Maricopa County, Arizona Genealogy

United States Arizona  Maricopa County

County Courthouse
Maricopa County Courthouse 301 W Jefferson Phoenix, Az 85033-2225 Phone: 602-506-3572

Clerk Superior Court


 * marriage records from 1877,
 * divorce records from 1930
 * probate and court records from 1871

County Recorder has land records

Parent County

 * Up until 1821 - New Spain controlled land that later would become 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 Arizona. Residents living on land south of the Gila River were part of Mexico until 1854. Some records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
 * From 1846 to 1863 - New Mexico Territory included land that later would become Arizona.
 * In 1852 - New Mexico Territory set up counties that stretched east and west from the Texas border to the California border, including land that became Arizona. Present-day Maricopa County, Arizona was once part of Socorro and Doña Ana counties of New Mexico. Some records during this period may have been sent to courthouses in their respective New Mexico counties.
 * In 1854 - the  added former Mexican land, including part of what became Maricopa County, to the already existing Doña Ana County, of New Mexico. Some records from 1854 to 1863 may have been sent to the Doña Ana County, New Mexico courthouse.
 * In 1863 - Arizona Territory was created 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.

1871--Maricopa County was created 14 February 1871 from Yavapai, Yuma, and Pima Counties. County seat: Phoenix

Boundary Changes

 * On 14 Feb 1873, MARICOPA county gained land from PIMA county.
 * On 01 Feb 1875, MARICOPA county lost land to creation of PINAL county.
 * On 31 Jan 1877, MARICOPA county gained land from YAVAPAI county, and lost a small area along the Gila River to PIMA.
 * On 08 Feb 1881, MARICOPA county lost land to creation of GILA county.

Cities
Apache Junction (most of Apache Junction is in Pinal County) | Avondale | | El Mirage | |  | Goodyear | Litchfield Park | | Peoria (part of Peoria is in Yavapai County) | |  | Surprise |  | Tolleson

Towns
| | | Fountain Hills | Gila Bend | Guadalupe | Paradise Valley |  (part of Queen Creek is in Pinal County) | | Youngtown

Other Communities
Aguila | Anthem | Arlington | Circle City | Higley | Komatke | Laveen | Liberty | Mobile | Morristown | Palo Verde | Tonopah | Tortilla Flat | Waddell | Wintersburg | Wittmann

Neighboring Counties

 * Gila
 * La Paz
 * Pima
 * Pinal
 * Yavapai
 * Yuma

Cemeteries
Cemeteries in Maricopa County at Arizona Gravestones

Cemeteries in Maricopa County at Pioneers Cemetery Assn.

Cemeteries in Maricopa County at Find A Grave


 * Aqua Caliente Pioneer Cemetery in Aqua Caliente, AZ on FindAGrave
 * Arizona Pioneer Cemetery in Litchfield Park AZ at USGenWeb by unnamed volunteers
 * Arizona State Hospital Cemetrey in Phoenix, AZ on FindAGrave
 * Beth El Cemetery in Phoenix AZ on BillionGraves
 * Cave Creek Cemetery in Carefree, AZ on USGenWeb by Susan L. Ritter
 * Cementerio Lindo/Old County Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ on Pioneers Cemetery Association
 * City of Mesa Cemetery in Mesa AZ at Mesa Regional Family History Center
 * City of Mesa Cemetery in Mesa AZ at Findagrave.com
 * City of Mesa Cemetery in Mesa AZ at USGenWeb Maricopa County, Arizona
 * City of Mesa Cemetery in Mesa AZ on BillionGraves
 * Double Butte Cemetery in Tempe AZ burial records on City of Tempe web site.
 * Double Butte Cemetery in Tempe AZ at The Family History Society of Arizona.
 * Eagle Eye Cemetery in Aguila, AZ at USGenWeb by Sharon J. Pearson and Virginia L. McMeans
 * Eternal Valley Memorial Park in El Mirage AZ on BillionGraves. Adjacent to Sunwest Cemetery.
 * Garcia Cemetery in Wickenburg, AZ at USGenWeb by Ginny McMeans and Sharon Pearson
 * Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ at Interment.net
 * Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix AZ at Find A Grave
 * Holy Cross Cemetery in Avondale AZ on BillionGraves
 * Liberty Cemetery in Buckeye, Maricopa County, AZ at Findagrave.com
 * Maricopa County Cemetery in Tempe AZ on BillionGraves
 * Morristown Cemetery in Morristown, AZ at USGenWeb by Sharon J. Pearson and Virginia L McMeans
 * Mountain View Cemetery in Mesa AZ on BillionGraves
 * Old Paths Cemetery in Glenday, AZ by Peoria, AZ Preservation Group
 * Pioneer &amp; Military Memorial Park by the Pioneers Cemetery Association
 * Sunwest Cemetery in El Mirage AZ on BillionGraves. Adjacent to Eternal Valley Memorial Park.
 * Twin Butte Cemetery Project in Tempe AZ at MigrationTrails.com
 * Wittmann Cemetery in Wittman, AZ through USGenWeb by Sharon J. Pearson and Virginia L. McMeans

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records: Alma, Avondale, Buckeye, Capitol (Phoenix), Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Lehi, Mesa, Mesa 1st, Mesa 2nd, Mesa 3rd, Mesa 4th, Mesa 5th, Mesa 6th, Mesa 7th, Mesa 8th, Papago, Phoenix, Phoenix 1st, Phoenix 2nd, Phoenix 3rd, Phoenix 4th, Phoenix 5th, Scottsdale, Spanish-American and Tempe.

