Pikes Peak Genealogical Society

El Paso County Genealogy Resources

Welcome! We hope this page helps you find your El Paso County, Colorado, ancestors and their history.

If you are not local and would like lookups in Pikes Peak Library District's Regional History & Genealogy department or other local repositories, see Research Help page. If you know of other useful sources to add to this page or can report a broken link, please let us know.

El Paso County was formed in 1859 from old Arapahoe County in Kansas Territory. On 28 February 1861 it became one of 17 original counties in the newly formed Colorado Territory. Colorado gained statehood on 1 August 1876. On 23 March 1899, Teller County was separated from El Paso County. The county seat is Colorado Springs. One of the key online sources for the county is Pikes Peak NewsFinder, a Pikes Peak Library District index with links to some document images and the option to request the others.

El Paso County resources at FamilySearch.org catalog. Log in is required.

Adoption

Original Colorado birth certificates and other adoption records are open to adoptees over the age of 18.
Colorado adoptee information.
Access forms to request original Colorado birth certificates.
Colorado State Archives holds El Paso County adoption case files 1901-52, 1918-49, 1949-69 and relinquishment cases, 1953-74; the records are available to adoptees and researchers authorized by adoptees; date of adoption and/or case number is necessary: Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index
Adoption legislation by state

Cemeteries

Census Records

1885 Colorado State Census. Free at FamilySearch, also on Ancestry.com.
1860–1950 federal censuses for Colorado are available on FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and more. In 1860, what is now El Paso and Teller counties were enumerated in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory. Before 1899, El Paso County included nearly all of what is now Teller County.

Church Records

Catholic Church: The Diocese of Colorado Springs maintains within the Office of the Chancellor records for Roman Catholic churches across east central Colorado. The archivist, (719) 636-2345, accepts research requests over the telephone and will provide telephone replies after examining the microfilm and extracting the information as time is available. There is currently no charge for this service. Individuals may not access the microfilm/books to do their own research.
The weekly Intermountain Catholic newspaper, 1899-1910, held online by Chronicling America, Library of Congress, includes a column of news from the Colorado Springs Catholic community.
Episcopal Church: Epiphany Parish Register, Good Shepherd Parish Register, Grace Church Parish Register, St. Stephen's Parish Register; mostly baptism, marriage, burial entries for various years. Registers are indexed and available at Regional History & Genealogy, Pikes Peak Library District.
First United Methodist Church, Archivist, 420 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903. Founded 1871, first church in Colorado Springs.

Court Records / Law Enforcement

El Paso County Combined Court, Fourth Judicial District: for records, click here and scroll down to "Records Department." Records are subject to redaction.
El Paso County Civil District Court, Historical Records Index Search. In addition to the online index, Colorado State Archives holds civil case files, criminal case files, and other court-related records, but a case number is required to access them. See Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index.
El Paso County Sheriff's Office says it has arrest records from 1987. Request records.
Colorado Department of Corrections Current Offender Search

Directories

In addition to providing names and addresses of residents, city directories also usually offer street guides, information on city, county, and state governments, election precincts, lists of churches and clergy, hospitals and sanitariums, schools and colleges, businesses, labor organizations, clubs, societies, and secret organizations. The Colorado Springs directory often also contains Manitou Springs and Colorado City.

Colorado Springs city directories, PPLD, online all extant editions, 1879–1936.
HeritageQuest has online most Colorado Springs city directories, 1897–1963. If you hold a Pikes Peak Library District library card, go to this page, click on "HeritageQuest," enter card number and password, then click "City Directories."
Regional History & Genealogy, PPLD, 20 N. Cascade, Colorado Springs, CO, has paper and/or microfilm copies for all extant editions, 1879–present.
El Paso County (Including Teller County) Rural Directory (microfilm reel for the year 1937-38 also contains: 1947, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1962, and 1969; 1972 as book on shelves), Regional History & Genealogy, PPLD.
Ancestry.com ($) has most Colorado Springs editions, with some breaks, through 1961.
Telephone books, most years from 1907 to present, PPLD Regional History & Genealogy microfilm, 384.6 C7192CM; covers county addresses not included in city directories.

