in Arizona

Locating Previous Jurisdictions and Record Repositories
When looking for records, First learn the history of the area for the time period being researched. This will help identify the location of the records in the present day.


 * Determine where your ancestors lived and when they lived there
 * Determine the jurisdiction your ancestors lived in and where its records were stored
 * Determine if that jurisdiction exists today and where its records are now located
 * Determine if any records were moved to a different jurisdiction

For example, suppose you were told your ancestor lived in Tucson, Arizona Territory in 1861. Research the actual jurisdiction and record repository.


 * In the present day, Tucson is indeed located in Arizona. But the US didn't create the Arizona Territory until 1863. Before that, Tucson officially belonged to New Mexico Territory, which was created in 1850. Therefore your ancestor lived in New Mexico Territory. This jurisdiction exists today as the State of New Mexico.
 * In February 1860, New Mexico created Arizona county from the land in Dona Ana county. Arizona County existed totally within the present day State of Arizona and contained Tucson. Therefore your ancestor lived in Arizona County in New Mexico Territory. But Arizona county was discontinued in 1862. The records from this extinct county reverted to Dona Ana County, which still exists in the State of New Mexico.
 * Putting this altogether - your ancestor lived in Tucson, Arizona County, New Mexico Territory, USA in 1861. So look for records at the archives in Tucson, Dona Ana County, and the State of New Mexico. There may also be records held by the United States.

But in Tucson in 1861, the picture was far from clear as to what jurisdiction your ancestor was a part.


 * In April 1860, an unofficial convention held in Tucson declared the southern portion of New Mexico Territory as a new Arizona Territory and set up a territorial government. Four counties were created and one of them was the county of Ewell where Tucson was located. Then in 1861, this territory declared itself a confederate territory and petitioned the Confederate States of America. But by June 1862, any Confederate government would have been shut down as the US Army gained control of this Arizona Territory.
 * Putting this altogether - your ancestor lived in Tucson, Ewell county, Arizona Territory, CSA. So look for records at the archives in Tucson. It is unknown where the records are located for this Confederate Arizona Territory or for Ewell county. More research needs to be done. There may also be Confederate records.

Also remember, records of your ancestor were sometimes recorded in a county or jurisdiction next-door to where your ancestor lived. Maybe there was confusion as to where the borders lay. Or maybe it was a shorter distance to the neighboring county seat. But treat this as the exception to the rule and check the most obvious place first.

From the 1600s to 1846 - Spanish and Mexican land that would later become part of Arizona
From the 1600's, Spain laid claim to all of the land in present day Arizona. But because of the great distances and the hostilities of the Indian tribes, Spanish rule extended effectively only to the southern portion of this area, and sometimes not even that much. Tucson was the only permanent town established, because of the military garrison there.

Spain established the practice of giving land grants to encourage settlement on the fringes of their rule. There were no Spanish land grants recognized by the US for the land in present day Arizona. Mexico continued the practice of giving land grants. All Mexican land grants recognized by the US for the land in present day Arizona are located in the Gadsden Purchase, south and east of Tucson. Look for records in the following places:



Records relating to Cases Decided by the United States Court of Private Land Claims, Arizona District

The Thirteen-year Court

U of A Libraries Digital Collections

Land Claims

Private land claims

Spain and Mexico Archives

From 1863 to the Present - land given to Arizona and some taken away
See also Arizona County Creation Dates and Parent Counties