Apache County, Arizona Genealogy

United States Arizona  Apache County

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 frecords from 1879 County Recorder has land records from 1879

History
14 Feb 1879 - Apache County was created from Yavapai. County Seat: St. Johns, Arizona

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 - New Mexico Territory created, it included land that later would become Arizona.
 * 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, Rio Arriba, Santa Ana, Bernalillo, Valencia, and Socorro counties of New Mexico. Some records during this period may have been sent to courthouses in their respective New Mexico counties.
 * 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.

14 February 1879: Apache County was created from Yavapai County. County seat: St. Johns

Boundary Changes
29 March 1879 - Navajo County created from the western half of Apache County, leaving a total area of 11,218 square miles (29,054.5 km2).

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

Populated Places
You may wish to search for places in the Family History Library 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

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

Cemeteries
Arizona Cemetery Transcription and Photo Project

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.

Vital Records

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

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

Web Sites

 * 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)