Funeral Homes and Mortuaries

Beyle Funeral Home Record Abstracts, 1897-1937, Colorado Springs and (Old) Colorado City, Colorado
List of funeral homes, mortuaries, and undertakers. Compiled by the El Paso County Cemetery Project in 1997, the list includes facilities throughout Colorado. Some may no longer be in business.
Colorado Funeral Service History to 1997

History

History of El Paso County , C o l o r a d o
Colorado Encyclopedia
Colorado Springs Century Chest (time capsule sealed August 1901, opened January 1, 2001; resealed for another century April 20, 2001, with new contents): View letters to descendants, photos, documents, local history.
"The White Plague, Woodmen, and Great Uncle Hubert," pages 8-9, Columbine Genealogical & Historical Society Newsletter, July 2015, has information about the treatment of tuberculosis in Colorado Springs, letters from a patient at Woodmen Sanitorium, and photos of the TB huts.
Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium books for purchase from Clausen Press.
El Paso County information on early history and pioneers, prepared by Civil Works Administration, Jan. 11, 1934, held by History Colorado.

Land and Property Records

Bureau of Land Management General Land Office homestead records
United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-1955, FamilySearch
El Paso [County] Claim Club, Books 1-2, 1859-1861, PPLD Digital Collections: scanned images of early land claims books and link to a PDF of content extracted by Larry Obermesik.
Record Book of the El Paso County Claim Club, 1859-61, PPLD Digital Collections, a typed transcription of the registered land claims of the earliest settlers in El Paso County. Partial index on final two pages.
El Paso County grantor/grantee index, deed, mortgage records on microfilm, Citizens Service Center, 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs; phone: 719-520-6200. Copies are 25 cents each. Clerks will not do searches. If you'd like a search done by PPGS volunteers, contact info@ppgs.org. Donations are suggested.
El Paso County grantor/grantee indexes from January 1, 1980 to present are available on computers in the Citizens Service Center, 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs, CO. Phone: phone: 719-520-6200. Clerks can retrieve documents.
El Paso County Building Permits, 1878-1974, held by PPLD Regional History & Genealogy. Click here for finding aid. Collection includes 1911-1974 Moving and Wrecking Permit index.
The El Paso County Assessor's Office mapping room on the second floor of the Citizen's Service Center has very large indexes showing land transactions by section. They appear to start about 1890s.
Current El Paso County property owners: El Paso County Public Record Real Estate Property Search

Law

Colorado Constitution and Revised Statutes
Colorado Session Laws, 1861-2023: Some legislative actions are on behalf of individuals. Search to see if your ancestors appear.
Colorado House and Senate Journals
El Paso County Ordinances
Colorado Springs Official City Documents
Guide to Colorado's Open Records and Open Meetings Laws
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is dedicated to ensuring the transparency of state and local governments in Colorado by promoting freedom of the press, open courts, and open access to government records and meetings

Maps

Historic Map Explorer at Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Colorado Springs, Manitou, Colorado City, 1883-1917, online at Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, University of Colorado at Boulder
Sanborn fire insurance maps from El Paso County locations, Library of Congress
Google Maps
Regional History & Genealogy department, Carnegie Library, Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Library District
Palmer Divide Research is an ongoing project by Michael Christensen. The website offers a shared, working map of the history of the Palmer Divide, the high ground between Denver and Colorado Springs. It holds 680 places, from the gold camps of 1858 and the stage stops of the 1860s to the sawmills, dairies, fox farms, and one-room schools that came after; 173 of them are living communities today. Each place has a page with what we know and where it comes from.

