Apache County, Arizona Genealogy

Guide to Apache County, Arizona ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

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 records from 1879 County Recorder has land records from 1879

History
14 Feb 1879 - Apache County was created from Yavapai. County Seat: St. Johns, Arizona Area is 11,218 square miles (29,054.5 sq. km.)

Parent County

 * 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.
 * In 1821 - Mexico obtained jurisdiction over the land that later would become Arizona. Some records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
 * In 1846 - 18 Aug 1846 - During the war with Mexico, the US took control of Santa Fe and proclaimed sovereignty over the land that later became the New Mexico Territory. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
 * 4 July 1848 - In the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico ceded part of present day Arizona, including all of present day Apache County. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
 * 13 Dec 1850 - The US created the New Mexico Territory from unorganized federal land. This territory named after the Mexican State of New Mexico. Some counties were created, but they were small and covered land only in present day New Mexico. The land in the present day Arizona was at that time non-county land. Also the land south of the Gila River still belonged to Mexico. Look for records in the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
 * In 1852 - New Mexico Territory created counties that stretched east and west from the Texas border to the California border, including all the land that later became Arizona. The land covered by present-day Apache County, Arizona was once part of Taos, San Juan (1861-1862 only), Rio Arriba, Santa Ana, Bernalillo, Valencia, and Socorro counties of New Mexico. Look for records in Socorro, Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, Taos, and Valencia counties.
 * 24 Feb 1863 - The US created the Arizona Territory from the western half of New Mexico Territory. All previous counties were discontinued for this new territory. Look for records in the Arizona State Library and New Mexico State Records Center and Archives

14 February 1879: Apache County was created from Yavapai County. County seat: St. Johns This county named for the Apache Indians. Look for records in Apache and Yavapai counties.

Description
The County was named for Apache people. The County has St. Johns as it's seat and the County was created February 24, 1879. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

Boundary Changes

 * 21 Mar 1895 - Arizona created Navajo County from the west half of Apache County. This county named for the Navajo Indians. Look for records in Apache and Navajo counties.

Also see Previous Jurisdictions to Land in Arizona showing dates the jurisdictions were created and maps. This will help in determining what jurisdiction your ancestor lived in and where the records are now located.

For animated maps illustrating Arizona county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Arizona County Boundary Maps" (1852-1993) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

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

Populated Places
You may wish to search for places in the FamilySearch 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

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

Cemeteries
The following web sites may have additional information on Apache County cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Arizona cemetery records by County.

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.

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1803 – 1995 Arizona Wills and Probate Records 1803-1995 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Birth Records

 * 1871-1964 - at FamilySearch.org — index and browse images, incomplete
 * 1909-1917 - Arizona Select Births and Christenings 1909-1917 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage Records

 * 1864-1982 - Arizona Marriage Collection 1864-1982 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1871-1964 -  at FamilySearch — index  and images


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


 * 1888-1908 - Arizona Select Marriages 1888-1908 at Ancestry.com — index $

Death Records

 * 1910-1911 and 1933-1994 - Arizona Select Deaths and Burials 1910-1911 and 1933-1994;at Ancestry.com — 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

Window Rock Arizona

366A Hwy 264

Saint Michaels, Arizona, United States

Telephone: none

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

Websites

 * Apache County, AZ History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * 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)