New Mexico Genealogy, Facts and Records Resources

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Welcome to the New Mexico family history research page. Here you'll find record collection links, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your New Mexico ancestors.

Known for scenic beauty and Native American culture, the state of New Mexico is also one with a long and fascinating history. So much of this history is tied to the inhabitants in the state that there is a lot of demand for good resources for New Mexico genealogy materials. This short article will explain the best ways to obtain such materials, and a lot of the work can be done right from a computer!

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New Mexico Facts

Sometime between 1540 and 1542 a Spanish explorer by the name of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado came to what later turned into New Mexico. He was looking for gold in the area. However, it wasn't until 1698 that a Spanish settlement was created by the Rio Grande River. Juan de Onate established that settlement. Then, in 1610, New Mexico's capital, Santa Fe, was established. Most of New Mexico became United States property because of the Mexican War, in 1848. However, some of it wasn't acquired until 1853, when it was included as part of the Gadsden Purchase. See also New Mexico History Page for more Details

New Mexico was organized as territory on September 9, 1850 and entered the union as the 47th state on Jan. 6, 1912 . It has 33 Counties. The capital is Santa Fe and the official state website is www.newmexico.gov/.

New Mexico is bordered by Arizona (west), Colorado (north), Oklahoma (northeast), Texas (east), Utah (northwest). It has a has a land area of 121,593 square miles making it the 5th largest state. The 2010 population was 2,059,179 and the largest cities (2010) are Albuquerque, 545,852; Las Cruces, 97,618; Santa Fe (Capital), 70,631; Rio Rancho, 67,947; Roswell , 48,366; Farmington, 45,877; Clovis, 37,775; Hobbs, 34,122; Alamogordo, 30,403; Carlsbad, 26,138.

New Mexico was named by the Spanish, in reference to Mexico. The nickname is "Land of Enchantment" .The State Motto is " Crescit eundo " which means It grows as it goes.

Searching for New Mexico Genealogy Materials

Ways to Look for New Mexico Genealogy Materials - Anyone beginning to look for New Mexico genealogy information is going to discover that they don’t have to leave home to do it, and this is because they can use many of the online resources to find many of the documents needed. There are now so many resources online, but this does not imply ALL of it has been made digital.

Though many organizations provide access to their online databases, an equal number have yet to perform such a transition. This means that researchers for a New Mexico genealogy project will have learn about offline sites that they may need to visit. This is why it is so useful to become familiar with the tools that researchers use for New Mexico genealogy, and how to identify which are offline and which are digital.

A Modern System for New Mexico Genealogy - It is best to start with the useful and most frequently digitized items used for New Mexico genealogy, and these are public records found in the following groupings:

  • Local Records – those looking for New Mexico genealogy data may need to visit a county clerk’s office at some point (if the data is not digitized). They may also have to make visits to the local libraries, historical societies, local genealogical societies, and school or college libraries for New Mexico genealogy information as well since these are places that are usually offline or open only by appointment or special arrangement.
  • Vital Records – these include the birth, marriage, divorce and death records from county, state, and national archives, and can also contain immigration and naturalization details, newspaper items, military records, census records, cemetery or obituary information, passenger lists and records as well. These are available as online and offline resources for New Mexico genealogy.
  • State Records – from probate information to birth certificates, cemetery information, death records, deeds, estate information, genealogical folders, land records, maps, marriage details, military or veterans information, newspapers, private manuscripts, state census information, surname lists and more, these records are available as online and offline resources for New Mexico genealogy.

Effective Tools for New Mexico Genealogy - You will easily learn which tools work best for New Mexico genealogy. Below are some of the most effective resources we have found for New Mexico genealogy:

  • New Mexico Vital Records, P.O. Box 26110 , Santa Fe, NM 87502; Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_mexico.htm. This is where you will be able to order birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written request or even online.

Additional state and local records can be found at the:

  • New Mexico Commission of Public Records, 1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507; Website: http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/archives/ancestors.htm. This record center is considered one of the primary resources for New Mexico genealogy materials. It is remarkably active with more than 400 patrons getting help from onsite research assistants each month!

Also, consider using the resources at the New Mexico Genealogical Society at: http://www.nmgs.org/.

The following websites provide a large amount of state-specific details to those in search of facts for New Mexico genealogy projects.

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