Medical

Wikipedia, "Tuberculosis Treatment in Colorado Springs."
"A Healing Past," 15 July 2012, Gazette: TB treatment was a driving economic force in early Colorado Springs.
History of Cragmor Sanatorium
Wikipedia, Penrose Hospital with history that includes Glockner Sanatorium
History of hospitals in Colorado Springs

Military

El Paso County is or has been home to many U.S. military installations, including:

Camp Carson (also a World War II prisoner-of-war camp) was established in January 1942 as an army training site. It became Fort Carson in 1954.
Fort Carson, army base, established in 1942, granted this name in 1954
- Fort Carson: A Tradition of Victory
- 4th Infantry Division Museum, Fort Carson
Peterson Space Force Base, established 1942 as Army Air Base
Ent Air Force Base, established June 1943; closed 1976
U.S. Air Force Academy, established in 1954, first class sworn in 1955
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), established 1967; became Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station in 2021
Schriever Space Force Base established 1983 as Falcon Air Force Station
Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, established 2021

Roster of Men and Women Who Served in the World War from Colorado, 1917-1918: Data is sorted by first initial of last name, then county.

Fort Carson: Post Guide & Telephone Directory, held by PPLD, Regional History & Genealogy: 1962, 1964, 1965, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 2001, 2009, 2016

Mining

El Paso County Placer Mine Location Certificates, 1892-1942, Historical Records Index Search, Colorado State Archives
Pre-1963 Colorado Mining Fatalities

Naturalization

Colorado State Archives holds many naturalization records from the county court and district court in Colorado Springs: Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index

Newspapers

PPLD Pikes Peak NewsFinder index with Gazette 1871–present, Colorado City [now part of western Colorado Springs] Iris, Weekly Gazette, Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Springs Sun, Denver Post, El Paso County Democrat, Free Press, Out West, Manitou Journal, Pueblo Chieftain, Rocky Mountain News, Security Advertiser & Fountain Valley News, and seven early Cripple Creek newspapers. Various years are indexed and may not be complete. Request free copies of articles online from PPLD Regional History & Genealogy. Some article images before 1987 are linked to the index.
PPLD has the Colorado Springs Gazette, 1988–present online; access is free with library card. From PPLD.org, select "Research & Learn," then "Search All Databases," then click on "A," then selection "Access World News." Enter your PPLD card number and PIN. Then select "Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), then Click on "Gazette, The (Colorado Springs)". Here you may search by keyword or date.
Ancestry.com ($) has Colorado Springs Gazette, 1873-78, 1878-87, 1887-94, 1900-15; Weekly Gazette, 1879-82, 1884-86, 1888-95, 1897-1900; Out West, 1872.
GenealogyBank.com ($) has Colorado Springs Gazette, 1896–1922 and Eastonville World, 1894-95. Searchable on all words.
Newspapers.com ($) has Weekly Gazette, 1872-1906, incomplete, and Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, 1960-1978, incomplete. Searchable on all words.
NewsBank has the Colorado Springs Gazette, 2 Apr 1988–present. Free access with Denver Public Library card, which is available to anyone with a library card from a Colorado public library. (Click www.denverlibrary.org, Research Sources, Newspapers, Access World News, Colorado, Gazette.)
Colorado Historic Newspapers has Gazette, 1873-78; Out West, March–December 1872; Colorado Mountaineer, 1876–77. Free.
Colorado Springs Gazette Archive ($), www.gazette.com; from the Gazette's webpage: "The Gazette archive contains text-only archives from April 2, 1988, to November 30, 2002. Beginning December 1, 2002, the archive was expanded to include an electronic edition of the newspaper, which features searchable PDFs. These more recent issues are fully text searchable and reflect the full content and layout of the printed Gazette." Available to e-subscribers.
Special Collections, Tutt Library, Colorado College, has bound volumes (1894-1922) of the weekly El Paso County Democrat, which has news from rural El Paso County communities. Not indexed, but easily searchable by community for a given period. Call to arrange an appointment.
Current El Paso County newspapers include: Colorado Springs Gazette, Pikes Peak Bulletin (Manitou Springs, 2001- ), The Tribune (Monument), SoCo Insider (formerly the Colorado Springs Independent).
The weekly El Paso County Advertiser and Fountain Valley News was published on Wednesdays from 1958 to Dec. 28, 2022 and served the Security and Widefield area. Archives are held by the Security Public Library.
African American Voice (1991-present), monthly, Colorado Springs, includes links to archival issues from 2007.
The New Falcon Herald covers Peyton, Falcon, and Black Forest in El Paso County. The monthly started in January 2004; it is published on the first Saturday of the month.

