Bernalillo County, New Mexico Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Bernalillo County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected newspaper catalog metadata checked for state and county attribution. Publication dates do not establish complete issue holdings or online access. Library of Congress newspaper directory

Formed
1846
County seat
Albuquerque
Catron CountyCibola CountyGuadalupe CountyLincoln CountyLos Alamos CountyMcKinley CountyMora CountyRio Arriba CountySan Miguel CountySandoval CountySanta Fe CountySocorro CountyTorrance CountyValencia CountyBernalillo CountyCibolaSandovalTorranceValenciaBernalillo
Bernalillo CountyToday's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Bernalillo County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Newspapers

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected newspaper titles cataloged by the Library of Congress with explicit county geography. Priority is given to titles beginning by 1950; up to five later titles are included where no earlier dated title is listed for that county. Dates describe publication history, not the issues available at a library. Multiple format records with the same title, place and dates are grouped. The catalog may describe paper, microfilm or online resources. Open ends and the word Current reflect the catalog description; confirm present availability and exact holdings with the libraries listed on the linked record.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

  • Bernalillo County official website

    Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk and the district court, and any online record search the county offers.

  • The county clerk

    Deeds and other land records, marriage licenses, and some probate records (formal probate is in district court).

  • The district court

    Civil and criminal cases and divorces.

  • The New Mexico State Records Center and Archives

    In Santa Fe: Spanish, Mexican and territorial records, including land grants.

  • New Mexico State Records Center and Archivesfree

    The state archives in Santa Fe, with Spanish, Mexican and territorial records, land grants and court records.

  • FamilySearch Catalogfree

    Search by place for "New Mexico, Bernalillo" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Land not yet in any county

Later formed partly from Bernalillo County: McKinley County, Sandoval County, Torrance County

MexicoTexasBernalilloBernalilloMexicoTexas
Bernalillo as created in 1846Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1846, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

New Mexico's Catholic church records, which go back to the 1600s, are often the best source for early families. Statewide registration of births and deaths began around 1920.