Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Socorro County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Newspapers
- Abogado Cristiano Neo-Mexicano (Socorro, N.M.)1893-1???
- El Defensor (Socorro, N.M.)1950-1959
- El Defensor Del Pueblo (Socorro, Nuevo México)1904-1950
- El Hispano-Americano (Socorro, N.M.; Las Vegas, N.M.; El Paso, Texas)1891-1920
- El Progreso (Socorro, N.M.)1887-1887
- La Golondrina (Socorro, N.M.)1898-1???
- La Libertad (Sn. [i.e. San] Marcial, N.M.)1896-1896
- La Patria (Socorro N.M.)1944-19??
- Magdalena Mountain Mail (Magdalena and Kelly, N.M.)1888-18??
- Magdalena World (Magdalena, N.M.)1918-19??
- Socorro Bullion (Socorro, N.M.)1885-1888
- Socorro Star (Socorro, N.M.)1884-188?
- The Bullion (Socorro, N.M.)1883-1885
- The Chieftain (Socorro, N.M.)1890-1901
- The Chieftain (Socorro, New Mexico)1890-1901
- The Daily Washout (San Marcial, N.M.)1904-19??
- The Friday Chieftain (Socorro, N.M.)1950-1950
- The Industrial Advertiser (Socorro, N.M.; Albuquerque, N.M.)1889-1899
- The Socorro Chieftain (Socorro, N.M.)1902-1959
- The Socorro Chieftain (Socorro, New Mexico)1902-1959
- The Socorro Chieftain (Socorro, Socorro County, N.M.)1884-1890
- The Socorro Sun (Socorro, N.M.)1880-188?
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
- Find Socorro County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county clerk and the district court.
- 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, Socorro" 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 Socorro County: Catron County, Grant County, Lincoln County, Otero County, Sierra County, Torrance County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1852, 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.