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Texas Genealogy

Texas Genealogy Facts

Spanish explorers, including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, were the first to visit the region in the 16th and 17th centuries, settling at Ysleta near El Paso in 1682. In 1685, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, established a short-lived French colony at Matagorda Bay.

Americans, led by Stephen F. Austin, began to settle along the Brazos River in 1821 when Texas was controlled by Mexico, recently independent from Spain. In 1836, following a brief war between the American settlers in Texas and the Mexican government, the Independent Republic of Texas was proclaimed with Sam Houston as president. This war was famous for the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. After Texas became a state in 1845, border disputes led to the Mexican War of 1846–1848.

  • Texas entered the union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845.
  • Texas has 254 Counties
  • Texas’s capital is Austin and the official state website is www.texas.gov/.
  • Texas is bordered by Arkansas (northeast), Louisiana (east), New Mexico (west), Oklahoma (north), Mexico (south)
  • Texas has a land area of 268,601 square miles making it the 2nd largest state.
  • Texas’s 2010 population was 25,145,561 .
  • Texas  largest cities (2010) are Houston, 2,099,451; San Antonio , 1,327,407; Dallas, 1,197,816; Austin (Capital), 790,390; Fort Worth , 741,206; El Paso, 649,121; Arlington, 365,438; Corpus Christi, 305,215; Plano, 259,841; Laredo, 36,091.
  • Texas was named for the Caddo Indians of eastern Texas called their group of tribes the “Tejas,” meaning “those who are friends”.
  • Texas’s nickname is ” The Lone Star State “
  • Texas State Motto is ” Friendship “.

Texas County Genealogy

County records, such as land and property records, probate records and wills, marriage records, naturalization papers, and district court minutes, are micro filmed and kept in a depository designated for the county’s respective area. Thus there is no one state depository with a complete set of records.

Select a County Below

COUNTY PAGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Texas has counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states. These counties need to be looked at when doing genealogy research. Pay close attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was abolished or combined with another county. At least thirty-two counties that were established by Texas law no longer exist. These defunct counties were either (1) Judicial counties, (2) Counties established by declaration of the Constitutional Convention of 1868-69, (3) Counties established by legislative act but never organized and later abolished by legislative act (4) Counties established outside the present boundaries of Texas or (5) Counties whose names have been changed.

  • Buchanan County: Formed in 1858, Renamed Stephens County in 1861
  • Buchel County: Buchel County, along with Foley, & Jeff Davis County were formed out of Presidio County on 15 March 1887. In March of 1889, a legislative act passed attaching the county to Brewster County. Although the then governor did not sign it into law, in 1897, Buchel County was abolished.
  • Cibilo County: Between 1869 and 1874 Wilson County was called Cibilo County
  • Davis County: Formed as Cass County, Called Davis County from 1861-May 1871, Renamed Cass County
  • Encinal County: Formed in 1856 never organized. Abolished in 1899 and incorporated into Webb County
  • Foley County: Created in March 1887 out of Presidio County. The Texas legislature passed an act that created Foley, Buchel, and Jeff Davis counties out of part of Presidio County on March 15, 1887, shortly after passing a similar act making Brewster County from Presidio County. The original Brewster County occupied the northwestern portion of what is now Brewster County, and Foley County occupied most of the southern part. Foley and Buchel counties were not organized, however, and on March 22, 1889, the legislature passed an act attaching them to Brewster County for surveying purposes. Foley County had only twenty-five residents in 1890; thus it was one of the most sparsely settled counties in Texas. Seven years later the legislature passed a bill abolishing Foley and Buchel counties and attaching their territory to Brewster County. With the addition of the territory of Foley and Buchel counties, Brewster County became the largest county in Texas.
  • Greer County: Formed in 1860 from Young County, Organized in 1886. Now located in Oklahoma
  • Harrisburg County: Harrisburg County, evolved from and named for the Municipality of Harrisburg, was established in 1836. In 1839 the name was changed to Harris County.
  • La Baca County: In January 1842 the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas establish and organize the county of La Baca. On January 12 President Sam Houston vetoed the resolution. On January 29 the House voted to reconsider the resolution. At the same time the legislature attached the new county to the fourth judicial district of the republic. According to the resolution, the County of La Baca would contain parts of Fayette, Gonzales, Victoria, Jackson and Colorado counties. The Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas in its 1842 term ruled that La Baca and all other “judicial counties” were unconstitutional. Four years later, the County of La Vaca was established in place of La Baca, and, on July 13, 1846, immediately after the entrance of Texas into the Union, La Vaca County was formally organized.
  • Miller County was created on April 1, 1820, included most of what is now Miller County, Arkansas, and the Texas counties of Bowie, Red River, Lamar, Fannin, Cass, Morris, Titus, Franklin, Hopkins, Delta, and Hunt. In December 1874 Miller County was created out of that part of Lafayette County lying west and south of the Red River, and Texarkana, Arkansas, was made the county seat.
  • Navasota County: Created January 1841 from Washington & Robertson Counties, the name changed to Brazos County in 1842
  • Neches County was established for judicial and other purposes on January 29, 1841. Its area included all of what is now Orange County, the south half of the future Jasper County, and the south half of what is now Newton County; Madison was to be the county seat. It was abolished by a Texas Supreme Court decision, in 1842.
  • Paschal County was established for judicial and other purposes on January 28, 1841, included all of the area of future Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, Morris, and Cass counties and most of future Marion County. The county seat, to be selected by county commissioners, was to be named Dangerfield. It was abolished by a Texas Supreme Court decision, in 1842.
  • Santa Fe County: established on March 15, 1848, it was abolished by a Texas Supreme Court decision, in 1842.
  • Waco County: established for judicial and other purposes on January 29, 1842. Viesca was named the county seat. It was abolished by a Texas Supreme Court decision, in 1842.
  • Wegefarth County: Wegefarth County, established on June 2, 1873 and it was abolished by the act of legislature on August 21, 1876, which established the other Panhandle counties.

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Texas Genealogy Links

See Texas County Genealogy for County Links. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.

Texas State History

Texas, one of the West South Central states of the United States. It borders Mexico on the southwest and the Gulf of Mexico on the southeast. To the west is New Mexico, to the north and northeast lie Oklahoma and Arkansas, and Louisiana bounds Texas on the east. Austin is the capital of Texas. Houston is the largest city.

Texas is the size of Ohio, Indiana, and all the New England and Middle Atlantic states combined, and its vast area encompasses forests, mountains, deserts and dry plains, and a long, humid, subtropical coastal lowland. Texas’s wealth of mineral resources is almost unequaled among the other states. The rapid economic development stimulated by these resources and the state’s vast size have made Texas an American legend. Oil wells, chemicals, ranches, and cattle have played a major part in that legend.

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