Obituaries

PPLD Pikes Peak NewsFinder index with Gazette 1871–present, Colorado City (part of Colorado Springs since 1917) Iris, Colorado Springs Sun, and other newspapers. Request free copies of articles online from PPLD Regional History & Genealogy.
Legacy, www.legacy.com
FamilySearch, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2015, index

Occupations and Businesses/Organizations

Look up Colorado licensed professionals or organizations at DORA, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies: accountants, medical/dental/mental health/veterinary, trades (plumbing, electrical, barbers/cosmetology), funeral homes, architecture, and more. Includes current, expired, cancelled, and revoked licensees. Searchable by name or portion of name. Licensee mailing address available from occupation download link.
Colorado business search: includes images of historic and current reports for businesses and nonprofit organizations. Click on "Filing history and documents" to see principles' names and addresses.
Used bookstores specializing in local historical materials:
Clausen Books
DeWitt Enterprises, PO Box 51, Fountain, CO 80817; (719) 473-0330. Best by appointment. See PikesPeakShadow on eBay or Etsy.

Oral Histories

Pikes Peak Region Oral Histories, Pikes Peak Library District

Pensions

El Paso County Old Age Pensions, 1933-36, Historical Records Index Search, Colorado State Archives

People

Links to information on prominent people in the Pikes Peak region:

Gen. William Jackson Palmer, Colorado Springs founder, 1871
People from Colorado Springs
People from El Paso County, Colorado

Photographs

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, has hundreds of photos for Colorado Springs and other locales in El Paso County. Enter desired place name.
Pikes Peak Library District Digital Collections

Place Names

Place Names of Colorado

Probate/Wills

PPLD Regional History & Genealogy: El Paso County Estate Index, 1874 thru 1966 (call no: 346.054 C719E, 1967 supplement: 346.054 C719E SUPP. 1967).
El Paso County Probates, 1880-1969, Historical Records Index Search, Colorado State Archives; Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index

School Records

District 11 is the largest and oldest public school district in Colorado Springs. Report cards and school census info is available.
Colorado Springs High School/Palmer High School Alumni Association
El Paso County School Census, District 3, 1911, Historical Records Index Search, Colorado State Archives
El Paso County School Census, District 11, 1910, 1920, Historical Records Index Search, Colorado State Archives
Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, Colorado Springs. Archival records exist.

Taxation

Assessment Rolls, 1877-99, Colorado State Archives, Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index
El Paso County Tax Records, 1877-99, FamilySearch Library; Full-Text Search is available for these records

Vital Records

>Birth Records

Birth certificates, State of Colorado An employee at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environoment said in 2022 that they have Colorado birth certificates from 1902. Handybook for Genealogists says they have records from 1907. Order birth certs through VitalChek at 1-866-300-8540.
Birth certificates, El Paso County Health Department
Pikes Peak NewsFinder: Search for births by parents’ last name(s). Not yet complete for some years, but names are continuing to be added. Digital images of microfilmed copies may be requested for free from the library if not already available.
Entries in the Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry.com ($) include date and place of birth (usually a town or county) and parents' names. You can search on selected fields, including names and place of birth.

>Marriage Records

Pikes Peak NewsFinder, marriages reported in various newspapers.
1853–2006, Colorado Marriage Index, WPA project, with some later, FamilySearch
In 2020, Ancestry ($) added more than 600,000 marriage records for El Paso County to the database "Colorado, U.S., Select County Marriages, 1863-2018." Most records include marriage license and marriage certificate images.
If you don't find a marriage where you expect in southern Colorado, look in the "Gretna Green" of Raton, Colfax County. New Mexico. Many Colorado couples in the mid-20th century went there for a fun road trip with their friends and/or to avoid blood tests.

