Bexar County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Bexar County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
| Bexar County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | March 17, 1836 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | San Antonio | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | Bexar County Courthouse County Clerk - Gerry Rickhoff 100 Dolorosa, Suite 108 San Antonio, TX 78205 Phone: 210-335-2585 Bexar County Website | ||||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Presidio San Antonio de Béxar. The County is located in the central area of the state. [1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has birth records from 1838, marriage
records from 1837, death records from 1903,
probate records from 1843, land records from 1700’s,
Spanish church records 1737-1859 and Spanish City
Council minutes 1815-1820[2]
Register and log in to search digital archives
1837-1963 HISTORICAL RECORDS
at this County Clerk website
County Clerk
100 Dolorosa Suite 104
San Antonio 78205
Phone: 210-335-2216
District Clerk
100 Dolorosa
San Antonio 78205
Phone: 210-335-2113
Bexar County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1838 | 1837 | 1903 | 1836 | 1700s | 1843 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
The villa of San Fernando de Bexar was the first municipality in the Spanish province of Texas in 1731. In 1772 the seat of the government of Spanish Texas moved to Bexar. The original county was divided into 128 additional counties. From the Handbook of Texas Online: The first Europeans to explore the region came with an expedition in 1691 led by Domingo Terán de los Ríos and Fray Damián Massanet, who evidently reached the San Antonio River near where San Juan Capistrano Mission was later founded. Nearby they found a group of Payayas living on the riverbank. The Indians, as Massanet recorded in his diary, called the place Yanaguana; he, however, renamed the site San Antonio de Padua to celebrate the memorial day of St. Anthony, June 13. The next group of Spanish explorers, an expedition led by two Franciscans, fathers Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares and Isidro Félix de Espinosa, and a military officer, Pedro de Aguirre, did not reach the area until April 1709. Much impressed by the setting and the availability of water, they noted that the area might make a promising site for future settlement. In 1714 Louis Juchereau de St. Denis crossed the region on his way to San Juan Bautista. Espinosa again visited the site in 1716 on his way to East Texas with the expedition of Domingo Ramón and this time recommended San Pedro Springs as a mission site. Near that spot, in May 1718, Martín de Alarcón led the expedition that founded San Antonio de Valero Mission and San Antonio de Béxar (or Béjar) Presidio, named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the duke of Bexar.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1836--Bexar County was created on 17 March 1836 from Old Mexican Municipality.
- County seat: San Antonio [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
1834-1931--For animated maps illustrating Texas County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Texas County Boundary Maps" (1834-1931) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1892--Bexar County Courthouse was damaged during a large fire in downtown San Antonio on 25 February 1892. No records were lost. The offices of the San Antonio Democrat Newspaper were destroyed during the fire.[5]
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
|
|
|
| Census-designated places | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Atascosa • Bandera • Comal • Guadalupe • Kendall • Medina • Wilson
Resources[edit | edit source]
- Local Bexar County Resouces ~ Bexar County TXGenWeb
African American Resources[edit | edit source]
- 1865 - 1870 Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870 (images) - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- Texas African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
- AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| FindAGrave | Family History Library | FindAGrave |
| TX Gravestones | WorldCat | Tombstone Project |
| Billion Graves (name) | Cemeteries of TX | |
| USGW Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| Billion Graves | Linkpendium | |
| TXGenWeb | Interment | |
| FamilySearch Places | ||
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
- Cemetery Junction ~ Links to cemetery transcriptions
- Texas, Bexar County, San Antonio Cemetery Records, 1893-2007 — index and images
- A wiki article describing an online collection is found at: Texas, Bexar, San Antorio, Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
Census[edit | edit source]
- 1850 - 1930 USGenWeb Census Project ~ Texas 1850 - 1930
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 6,052 | ||
| 1860 | 14,454 | 138.8% | |
| 1870 | 16,043 | 11.0% | |
| 1880 | 30,470 | 89.9% | |
| 1890 | 49,266 | 61.7% | |
| 1900 | 69,422 | 40.9% | |
| 1910 | 119,676 | 72.4% | |
| 1920 | 202,096 | 68.9% | |
| 1930 | 292,533 | 44.7% | |
| 1940 | 338,176 | 15.6% | |
| 1950 | 500,460 | 48.0% | |
| 1960 | 687,151 | 37.3% | |
| 1970 | 830,460 | 20.9% | |
| 1980 | 988,800 | 19.1% | |
| 1990 | 1,185,394 | 19.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,392,931 | 17.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,714,773 | 23.1% | |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | |||
Church[edit | edit source]
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.
- Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1944 - 1952 Texas San Antonio Alien Arrivals May 1944-March 1952 at FamilySearch —Images
Land[edit | edit source]
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 FamilySearch Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1906 - 1989 Texas, Naturalization Records, 1906-1989 — index and images
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Local histories are available for Bexar County, Texas Genealogy. 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.
- Museums List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors
- History of the Alamo in Bexar County ~ Bexar County TXGenWeb
- Historical Markers of Bexar County ~ Bexar County TXGenWeb
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- 1889 &1909 Maps of Bexar County ~ Bexar County TXGenWeb *Historical Maps ~ From the Republic to the Turn of the Century ~ Hidden Ancestors *Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
- 1897--Map of 1897 Bexar County, Texas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- Military Records of Bexar County ~ Bexar County TXGenWeb *Military Resources ~ Links to research Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Fallen Heroes Partial Index of casualties from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors *Honoring Our Veterans ~ Partial index of veterans from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
Mexican-American War[edit | edit source]
- 1845 - 1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1861 - 1865 Texas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861 - 1865 Texas, Civil War Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1838 - 1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917 - 1920 Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Bexar County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Bexar County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Online Newspapers
- Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
Wikipedia has a list of online newspaper archives for Texas.
Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has San Antonio newspapers from the late 1800's that covered local news on Bexar County residents.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Obituaries of Bexar County, Texas ~ Partial Listing of Obituaries from Bexar County ~ Bexar County, TXGenWeb
- 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 ( ancestry)
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records of Texas, United States Genealogy 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.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1800 – 1990 Texas Probate Records 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — images
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills RecordsAncestry.com (subscription)
- 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
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.
- 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
- Records of Bexar County, Texas ~ Bexar County TXGenWeb
Births[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Marriages[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1837-1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837-2018 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)
- 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
- 1966-2010 Texas Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890 - 1976 Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 (FamilySearch) - The name index was created by FamilySearch and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Fold3.com also has Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 ($) available online.
- 1903 - 1973 Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1903 - 2000 Texas Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1964 - 1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 (FamilySearch)
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968 - 2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
- 1968 - 2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1968 - 2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society
911 Melissa Dr
San Antonio, Tx 78213
Website
Los Bexareños Genealogical And Historical Society
PO Box 1935
San Antonio, TX 78297
Website
Public Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Leon Valley Public Library 6425 Evers Rd Leon Valley, TX 78238 Phone: (210) 684-0720 Website
- San Antonio Public Library 600 Soledad St San Antonio, TX 78205 Phone: (210) 207-2500 Website
- Universal City Public Library 100 Northview Dr Universal City, TX 78148 Phone: (210) 659-7048 Website
- Converse Public Library 601 S Seguin Rd Converse, TX 78109 Phone: (210) 659-4160 Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Texas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library
San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society
911 Melissa Drive
San Antonio, TX 78213
Phone: (210) 342-5242
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- San Antonio Texas East Family History Center
- San Antonio Texas Family History Center
- San Antonio Texas La Cantera Family History Center
- San Antonio Texas North Family History Center
- Stone Oak Texas Family History Center
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Bexar County TXGenWeb
- TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
- USGenWeb Archives Project. Name indexes and other information.
- FamilySearch Catalog The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
- Cyndi's List ~ Texas
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bexar County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bexar_County,_Texas. accessed 07/25/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Bexar County, Texas. Page 659 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Bexar County, Texas . Page 658-677 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 655-665.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ GenDisasters.com - San Antonio, Texas Fire, Feb 1892 http://www.gendisasters.com/texas/17958/san-antonio-tx-fire-feb-1892
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bexar County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bexar_County,_Texas, accessed 26 March 2019.