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Colorado Marriage, Death, Birth Records

A law enacted in 1875 provided for registration of births and deaths, but compliance was sporadic. Some early vital records may be located in the county courthouses or the county health departments, but the location is not consistent. The Guide to Vital Statistics of Colorado, prepared by Colorado Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs of the WPA, is out of date but remains the only comprehensive state guide. Volume one of the publication describes the records held by public archives, and volume two discusses those held in church archives. This guide is located in the Colorado Historical Society Library (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies) as well as other major libraries and repositories.

Statewide registration of births began in 1910 and deaths in 1900. Although the county health departments existed in one form or another from 1900, Colorado did not join the national death registration system until 1906, and birth registration was even later, beginning in 1928. Birth and death records are available from the Colorado Department of Health, Vital Records Section, Glendale Office, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, Colorado 80222. Some county health departments do have incomplete birth records from earlier dates that are not available at the state level.

There are restrictions as to who may gain access to these records, with death records more available than birth. A list of persons eligible to apply for the records is printed on the back of the application form. Some relatives of a deceased individual who are pursuing genealogical research may be issued a death certificate.

The county clerk maintains marriage records, and the clerk of the district court holds divorce records. A statewide list of marriages and divorces indexed by name of the groom exists for the years 1900–39 (with a few prior entries) and is located at the Colorado State Archives and Denver Public Library Genealogy Department, along with many early marriage records. Both agencies have a microfiche Marriage Index (by bride and groom) for 1975–present and a Divorce Index for the same time period. The Colorado Historical Society has a small card catalog index for early vital records (births, deaths, marriages) that appeared in Colorado newspapers for the years 1860–1940.

The Colorado Genealogical Society publication Marriages of Arapahoe County, Colorado 1859–1901 (Denver, Colo.: the society, 1986) includes marriages from the territory which later evolved into the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Elbert, Lincoln, Washington, and the others located in east central Colorado. The certificates themselves are located at the Colorado State Archives.

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Click Here to Search Colorado Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Below is a list of online resources for Colorado Vital Records.