Calhoun County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Calhoun County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Calhoun County, Texas | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | April 4, 1846 | ||||||
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| County Seat | Lavaca | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
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| Address | Calhoun County Courthouse 211 S Ann Street Port Lavaca, TX 77979-4249 Phone: 361.553.4411 Calhoun County Website | ||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States. The County is located in the south-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
probate records from 1863, marriage and land records
from 1846, court records from 1850 and military discharge
records from 1919[2]
County Clerk
211 South Ann Street
Port Lavaca 77979
Phone: 361-553-4411
District Clerk
P.O. Box 658
Port Lavaca 77979
Phone: 361-553-8698
Calhoun County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1863 | 1846 | 1903 | 1850 | 1846 | 1849 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1846--Calhoun County was created April 4, 1846 from Jackson, Victoria, and Matagorda Counties.
County seat: Port Lavaca [4]
The county was named for John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850), 7th Vice President of the United States.
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1886 -- Calhoun County Courthouse at Indianola destroyed by hurricane, August 1886.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
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 | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Aransas • Jackson • Matagorda • Refugio • Victoria
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 |
| BillionGraves (name) | Cemeteries of TX | |
| Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| BillionGraves | Linkpendium | |
| TXGenWeb | FamilySearch Places | |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 1,110 | — |
| 1860 | 2,642 | 138.0% |
| 1870 | 3,443 | 30.3% |
| 1880 | 1,739 | −49.5% |
| 1890 | 815 | −53.1% |
| 1900 | 2,395 | 193.9% |
| 1910 | 3,635 | 51.8% |
| 1920 | 4,700 | 29.3% |
| 1930 | 5,385 | 14.6% |
| 1940 | 5,911 | 9.8% |
| 1950 | 9,222 | 56.0% |
| 1960 | 16,592 | 79.9% |
| 1970 | 17,831 | 7.5% |
| 1980 | 19,574 | 9.8% |
| 1990 | 19,053 | −2.7% |
| 2000 | 20,647 | 8.4% |
| 2010 | 21,381 | 3.6% |
| 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.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
- 1847-1914 Calhoun County Court Records available on microfilm - District Court Minutes 1847-1914
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.
- Calhoun County Land Records available on microfilm -
- 1846-1890- Deed Records
- 1838-1934- Survey Records
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 Calhoun 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.
- Shifting Sands of Calhoun County, Texas, 1980 by the Calhoun County Historical Commission.
- "Looking Back" Scrapbook for Calhoun County and Matagorda Bay, Texas
- A History of Indianola, by Lelia Seelingson. Brief history of Indianola, beginning with the arrival of La Salle. Read the book online from The Portal to Texas History.
- Indianola: The Mother of Western Texas, 1988, by Brownson Malsch.
- Calhoun County History from The Handbook of Texas Online.
- Indianola, Texas Hurricane, Sept 1875
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- 1845 Calhoun County, map showing the area before Calhoun County was formed in 1846.
- 1862 Calhoun County
- 1872 Calhoun County
- 1910 Calhoun County - Southern part of Calhoun County
- More Calhoun County Maps from the Calhoun County TXGenWeb site
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
Texas Revolution[edit | edit source]
- 1835 - 1845 Index to the Military Rolls of the Republic of Texas 1835-1845
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 from the Calhoun County TXGenWeb site
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 Calhoun County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Calhoun County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Port Lavaca Wave Newspaper
- Indianola Bulletin newspaper abstracts: Mar 4, 1852, Mar 25, 1852, Jan 6, 1853 - from newspaperarchives.com
- Newspaper Database of Obituaries, Marriage Records and Birth Records from the Calhoun County Genealogical Society.
- Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
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 $
- 1846 - 1914 Calhoun County Probate Records available on microfilm - Probate Records 1846-1914
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 ($) — index and images
- Calhoun County Tax Records available on microfilm - Tax Rolls 1846-1910
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
- Vital Records - Obituaries, Marriage Records and Birth Records from the Calhoun County Genealogical Society
- Calhoun County Vital Records available on microfilm - Marriage Records 1846-1919, Probate Records 1846-1916, County Clerk and other records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- 1837 - 1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1837 - 1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 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
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 with images - How to Use this Collection
Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976 - 1903 - 1973 Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973 — 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 — index - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968 - 2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 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]
Calhoun County Genealogical Society
PO Box 1150
Port Lavaca 77979
Calhoun County Museum
301 S. Ann Street
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
Calhoun County Public Library
200 West Mahan St.
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
Genealogy Trails of Calhoun County
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]
- Calhoun County TXGenWebfamily histories, cemeteries, maps and more.
- Historica Texas site
- Calhoun County, TX Old Photos
- 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, "Calhoun County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calhoun_County,_Texas. accessed 07/30/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Calhoun County, Texas. Page 660 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Calhoun 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, "Calhoun County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calhoun_County,_Texas, accessed 26 March 2019.
