Something I frequently get asked is “where do I go to get genealogy information?” Fortunately, the Front Range area has a wealth of repositories for genealogy research and all of them are just a short drive or bus ride away. This week I’m going to share with you some of my favorite research places. No matter where you do your research, go prepared. Take pencil, paper or notebook, names, dates, and places you want to research. The repositories I have listed have staff and volunteers to help guide you in your search but don’t expect them to do your work. After all, that would take all the fun out of it!
Denver Public Library
Western History & Genealogy, 5th floor, 10 West Fourteenth Avenue
Parkway, Denver, CO 80204-2731
(303) 640-6291.
Hours: M-W 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Th-Sat. 10
a.m.- 5:30 p.m., Sun. 1-5 p.m.
One of the top 10 genealogy collections in the United States. A
broad reference collection of family histories, county histories, census indexes, periodicals,
published indexes of vital, land, cemetery, obituary, court, probate, and wills, for the continental
United States from colonial times to the present. Large collection of material for Colorado and
the West. The library has a subscription to Ancestry.com which can be accessed at the library.
National Archives, Rocky Mountain Region
Denver Federal Center, 6th & Kipling, Building
48, Denver, CO 80225,
(303) 236-0817.
Hours: M, W, F 7:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m., T, Th 7:30 a.m.-
8:45 p.m., 1st and 3rd Sat. of the month, 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Microfilm collection includes the
Federal population censuses for all States, 1790-1920; indexes for the 1880, 1900, 1910, and
1920 censuses;1885 State Censuses Colorado, Florida, and New Mexico; Revolutionary War
records; pension and bounty land warrant applications; Indian censuses; Colorado naturalizations;
large collection of Passenger Lists and indexes; 1928-1931 City Directories from 49 states. They
also have census book indexes and retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Colorado,
Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Carnegie Branch-Boulder Public Library
1125 Pine St., Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 441-3110.
Hours: Mon. 1 p.m.-9 p.m., T, Th, F, Sat 11 a.m.-5 p.m., W 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Resources include
information on individual states, immigration, foreign countries and military. It is the best source
for Boulder County.
Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library
1 DesCombes Dr., Broomfield, CO 80020-2495
(303) 469-1821.
Hours: M thru Th 9 a.m.- 9 p.m., F 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 1-5
p.m.
Small collection of general genealogy material. A large portion of the collection can be
checked out.
Family History Centers
Operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the
centers are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City which has the largest
genealogical collection in the world. Most of the microfilms and microfiche from the Family
History Library can be ordered and viewed at the branches. They also have the Ancestral File
and the International Genealogical Index (IGI) databases. The centers are free and open to
everyone. There are 45 centers in Colorado which are listed in the phone book.
The closest one
to Broomfield is Boulder Family History Center, 701 S. Boulder Road, Louisville, CO (303) 665-
4685. Hours: T & Th 9am-5pm, 6-9p.m.; W 6-9p.m.; Sat. 8a.m.-1p.m.
Colorado Health Department, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80222-1530, (303)
692-2000. Hours: M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Birth records from 1910, death records from 1900.
Verification for marriage (1900-1939, 1975 to current) and divorce (1900-1939, 1968 to current).
Actual marriage and divorce records must be obtained from the county clerk where the marriage
or divorce took place.
Colorado State Archives
1313 Sherman Street - Room 1B-20, Denver, CO 80203,
(303) 866-
2358. Hours: M-F 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Colorado statewide marriage and divorce index 1890-1939
and 1975-2001; Pre-1901 Denver birth and death records; Colorado court cases; 1885 Colorado
Census; Federal census for Colorado 1870-1920; school records, military records, 1866-1975
City Directories; State Penitentiary records 1871-1972; 1861 Territorial Election; Mining
Fatalities before 1963 and Mining Accidents 1895-1900.
Stephen H. Hart Library at the Colorado Historical Society
1300 Broadway, 2nd floor,
Denver, CO 80203,
(303) 866-3395.
Hours: T-Sat. 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Federal Census for
Colorado 1870-1920; 1885 Colorado Census; largest collection of Colorado newspapers available
from 1859 to present with guides that list newspapers by county, town, and dates published;
books, maps, photographs and periodicals focusing on Colorado.
Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield St., Lakewood, CO
80215-7093, (303) 239-3600. Hours: M-F 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Colorado Patented Mining claims;
Homestead Patents for Colorado; original Colorado township surveys.
In addition to the places listed above there are university libraries, such as CU’s Norlin Library in Boulder, county courthouses and local historical societies. All can be a great source of information depending what you are researching.