Land
Land records and other other recorded documents (1871 to present) are free and searchable through the website of the Maricopa County Recorder. The minimum information needed for a search is the name of a person.

Most of the land in Arizona was originally obtained from the US federal government by a patent. These General Land Office Records are searchable online and most have free images of patents to download. The minimum information needed for a search is the state where the land is located and the name of the person receiving the patent. Surveys and Land Status Records can also be searched here.

Newspapers
The Arizona Republic

The Phoenix Gazette

The East Valley Tribune (previously: The Mesa Tribune) microfilm copies of back issues found at

Mesa Public Library    64 E First St     Mesa, AZ 85201     480-644-2207

Maricopa county AZ Newpapers found at the Library of Congress

Vital Records

 * 2,970 marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.
 * Maricopa County, Arizona Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free for obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Sun City, East Mesa, Peoria, Chandler, and Surprise areas.
 * Older Birth and Death certificates found at Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates.

Societies and Libraries
West Valley Genealogical Society 12222 N. 111th Youngtown, AZ 85363 Telephone 623-933-4945

Sun Cities Area Historical Soc 10801 W Oakmont Dr. Sun City, AZ 85351-3317

Chandler Historical Society 178 East Commonwealth Ave. Chandler, AZ 85244 Telephone 480-782-2717 Hours 11-4 M-Sat.

Gilbert Historical Society, Inc. 10 S. Gilbert Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85299-1484 Telephone 480-926-1577 Hours 9 - 4 Tues- Sat

Glendale Arizona Historical Society 9802 North 59th Avenue Glendale, AZ 85312 (623) 435-0072 Hours 1-4 Sat. &amp; Sun. Two weekends per month, Oct. thru May

Mesa Historical Society 2345 N. Horne Street Mesa, AZ 85211 Telephone 480-835-7358 Hours 10-4 Tues.-Sat.; June-Aug. Tues.-Sat. 9-1

Peoria Arizona Historical Society 10304 N. 83rd Ave. Peoria, AZ 85380-0186 Telephone 623-487-8030 Hours 10-2 Sat.; 10-12 Weds.

Arizona Jewish Historical Society 122 E. Culver Street Phoenix, AZ  85004 Telephone 602-241-7870

San Tan Historical Society 20740 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, Arizona 85242 Telephone 480-987-9380 Hours 9-1 Sat., 9-12 Tues.

Scottsdale Historical Society 7333 Scottsdale Mall Scottsdale, AZ 85252 (480) 945-4499 Hours 10-5 Weds.-Sat.; 12-4 Sun. Sept.-June

Arizona Historical Society Central Arizona Division 1300 North College Ave Tempe, AZ 480-929-0292 Tuesday - Saturday – 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday – 12 noon - 4 p.m.

Carver African American Historical/Genealogical Society 415 E. Grant St. Phoenix, AZ 85023

Cherokee Family Ties 516 N. 38th St. Mesa, Arizona 85205 Phoenix Genealogical Society P.O. Box 38703 Phoenix, Arizona 85069-8703 

Maricopa County Historical Society 21 N Frontier St. Wickenburg, AZ 85390-3431 Telephone 928-684-2272

Tempe Historical Society 809 E Southern Ave Tempe, AZ 85282-5205 Telephone 480-350-5100

Family History Centers
IIntroduction to Family History Centers

Buckeye Arizona 1002 Eason Ave Buckeye, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 623-386-4188

Cave Creek Arizona 38001 N Basin Rd Cave Creek, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-488-9224

Chandler Arizona Alma 2252 W Mesquite Chandler, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-899-4312 Alternate phone # 480-244-8180

Chandler Arizona West 1950 W Galveston Chandler, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-857-8640

Glendale Arizona 8602 N 31st Ave Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 602-973-3216

Mesa Arizona Kimball East 4640 E Holmes Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, United States

Mesa Regional Family History Center also known as the Mesa Arizona Large Multistake 41 South Hobson Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-964-1200

Mesa Arizona Salt River 6942 E Brown Rd Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-924-8958

Paradise Valley Arizona 3601 E Shea Blvd Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 602-953-8160

Peoria Arizona 13014 N 108th Ave Sun City, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 623-974-2749

Phoenix Arizona 3102 18th Ave North Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 602-264-2825

Phoenix Arizona Deer Valley 2939 W Rose Garden Ln Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 623-582-3810

Phoenix Arizona Hispanic 650 W Southern Ave Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 602-243-9413

Phoenix Arizona North 8710 N 3rd Ave Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 602-371-0649

Scottsdale Arizona Camelback 2202 N 74th St Scottsdale, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-947-3995

Scottsdale Arizona North 6840 E Gold Dust Ave Scottsdale, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 480-483-7629

Wickenburg Arizona 1350 W Wickenburg Way Wickenburg, Maricopa, Arizona, United States Phone: 928-684-2446 Attention: Languages; Spanish, French, Dutch, German

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

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb for Maricopa County. Maps, name indexes, history and more information for this county.


 * Maricopa County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History) at Linkpendium

A wiki article descibing an online article is found at:

Arizona, Maricopa County Probate Case Files (FamilySearch Historical Records)