Colorado State Archives
Glossary of Record Types

This list is a description of the information generally found in the various record types. There may be some variation of information and years of inclusion between counties.

Mothers Compensation - The information contained in the record generally shows the name of the applicant, the date and amount of the compensation payment and any adjustments to the pension. The record may reflect the person’s age, the town nearest to where they lived and any other actions done by the county concerning the compensation.

Old Age Pension - Two records generally comprise the pension file; one being the order fixing the date for the pension hearing and the other being the actual order fixing the allowance. Information found in these records will include the pensioner's name, the date of the hearing, the amount of the pension and the date of the order.

Inheritance Tax - The information contained in this record generally shows the name of the estate, date of filing, case number, name of the deceased, date of death, a description of real and personal property, value of the estate, tax liability due and names of next of kin.

1870 Federal Census -

• Name, Age, Race and Gender of individuals in household

• Professional Status/Title

• Birthplace

• Parents Birthplace

• Month Born in Census Year (only in the year of the census)

• Month Married (only in the year of the census)

• School Attendance (only in the year of the census)

• Male Citizen Over 21 and Voting Status

• Whether a Pauper or Convict

1900 Indian School Census - These enumerations were slightly different from the usual 1900 Census entries or the Federal Indian Census as there was a special section, "Special Inquiries Relating to Indians." The main section included the headings found on the 1900 Federal Census. In addition, however, this special section  listed the enumerated person's tribe as well as the tribe of his/her father and mother. There is also a heading entitled "Mixed Blood" which asked if the Indian had any white blood and how much. In the Grand Junction index several additional headings are usually filled out including, "Conjugal Condition," "Citizenship" and "Dwelling" ("Is this Indian living in a fixed or in a movable dwelling?"). The information found in these indexes is especially helpful since the Federal Indian Census before 1930  provided only information on the person's name, date of birth, gender, and relationship to the head of the family.

Divorce Records - This record generally reflects the record of Divorce Decrees granted by the Court. Information contained in the record may show the date of the marriage, the state where the marriage took place, reason(s) for filing for divorce, names of children, court action number and the date the Decree of Divorce was granted.

Marriages - The marriage licenses/certificates that are in our custody generally have the bride and groom names, county in which license was obtained, date of marriage, where ceremony was held, by whom they were married, witnesses, county from which the bride and groom came, and ages of the bride and groom. Unless the bride or groom was underage, there will usually be no record of their parents. Marriage applications will generally also have whether the bride or groom was ever married before and if so, how that marriage was terminated.

Kit Carson County Death Register - The information contained in the record generally shows the name of the deceased person, the date of death, sex, age at death, ethnicity, whether they were married or not, the deceased's nativity, place of birth, disease that caused death, name of the undertaker, name of the cemetery buried in and the name of the attending physician if there was one. 

Kit Carson Birth Report Register - This record is a summary report of the Kit Carson County births for the years 1892 - 1907 that were recorded in the District Court of this county. The information contained in the records generally shows the name of the father and mother, the date of the birth, sex of the child, whether the infant was living or still born, skin color, maiden name of mother, occupation of the father, parent's residence location and the name of the attending physician if there was one.  It is important to note that the name of the child is not entered as part of this record. The record only reflects that the father and mother had a child and recorded the birth at the court house without providing a given name for the infant.

Poor (Pauper) Records (County Commissioner) - The information contained in these records generally shows the name of the person, date of registration, nativity, sex, age, time of support, cause of poverty and total amount of aid. It may also show the place of birth, date of arrival into the county and from where, remarks, and time of immigration to the U.S..

Poor Hospital (Arapahoe County) - The information in these records is similar to the Poor Records from other County Commissioners but they focus on the person's stay in the hospital.  Information may include: date of registration, name, age, sex, state or country of birth, year of immigration to United States, year of settlement in Colorado; if a previous Colorado resident and moved to Arapahoe County, Colorado county from which moved and year of arrival in Arapahoe County; dates of hospitalization (relief) and number of days.

Ditch Claim Statements (Routt County) - The following index was compiled from the official record of the Ditch Claim Statements filed in the District Court of Routt County by the owner(s) of said ditches for the years 1902-1903. The record generally identifies the name of the ditch, names of the owners including post office address, location of headgate and county it is located in, name of river or stream water is being diverted from, legal description at which water is drawn, general direction of the flow of the ditch, its length, width, depth and grade. The information may include the original date of appropriation, enlargement or extension of the ditch is recorded to include the amount of flow, present cubic footage capacity and the number of acres irrigated.

Amache Camp Teachers List - This is an index of the Amache Center (Prowers County) teachers who were approved and hired to teach in the Japanese internment camp by the War Relocation Authority (1942-1945).  The actual record is a listing of the approved teachers and provides no detail as to their academic background.  This list shows their name and date of hire (month/day/year), what subject or grade level they taught, the date when they left the camp and the reason for their leaving.