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The USGenWeb Archives Project - Colorado

SEARCH THE COLORADO ARCHIVES


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


Q: I have data to contribute. What do I do with it?

A: Thank You for thinking of us!! Please read the contribution guidelines. The guidelines summarize what we can use and provide the addresses to send it to. If you have questions about large files or files that can't easily be converted to ASCII text please send us a note describing what you have. You can submit by using the automated forms. This is the fastest way to get your work online.


Q: I found an error in one of the files. How do I get it fixed?

A: The file content is owned by the contributor. As File Manager, I can't change the content without specific permission from the person that donated the file. Please send your correction (along with your source data for the correction) directly to the person that donated the file to the archives.

If you don't get a response in a reasonable time frame, it is possible to post an "errata page" for the file in question. Please include a copy of all your correspondence concerning the error in your email to me.


Q: Where are the Colorado birth and death certificates? Where are the Colorado birth and death indexes I expected?

During the period 1860-1910 Colorado law didn't require local governments to record birth and deaths with the state and local governments didn't issue certificates. Very few Colorado localities bothered recording these events until it became mandatory, so finding a official record of an ancestor's birth or death prior to 1910 is a long shot requiring you to pin down a church register or similar record mentioning your ancestor. There are some exceptions, Denver, for example, routinely recorded births and deaths that occurred in local hospitals (but not those at home).

1910-present: Colorado Vital Records and their local registrars are prevented by state law from releasing birth information until 100 years after the event except to the individual named on the certificate or to proven direct descendants. While the Colorado law on releasing death records is not quite as strict, privacy concerns expressed in the law still prevent Vital Records from releasing any master index of recorded Colorado deaths.


Q: Where is the 1XXX year census in the archives? Where are the xxxx county marriage records? Where is the listing for the xxxxxx cemetery?

A: The answer to all these questions is the same! No one has yet transcribed and donated the documents you need. The best way to get new information posted is for you to volunteer your time to transcribe the unique information you have and donate it to the project. Nothing encourages other contributors more than a steady stream of new donations!


Q: My mother (father, uncle, great grandfather, etc.) is not mentioned in the archived files, please send me the information I need!

A: I wish I could help. However, I have no source of Colorado information beyond the files already in the archives. Our holdings all came from someone like yourself who transcribed a local cemetery index, a county clerk's marriage index, a census enumeration district or some other primary source material. If what you need is not in the Archives, your best bet is to visit the COGenWeb County Page and post a query. Some of the Colorado Counties also have information that is not in the Archives and have links to other sites with databases. For your convenience, the County Index Pages in the archives have links to the COGenWeb County pages.

I would also suggest you visit the USGenWeb Archives frequently. We receive new contributions weekly.


Q: The Works Progress Administration (WPA) index of Colorado Marriages includes only the Aa-Az Groom's Index. Where are the missing sections and where is the Bride's Index?

A: John Clemet of the Colorado Genealogical Society started transcribing the WPA marriage index for the Denver Public Library's on-line collection of Colorado data files. For some reason, only the Aa-Az section of the groom's index was donated to the USGenWeb Archives. We do NOT have the Ba-Zz sections of the index.

The Colorado Genealogical Society is now selling a CD with a complete transcription of the WPA index for $10. It appears even less likely that we will receive any additional marriage index donations from them. Suggest you visit their webpage at http://www.cogensoc.us/.


Q: Why didn't Ray Banks transcribe the 1917-1918 Civilian Draft Registration Cards for my Colorado County?

A: Ray Banks' copy of the Colorado draft card microfilm was unreadable for most of the county card files.


Q: I purchased __ acres of land in Colorado. Please help me locate it on the map and get my recorded deed.

A: I can't help you! If you purchased Colorado land without visiting it and didn't receive an original copy of your deed marked as "recorded" by the appropriate Colorado County Clerk, you need to consult a lawyer.

I found a deed to land or minerals in Colorado in my (ancestor's name) papers; how do I claim it?

A: Old deeds do not imply continued ownership. If you or someone else in the family have not been paying Colorado property taxes you can safely bet you have no recoverable interest in the property. Taxes on 'abandoned' land and minerals are collected by selling a tax lien on the property. After only a few years the lien holder(s) can ask the county court to issue an order that the land be sold to recover their investment.

Where was it?

A: Land outside the Mexican land grants and established towns in Colorado is described by the United States rectangular survey systems. Three exist in Colorado: The New Mexico Meridian in the southwest, the Ute Meridian around Grand Junction and the 6th Principal Meridian for the balance of the state. To locate land you will need to refer to a map showing the townships and ranges for the survey meridian that applies to your deed.


If you have genealogical data you would like to contribute to any of these Colorado Archives pages, please read the Guidelines for Submissions and submit your files immediately by utilizing online submission form.

NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county tables of content.

Frequently Asked Questions Correcting File Errors

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Send comments about this page to:
Carolyn Golowka
The USGenWeb Archives Project - Colorado File Manager

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This page last updated - Friday, 22-Oct-2010 12:57:05 EDT