>Divorce Records

Colorado Statewide Divorce Index, 1900-39
El Paso County Divorces, 1903-41, Historical Records Index Search, Colorado State Archives; others may appear in Historical Records Index Search
District Court Divorce Decrees, 1940-55, Colorado State Archives, Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index
Pikes Peak NewsFinder, divorces were reported in newspapers during various periods.
Colorado Vital Records has a statewide index to divorces, 1900-1939 and 1975-present. Divorce decrees are held in the county courts in which they were filed or an archive.
MyHeritage.com, available for free at FamilySearch Centers or by subscription, has a database "Colorado Divorces, 1878-2004" with 1.4 million records. It does not appear to have entries between 1940 and 1967.

>Death Records

Death certificates are available for $20 from the state or the El Paso County Health Department. To determine if you are eligible to order one, see the back of the form. Colorado is quite restrictive with vital records.

Death Certificates, State of Colorado
Death Certificates, El Paso County Health Department
Pikes Peak NewsFinder has death announcements and obituaries from area newspapers.
1870 El Paso County Mortality Schedule extraction
1880 El Paso County Mortality Schedule extraction
1885 El Paso County Mortality Schedule, available at U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885, Ancestry ($)
El Paso County autopsy reports from 1971 to present are public records and can be requested by e-mail. It's best to have evidence (death certificate, newspaper account) that an autopsy was performed before requesting one. The coroner's office says autopsy reports before 1971 were destroyed, but El Paso County coroner's reports 1882-1942 are at the Colorado State Archives.
Homicides of the Colorado Springs Area, 1872 to Present, vols. 1-6, compiled by Dwight Haverkorn, Regional History & Genealogy, PPLD, 20 N. Cascade, Colorado Springs. Call no.: 364.152 H767, indexed at Pikes Peak NewsFinder.
El Paso County Coroner's Record, 1882-1933, 1933-42 at Colorado State Archives: Colorado State Archives Finding Aids Quick Index
Colorado Springs Death Register, 1871-1920, Pikes Peak NewsFinder, has information on people who died in Colorado Springs and were buried here or shipped elsewhere, as well as people who died elsewhere and were shipped in for burial in city-owned Evergreen Cemetery. Some of the later years have information on people who died in other parts of El Paso County.
The Social Security Death Index is an online searchable database of names of deceased individuals whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. It has been kept since 1962, when operations were computerized. The index is reported to have about 50 percent of deceased persons from 1962 to 1971 and about 85 percent of deceased persons from 1972 to 2005. It also includes a few deaths from 1937 to 1961. Beginning in 2014, rules governing the SSDI changed, and online databases have not been updated since then.
Beyle Funeral Home Record Abstracts, 1897-1937, Colorado Springs and (Old) Colorado City, Colorado

Voters

VoteRef has current Colorado registered voters.

Yearbooks

Regional History & Genealogy, PPLD, has a good collection of Colorado Springs high school and college yearbooks.
Ancestry.com ($) has a number of yearbooks from Colorado Springs high schools and colleges. See U.S. Yearbook Collection.

REPOSITORIES

Libraries

Regional History & Genealogy, Penrose Library, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs. Also has archives. Email: RegionalHistoryGenealogy@ppld.org. Phone: 719-531-6333, ext. 7252.
- Databases available from home with a library card include HeritageQuest, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, and Newspaper Archive.
- Databases available at any PPLD branch library include Ancestry.com Library Edition, MyHeritage, and Fold3. You may also log on to these databases with your laptop computer from the branch libraries.
- American Ancestors database from New England Historic Genealogical Society may be accessed only on computers at PPLD's Regional History & Genealogy.
- Interlibrary Loan portal through PPLD.
Special Collections and Archives, Tutt Library, Colorado College, Colorado Springs.
- Tutt Library has on microfilm Rocky Mountain News, 1859--Dececember 1964, and Denver Post Jan. 1965--2012.
- Microfilm is held offsite. Make an appointment to pull the film you need before you arrive. Special Collections is on the Garden Level.
Stephen H. Hart Research Center, History Colorado, Denver; has the best collection of microfilmed Colorado newspapers in state.
U.S. Air Force Academy Libraries

