Bosque County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Bosque County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Bosque County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | February 4, 1854 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Meridian | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | Bosque County Courthouse PO Box 617 Meridian, TX 76665 Phone: 254.435.2201 Bosque County Website | ||||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for the Bosque River, which runs through the center of the county north to south. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1902,
marriage, probate and land record from 1854 and court
records; District Clerk has divorce records[2]
County Clerk
P.O. Box 617
Meridian 76665
Phone: 254-435-2201
Fax: 254-435-2152
District Clerk
P.O. Box 674
Meridian 76665
Phone: 254-435-2334
Bosque County Website
Bosque County has had three courthouses. The first, a one-story log cabin built in the center of town was used until a larger frame courthouse was built in 1869. The 1869 courthouse burned in 1871, causing county government to be conducted from a tent until 1875 when the present three-story stone courthouse was completed.
Bosque County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1902 | 1854 | 1902 | 1856 | 1854 | 1854 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
Settled mostly by Norwegians in the western part of the county and Germans in the eastern part of the county.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1854--Bosque County was created 4 February 1854 from Milam and McLennan Counties.
- County seat: Meridian [4]
The county was named for the Bosque River, a name deriving from Spanish for "woods"
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1871--The Bosque County Courthouse, built in 1869, burned.
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
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‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Coryell • Erath • Hamilton • Hill • Johnson • McLennan • Somervell
Resources[edit | edit source]
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. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,005 | ||
| 1870 | 4,981 | 148.4% | |
| 1880 | 11,217 | 125.2% | |
| 1890 | 14,224 | 26.8% | |
| 1900 | 17,390 | 22.3% | |
| 1910 | 19,013 | 9.3% | |
| 1920 | 18,032 | −5.2% | |
| 1930 | 15,750 | −12.7% | |
| 1940 | 15,761 | 0.1% | |
| 1950 | 11,836 | −24.9% | |
| 1960 | 10,809 | −8.7% | |
| 1970 | 10,966 | 1.5% | |
| 1980 | 13,401 | 22.2% | |
| 1990 | 15,125 | 12.9% | |
| 2000 | 17,204 | 13.7% | |
| 2010 | 18,212 | 5.9% | |
| 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.
- Bosque County Churches - Past and Present from the Bosque County TXGenWeb site
Lutheran[edit | edit source]
- Records of St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Cranfills Gap, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[6]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[edit | edit source]
After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions, including deeds and mortgages, have been recorded by the county. You can obtain copies of these land records by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse. For more information, see Texas Land and Property.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1906 - 1989 Texas, Naturalization Records, 1906-1989 — index and images
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Bosque County, Texas Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Texas Local Histories.
- Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas), 1985, by the Bosque County History Book Committee, includes introductory material about the history and geography of the area, community histories, and family histories with genealogical information. Read the book on line from The Portal to Texas History.
- Bosquerama, 1854–1954: Centennial Celebration of Bosque County, Texas, 1954 by the Bosque County Centennial Association.
- A History of Bosque County, 1954 by William C. Pool.
- Bosque Territory, 1964 by William C. Pool.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Texas Land Survey Maps for Bosque County, Texas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- Military and War information from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
- Military Pensions from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
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 $
- Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
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 Bosque County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Bosque 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
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Obituaries from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
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
- 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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
- Births from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Marriage[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 - How to Use this Collection
- 1837 - 1973 - Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1837 - 1977 - Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1837 - 1977 - Marriages from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
- 1837 - 1977 - Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 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
- 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 $
- 1964 - 1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths, 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 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]
Central Texas Genealogical Society, Inc.
c/o Waco-McLennan County Library
1717 Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76701
Bosque Valley Heritage Society
PO Box 159
Valley Mills 76889
Bosque County Historical Commission
101 North Main Street
PO Box 534
Meridian TX 76665
Genealogyinc page on Bosque County, Texas
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
Websites[edit | edit source]
- TXGenweb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bosque County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosque_County,_Texas. accessed 07/25/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Bosque 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), Bosque 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).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bosque County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosque_County,_Texas, accessed 26 March 2019.
- ↑ "Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: An Inventory of Selected Congregational Records of the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota at the Minnesota Historical Society," Collection Finding Aids, Minnesota Historical Society, http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01009.xml, accessed 10 June 2013.
