Pinal County, Arizona Genealogy

United States Arizona Pinal County

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

County Courthouse
Pinal County Courthouse 100 N Florence Florence, AZ 85232 Phone: 520-868-6000

Clerk Superior Court has marriage, probate and court records from 1875 and divorce records from 1883; County Recorder has land records

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. Records of this period may have been sent to archives in Mexico City.
 * 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. The land south of the Gila River in present day Maricopa County Arizona was not ceded, it remained in control of Mexico. Land in present day Pinal County was split between the US and Mexico. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
 * 9 Jan 1852 - New Mexico redefined the boundaries of previous counties and created new ones to cover all the land within its territory. The north part of present day Pinal County was then in Socorro County.  Look for records in Socorro County.
 * 30 Dec 1853 - The United States bought the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico. It contained land south of the Gila River in Arizona, including the south part of present day Pinal County. Look for records in the National Archives and Records Administration, the Mexico Archives, and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
 * 4 Aug 1854 - The land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase was officially added to New Mexico Territory. Look for records in the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives.
 * 3 Feb 1855 - Dona Ana County gained all the land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase. This included the south part of present day Pinal County. Look for records in Dona Ana County.
 * 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
 * 10 Nov 1864 - Arizona created two counties: Pima and Yavapai counties. These counties named for Indian tribes. Look for records in Pima andYavapai counties.
 * 14 Feb 1871 - Arizona created Maricopa County from land in Yavapai County. This county named for the Maricopa Indians. Look for records in Maricopa and Yavapai counties.

1 Feb 1875 - Arizona created Pinal County from lands in Maricopa and Pima counties. County seat: Florence This county named for the Pinal mountains. Look for records in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties.

Boundary Changes

 * 9 Feb 1877 - Arizona expanded Pinal County by adding a small area of land that had been separated from main body of Pima County. Look for records in Pima and Pinal counties

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
For a list of record loss in Arizona counties see: Arizona Counties with Burned Courthouses

Neighboring Counties

 * Gila County, Arizona
 * Graham County, Arizona
 * Maricopa County, Arizona
 * Pima County, Arizona

Cemeteries

 * Arizona Cemetery Transcription and Photo Project
 * BillionGraves.com - Provides photos and GPS locations of grave markers.
 * Cyndi's List - Cemeteries &amp; funeral homes
 * Findagrave.com
 * Interment.net
 * Rootsweb
 * UsGenweb.org

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Coolidge
 * Ray
 * Superior

Vital Records

 * 1,521 marriages from 15 Nov 1874 to 19 Apr 1916 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.
 * Pinal County, Arizona Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in the Apache Junction and Gold Canyon areas

Societies and Libraries
Casa Grande Valley Historical Society 110 W. Florence Blvd. Casa Grande, AZ 85222 Telephone 520-836-2223 Hours 1-5 M-Sat.

Coolidge Historical Society 161 West Harding Avenue P.O. Box 1186 Coolidge, Arizona 85228 Telephone 520-723-7186 Hours Sunday 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. and by request

Pinal County Historical Society 715 S. Main Street Florence, AZ 85232 Telephone 520-868-4382 Hours 11-4 Tues.-Sat.; 12-4 Sun

Oracle Historical Society 825 E. Mt. Lemmon Rd. Oracle, AZ 85623 Telephone 520-896-9609 Hours 1-5 Sat. &amp; Sun.

Superior Historical Society 300 Main Street Superior, AZ 85273 Telephone 520-689-5752 Hours 10-2 Weds., Thurs., Sat.; 11-3 Sun.

Family History Centers
Introduction to Family History Centers Casa Grande Arizona 1555 N Colorado Dr Casa Grande, Pinal, Arizona, United States Telephone: 520-836-7519

San Manuel 1st Arizona 1002 N McNab Pkwy San Manuel, Pinal, Arizona, United States Telephone: 520-385-4855

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

Web Sites

 * Pinal 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.
 * Pinal County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Pinal County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)