Gila County, Arizona Genealogy

United States Arizona  Gila County

County Courthouse
Gila County Courthouse 1400 East Ash Street Globe, AZ 85501-1414 Phone: 520-425-3231

County Clerk has marriage records from 1881 divorce, probate and court records from 1914 County Recorder has land records

Gila County is located northeast of Maricopa and Pinal Counties in Arizona. It contains some of the early settlements in Arizona going back to the 1870s. Gila County is named for the Gila River that flows through portions of the southern part of the county.

Payson is the largest town today, its name came from a situation where the town needed a post office and a congressman was reported to have said that if they named the town Payson they would get a post office. The second town that took up the dare was Payson, Utah.

Other towns include Pine, Roosevelt, and Claypool. Defunct localities include 'Motel Point' where a motel once stood just yards northeast of the present-day Roosevelt Dam.

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 Gila County, Arizona was once part of Socorro County, New Mexico. When Arizona was created in 1863, these former counties were dissolved within Arizona's borders and eventually new counties were formed.

If an ancestor lived in what is now Gila County, Arizona between 1852 and 1863, first check for records in Gila 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.

1881--Gila County was created 8 February 1881 from Maricopa and Pinal Counties. County seat: Globe

Boundary Changes

 * 12 Mar 1885 Gila County exchanged property with adjacent Graham County.
 * 21 Mar 1889 Gila County added a portion of Yavapai County.
 * 19 Mar 1891 Gila County gained additional land from Yavapai County.

Neighboring Counties

 * Coconino
 * Graham
 * Maricopa
 * Navajo
 * Pinal
 * Yavapai

Cemeteries
Cemeteries in Gila County at Arizona Gravestones

Cemeteries in Gila County at Fina A Grave

Individual cemeteries:


 * Mountain View Cemetery in Winkelman AZ at BillionGraves

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records: Globe, Hayden, Miami, Nephi and Pine.

Vital Records

 * Many early marriages are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.
 * Gila County, Arizona Obituary and Death Notices Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. This collection is from Various Funeral Homes in the Payson, Globe, Miami, Winkelman, Hayden, and Dudleyville areas.

Societies and Libraries
Arizona Cornish Society P.O. Box 1 Claypool, Arizona 85532 Contact: Mrs Linda Carnahan Telephone: 925-473-2071 E-Mail: lyddy@cableone.net

Northern Gila County Historical Society PO Box 2532 Payson, AZ 85547 Telephone 928-474-3483

Gila County Historical Society  1330 N. Broad St. Globe, AZ 85502 Telephone 928-425-7385 Hours 10-4 M-F; 11-3 Sat.

Family History Centers
Introduction to Family History Centers

Globe Arizona 1701 Ensign St Globe, Gila, Arizona, United States Telephone: 928-425-9570

Payson Arizona 913 N Ponderosa St Payson, Gila, Arizona, United States Telephone: 928-468-0249

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

Web Sites

 * Gila County AZGenWeb. Has info on Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, Military, Vitals, Towns, Schools, Obituaries, Newspapers, Misc., Marriages, &amp; Death.
 * Gila County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Gila County, Arizona Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)