Research Tools A-Z

Historical background and a list of current cemeteries.

Contents listing to ease the navigation of Denver Assessor Lot Indexes, microfilmed from holdings at the Colorado State Archives. This listing includes volume and page numbers alongside Subdivision names, which can be used to locate grantor/grantee records often unavailable in either the Grantor/Grantee Records, 1859-1884, or the Denver Assessor Records Index Map + Records, late 1800s-1950s.

The Master Property Record cards show the chain of ownership of Denver property by Parcel Number, from the late 1950s to the early 1980s.  The Parcel Number can be found on the Denver Assessor’s Office Real Property Search website. Try searching them by address or parcel number. If you have trouble finding the card online, please see our tutorial or ask for assistance at the Special Collections and Archives Reference Desk.

The Assessor Records provide an index to City of Denver Grantor/Grantee information and can give you a chain of ownership of Denver property. The Assessor Volumes cover the time period from the late 1800’s to the 1950’s. Earlier records are on microfilm and more recent records are on cards arranged by Parcel Number.

Indexes and transcriptions compiled by Charles O. Brantigan for searching the Denver building permit application log books, 1889-1892 and 1900-1914 (WH1145).

Building permit application log books (1889-1892, 1902-1914) and building permits (1915-1955) organized by street address.

NOTE: Permits available in digital collections are listed in the Denver Building Permits guide. If your address is not yet available, contact Special Collections and Archives to see if your permit is available.

Denver City Directories date from 1873-1923, though there are some years that are not digitized, and are arranged by name of resident or business name. Many also list occupations. 

Denver Grantor Grantee Records

The Grantor Grantee deed books are the legal documentation concerning property transfers. These may give additional information about the property transfer.

1859 - 1860: Grantee and Grantor

1859 - 1861:  Grantee

1861 - 1867: Grantee Book 1, Grantee Book 2 and Grantor

1867 - 1868: Grantee and Grantor

1870 - 1872: Grantee and Grantor

1872 - 1874: Grantee and Grantor

1874 - 1875: Grantee and Grantor

1875 - 1877: Grantee and Grantor

1877 - 1878: Grantee and Grantor

1880 - 1881: Grantee and Grantor Book 1, Grantor Book 2

1881 May - Dec.: Grantee and Grantor

1882 Jan. - Sept.: Grantee and Grantor

1882 Oct. - 1883 June: Grantee and Grantor

1883 July - Dec.: Grantee and Grantor

1884: Grantee and Grantor

Denver Householder Directories date from 1924-1937, and are arranged by address and show owners, residents, and business names.

An index to Denver marriages cross listing the names of both bride and groom, the license number, and the license numbers and dates covered in the volume.

Use the Assessment Index Map to help understand the parcel card numbering system. The Assessment Index Map divides the City and County of Denver into 14 map areas. On the map are instructions on how to locate a map area by parcel/schedule number. 

A listing of Denver Mayor's speeches, Inaugural and State of the City, 1859-2019.

Generally, Denver Mayors made an Inaugural Address upon being sworn into office. However, not all did so (or at least their message has not been found). The length of the Address varied from just two sentences to multiple pages of typed text. The Address shifted from the City Council’s meeting to separate public outdoor events.

Published by the City and County of Denver from 1909 until 1931 the Denver Municipal Facts contains a wealth of general information about the City of Denver, from politics and elections to sewer lines and public health.

Index to the Denver Municipal Facts.

Denver Obituary Project

Index of obituaries and funeral notices that appeared in the Denver Post or Rocky Mountain News: 1913, 1914, 1915-1919, 1920-1924, 1925-1929, 1930-1934, 1935-1939, 1940-1944, 1945-1949, 1950-1954, 1955-1959, 1960-1964, 1965-1969, 1970-1974, 1975-1979, 1980-1984, 1985-1989, 1990-1994, 1995-1999, 2000-2004, 2005-2009, 2010-2014, 2015, 2016. 2016 is our last year of indexing. Obituaries after 2016 are available with a library card from America's Obituaries and Death Notices.

If a representative's request for papers pertaining to an organization or group is accepted, all names of persons will be redacted unless the Library receives the Affidavit of Release (Form 2.3.6) from each individual stating that they give permission to the Denver Public Library to release their names. All other names will be redacted.

Declaración jurada de exoneración de responsabilidad y petición de copias de archivos de inteligencia del Departamento de Policía de Denver.

Requests for Police Department Intelligence records pertaining to a group or organization require an Affidavit of Representation including notarization. The representative is required to attest to the fact he or she is an authorized representative of the group or organization. The signature on the form must be witnessed and attested to by a notary public.

To request records pertaining to an individual, customers must fill out this application and present a legally acceptable photo identification card that includes birth date, which will be copied and attached to the application. Please allow 30 days for response/certified letter.

Declaración jurada de representación para solicitar copias de los archivos de inteligencia del departamento de policía de Denver.

Contains names, crimes, punishments, and dates for crimes committed from May, 1895 through August, 1904. Case number and reference to Colorado State Archive files where the information came from are included.

Index of all deaths published in the Rocky Mountain News, the Denver Post, and other newspapers for the years 1944-1959.

In the late 1800s Denver was booming and like any city suffering growing pains, had to deal with a conflicting mix of address numbering and street names. Two pivotal ordinances in 1897 and 1904 made significant changes to street naming conventions in the Denver area. Addressing problems were addressed earlier in 1887. The Denver Sanborn map volumes for 1903/1904 provided both old and new names, while the 1887 Sanborn atlas shows both old and new addresses. The documents below are a transcribed version of the ordinances with links to the original document.

• Ordinance 16 (1897) -- west of the Platte
• Ordinance 19 (1904) -- East Denver

This index is a compilation of Denver Tramway and Regional Transportation District employees with service dates and badge numbers or seniority rankings at four time points: 1944, 1963, 1964, and 1996. Employment start dates for people listed in this index begin in 1891.

Indexed list of residents displaced during the development of the Auraria campus. Compiled by Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA). Held by Auraria Library.

The names of the men and women from Denver who lost their lives during WWI. List taken from the article, “Hail, Heroes! Hail!” which appeared in the Denver Post, November 11, 1920.

Genealogical compilation on Fred Keechler and his wife, Clara Bowman (Bormann), who married in 1876. Lists descendants and major family events.

Genealogical compilation on William S. Burch and his wife, Nancy Jane Harper, who married in 1878. Lists descendants and major family events of the Burch, Harper, and Adams families.

Contains a selection of photographs, maps, broadsides, architectural drawings and other documents from the collections of the Western History/Genealogy Department.

Browse PDF images of New York Times and Wall Street Journal issues from January 2008 to two months ago. Browse by newspaper title and exact date. Use New York Times Current or Wall Street Journal Current to search by topic.

An index to Douglas County marriages listing the names of the bride and groom, the license number, the date of application and the date of marriage.

Name index for students in Douglas County schools from 1879 to 1946, with detailed tabular data from 1922-1946. Includes name, place of birth, date of birth, school district, parent or guardian, and years attended.