Motley County, TexasEdit This Page
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United States 
Texas Counties M Motley County
Guide to Motley County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents |
Quick Dates
Motley County's civil records start the following years:
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1903 | 1891 | 1880 | 1891 | 1891 |
County Courthouse
Motley County Courthouse
PO Box 66
Matador, TX 79244
Phone: 806.347.2621
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1891
and land records from 1891 with some earlier[1]
History
The first settlers arrived in 1878. The first settlement was Matador in 1891.
Parent County
1876--Motley County was created 21 August 1876 from Bexar Land District. County seat: Matador.
Named in honor of Dr. Junius William Mottley, 1811-1836, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and aide to General Rusk at the Battle of San Jacinto where he was mortally wounded. [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
1944--Motley County Courthouse, built about 1904, was destroyed by fire Sept 1944. No vital records were lost, but some were damaged by water.[3]
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Towns
- Flomot
- Four Corners
- Matador
- Northfield
- Roaring Springs
- TeePee City
- Whiteflat
- White Star
- Duchman Creek
Neighboring Counties
Resources
Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Online Grave Transcripts | Published Grave Transcripts | County Cemetery Directories |
| Family History Library | ||
| WorldCat | ||
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| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- East Mound Cemetery - transcription ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
- USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project. - Motley County Page.
- East Mound Cemetery - Hidden Ancestors TXGenWeb Motley County.
- Motley County - Gloria Mayfield's TX Cemeteries.
- Motley County Cemeteries - Historic Texas Cemeteries.
- Find A Grave - can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.
- Political Graveyard - Site tells where all of the dead politicians are buried.
Census
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 24 | — |
| 1890 | 139 | 479.2% |
| 1900 | 1,257 | 804.3% |
| 1910 | 2,396 | 90.6% |
| 1920 | 4,107 | 71.4% |
| 1930 | 6,812 | 65.9% |
| 1940 | 4,994 | −26.7% |
| 1950 | 3,963 | −20.6% |
| 1960 | 2,870 | −27.6% |
| 1970 | 2,178 | −24.1% |
| 1980 | 1,950 | −10.5% |
| 1990 | 1,532 | −21.4% |
| Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. | ||
- 1880 Census Transcription ~ USGenWeb Census Project
- 1900 Census Surname Index ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
- 1910 Census Partial Index ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
Church
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death/burial date and place. For general information about Texas denominations, view the Texas Church Records wiki page.
Court
Land
After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions, including deeds and mortgages, have been recorded by the county. You can obtain copies of these land records by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse. For more information, see Texas Land and Property.
The Family History Library Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
Original Land Owners of Texas - Motley County - USGenWeb Archives
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Motley County, Texas. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Texas Local Histories.
- Surnames of Motley County - Motley County TXGenWeb
- Afred Hightower Barton
- Charlie David Bird
- Henry Harrison Campbell
- Arthur G. Ligertwood
Books About Local History
"The Early History of Motley County" by Harry H. Campbell
"Of Such As These, A History of Motley County and it's Families" by Eleanor Mitchell Traweek
"Interments In Motley County, Texas to March 1977" by Rita Groves
Maps
- Motley County Maps ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
Military
- Motley County Confederate Pension Applications ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
- Motley County Veterans ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
- A Salute to Our Fallen Heroes - Honoring those who gave their lives to protect our freedom.
- Veterans - A salute to those who served our county.
- Photo of the Motley County Veteran's Memorial - Motley County TXGenWeb
- Motley County Veterans - Motley County TXGenWeb
- Confederate Pension Application Index - USGenWeb Motley County Archives
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Motley County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Motley County, Texas Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
- Old Newspaper Clippings - Motley County TXGenWeb
- Motley County Tribune
- Home Town News - Texas Newspaper Index with links
- Newslink - Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
- The Olden Times - Historic Texas News Online
Obituaries
- Obituary Resources ~ Links to research and locate obituaries ~ Hidden Ancestors
- USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~ Texas
- Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
- Obituary Depot ~ Texas Newspaper Citations
- Obituary Project ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function
Probate
Probate records of Texas have been kept by the probate clerk in each county courthouse. You can obtain copies of the records from the clerk's office. In most counties, all information pertaining to a probate case is recorded in the "probate minutes."
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records.
See the Wiki page Texas Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)
Taxation
Texas tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Texas Taxation.
Texas County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910 lists FHL films with county tax lists. The lists vary by county and year. Most records are between the years of 1846 - 1910.
Vital Records
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas. Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records.
A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
- Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
- Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images]
Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by FamilySearch and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903. - Marriages 1966 - 2006
- Divorces 1966 - 2006
Societies and Libraries
Motley County Library
1105 Main Street
P.O. Box 557
Matador, TX 79244
Motley Co. Chamber of Commerce
828 Dundee St.
(Old Traweek Hospital)
P. O. Box 788
Matador, TX 79244
806-347-2968
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
- Motley County TXGenWeb. History, vital statistics, biographies, photos, newspaper clippings, surnames, maps, obituaries and other Motley County information.
- USGenWeb Motley County Archives. Vital statistics, census information, cemetery transcriptions, photographs, land owners and more.
- Search for an Ancestor - Family Search.
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Motley County, Texas. Page 670 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ GenDisasters.com (http://www.gendisasters.com) Matador, TX Motley County Courthouse Fire, Sept 1944 (http://www3.gendisasters.com/texas/17519/matador-tx-courthouse-fire-sept-1944)
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- This page was last modified on 3 May 2013, at 00:23.
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