FamilySearch Centers

Subscription databases available for free at FamilySearch Centers include American Ancestors, Ancestry.com Library Edition, Findmypast, Fold3, Geneanet, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage Library Edition, ArkivDigital (Swedish church records), Newspapers.com, Newspaper Archive, and Irish Ancestors. Some are available at only some FamilySearch Centers.

FamilySearch Center Hours

	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Broadmoor*
North	10-1 6:30-9	10-1 6:30-9	10-1 6:30-9	10-1	3rd Sat. 10-1
East*
Fountain	10-1 6-9	10-1 6-9
PPLD†		10-5	10-5	10-5	10-5

*By appointment only. †PPLD is a FamilySearch affiliate library. FamilySearch Center subscription databases are not available at PPLD.

Colorado Springs FamilySearch Center [Broadmoor]
150 Pine Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906

719-634-0572

Email: CO_ColoradoSprings@familyhistorymail.org
Hours: By appointment only.

North FamilySearch Discovery Center
8710 Lexington Drive (at Research)
Colorado Springs, CO 80920

719-800-1610

Email: CO_ColoradoSpringsNorth@familyhistorymail.org

www.familysearch.org/en/centers/colorado_springs_colorado_north

12 desktop computer stations
Reservations are required to use the scanners (photos/documents, slides/negatives, book scanners).
Closed when Districts 20 or 38 are closed due to inclement weather.
Classes are offered in person and via Zoom on the third Saturday of the month at 9 a.m.

East FamilySearch Center
4955 Meadowland Blvd.
Colorado Springs CO 80918
719-653-2796

Email: CO_ColoradoSpringsEast@familyhistorymail.org

Hours: By appointment only.

Fountain FamilySearch Center
1310 Aeroplaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
719-550-2867
Email: CO_Fountain@familyhistorymail.org

FamilySearch Affiliate Library: Pikes Peak Library District, Regional History & Genealogical department, 20 N. Cascade, Colorado Springs, CO

Museums

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Colorado Springs

National Museum of World War II Aviation, Colorado Springs

McAllister House Museum, Colorado Springs Springs

Miramont Castle Museum, Manitou Springs

4th Infantry Division Museum, Fort Carson

Old Colorado City Historical & History Center, Colorado Springs

Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, Colorado Springs

U .S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs

Western Museum of Mining & Industry, Colorado Springs

MISC.

Societies: Historical, Genealogical, and Ethnic

African-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Colorado Springs

Daughters of the American Revolution:

Zebulon Pike Chapter, Colorado Springs, organized 1895
Kinnikinnik Chapter, Colorado Springs, organized 1914
Cheyenne Mountain Chapter, Colorado Springs, organized 2011

Italian Research Group, 10 a.m., first Wednesday. Sponsored by Denver Public Library, this group meets virtually with Google Teams. Contact history@denverlibrary.com for the link.

Palmer Lake Historical Society, Palmer Lake

Pikes Peak Genealogical Society

Sons of the American Revolution, Pikes Peak Chapter (scroll down to Pike's Peak Chapter)

Sons of Norway, Colorado Springs

Swedish Genealogical Society of Colorado

Ute Pass Historical Society, Woodland Park

Order Sons of Italy in America, Pikes Peak Lodge #2870

Pikes Peak Posse of Westerners International, a western-history organization. Meets second Monday of each month at the Colorado Springs Shrine Club, 6 S. 33rd St. Social time at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Genealogical Societies in Colorado