Arizona Vital Records
This entry was originally written by Dwight A. Radford and Nell Sachse Woodard for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Arizona began recording births in July 1909, though marriage records are still recorded only in the county clerk of the superior court's office where the marriage occurred. The Office of Vital Records, Arizona Department of Health Services (1818 W. Adams, Phoenix, AZ 85007, mailing address: P.O. Box 3887, Phoenix, AZ 85030-3887)has the originals and can provide certified copies of births and death records. Images of birth certificates (1887'1934) and death certificates (1878'1959) are now online at the Arizona Department of Health Services. The Arizona State Archives has microfilm of the original births over seventy-five years old and deaths over fifty years old. The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City has microfilm of Arizona births (1855'1924, 1926). This collection includes state registration from 1909, which made delayed certificates as well as county registration of births prior to 1909. The FHL also has death records (ca. 1870'1949, 1951), which include state registrations from 1909 and earlier county registers.
Ancestry.com has digitized an Arizona Marriage Collection, 1864-1982 that is searchable online for subscribers.
FamilySearch.org has a few collections available online for free to the public including:
- Arizona, Births and Christenings, 1909-1917
- Arizona, Marriages, 1865-1949
- Arizona, Deaths, 1870-1951
- Arizona, Deaths and Burials, 1910-1911; 1933-1994
Divorces may be found in civil court records in the county although responsibility for divorce records in Arizona has varied. Originally part of the Territorial Legislature (1863), it moved to the district courts (see Arizona Court Records) during the 1870s. The specific court with the responsibility for divorce records within the superior court has changed over time.
Marriage records in Arizona are maintained by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the event occurred. Marriage and divorce records are not available from the state Office of Vital Records.
External Links
- Arizona Birth, Marriage, and Death Records - free up-to-date guide to accessing Arizona birth, marriage, and death records (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Includes links to FamilySearch vital record databases.
- Arizona Marriages Search Engine - free Arizona marriages search engine that has indexed marriages posted across the web.
- Arizona Obituary and Death Notice Archive - free Arizona obituary archive that has transcribed obits from across the state.
- Arizona Library of Files - free Arizona obituary and data files archive from across the state.