New Mexico Archives, Societies & Publications

It is a good idea to familiarize personally with just about any repository in New Mexico that you simply might travel to by communicating with to the best suited archive or library in advance.

Most, if not all, New Mexico repositories have written and published content that present its collections as well as research policy.

New Mexico archives and historical organizations usually have On-line sites that provide equivalent details. Several also contain down loadable data for some or parts of their collections.

List of New Mexico Archives

  • New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, 1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87505-9860; As the main repository of government documents within the state, it participates in the “Online Archive of New Mexico.” Among its holdings are land grant documents; Spanish (1621–1821), Mexican (1821–46), and Territorial (1846–1912) Archives; statehood records; Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe records; governors’ papers; judicial and private papers. Publishes Quipu.
  • Center for Southwest Research, Special Collections Department, General Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1466; Major research center for New Mexico, the Southwest, and the American West; participating repository of the “Online Archive of New Mexico”; land grant and Native American collections; vertical files; family histories; inventories and bibliographies.
  • Rio Grande Historical Collections, New Mexico State University Libraries, P.O. Box 30006, MSC 3475, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8006; A participating repository of the “Online Archive of New Mexico,” its holdings include Southwest collections on Native Americans, cowboys, cattle industry, farming, overland trails, borderlands, and the Western Women Collection.
  • Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico, P.O. Box 51088, Albuquerque, NM 87181; Publishes Herencia.
  • National Archives-Rocky Mountain Region, Denver Federal Center, Building 48, West 6th Avenue and Kipling Street, Denver, Colorado 80225-0307. States covered are Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming.; Mailing Address: P.O. Box 25307, Denver, Colorado 80225-0307; Tel: 303-236-0817, E-mail: denver.archives@nara.gov, Fax: 303-236-9297

List of New Mexico Libraries & Museums

  • National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th SW (at Avenida César Chávez), Albuquerque, NM 87102; A library and genealogy research center, its holdings include rare books, archival and genealogical collections, and microform collections.
  • New Mexico State Library, 1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87505-9860; The library provides access to state and federal sources; Southwest collections, including Hispanic and Native American; newspapers; vertical files; and clipping files.
  • Special Collections Library, Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Library System, 423 Central Ave. NE (at Edith), Albuquerque, NM 87102; This is the main genealogical research library in New Mexico. Specialties include Southwestern reference; microform and CD-ROM collections; all New Mexico censuses; special Native American censuses; extensive New Mexico and U.S. genealogical collections.
  • Fray Angélico Chávez History Library, P.O. Box 2087, 120 Washington Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87504-2087; This research library collects materials to document the history of New Mexico, the Southwest, American West, and Meso-America. It is a participating repository of the “Online Archive of New Mexico” and maintains vertical files and newspaper clippings.
  • Wilson-Cobb History & Genealogy Research Library, 301 S. Richardson, Roswell, New Mexico; Phone: 575-622-3322

List of New Mexico Historical & Genealogical Societies

For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both.

In addition to their own work, New Mexico groups many times help coordinate the efforts of local societies throughout the New Mexico.

Their unique publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those created through the area societies.

Regional and State Societies

County, Township and City Societies

Religious and Ethnic Societies

New Mexico Newspapers & Publications

New Mexico Genealogical publications (magazines, newsletters, periodicals, books, etc.) contain all types of invaluable information about specific ancestors, whole lineages and families, places in time, and about all sorts of genealogical records and repositories.

Newspapers

The New Mexico Newspaper Project involves hundreds of newspapers from the state spanning the 1840s until 1996 placed on microfilm.

Mining camp papers and several obscure papers from around the state were included and all counties were covered. The set consists of about 600 rolls of microfilm and can be found in Albuquerque, at the University of New Mexico.

Many newspapers from New Mexico and other states that were not part of the New Mexico Newspaper Project can also be found at the University of New Mexico.

The New Mexico Records Center and Archives also has an excellent collection of newspapers from the state available.

The Special Collections Library, meanwhile, has microfilmed copies of newspapers from the time that New Mexico was a territory.

Clippings or entire newspapers may also be found in various other locations and collections across the state.

The Albuquerque Genealogical Society, which used to be the Genealogy Club of Albuquerque, has abstracted vital records from many state newspapers. The Special Collections Library holds those abstracts. 

Periodicals

Genealogical journals provide you with plenty of sources of information and facts, they are generally overlooked by genealogy and family history researchers and genealogist in looking around for family history.

Many regional and county genealogical and/or historical societies produce periodicals which have records relating to the region or vicinity they operate.

Frequently these publications have articles involving records that are not obtainable somewhere else.

Books