Clay County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Clay County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Clay County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | 24 December, 1857 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Henrietta | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Address | Clay County Courthouse 100 N Bridge Street PO Box 548 Henrietta, TX 76365-2858 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Henry Clay, famous American statesman, Kentucky Senator, and the United States Secretary of State. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Clay County Courthouse
100 N Bridge Street PO Box 548
Henrietta, TX 76365-2858
Phone: 940.538.4631
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage records from 1874, probate and land records
from 1873 and court records from 1876[2]
County Clerk
P.O.Box 548
Henrietta 76365
Phone: 940-538-4631
Fax: 940-538-4008
District Clerk
P.O. Box 568
Henrietta 76365
Phone: 940-538-4561
Clay County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1874 | 1903 | 1876 | 1873 | 1873 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
The county is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852).[4]
Clay County Histories from the Clay County TXGenweb site.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1857--Clay County was created 24 December 1857 from Cooke County.
County seat: Henrietta [5]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1873--Records of the first organization were transferred to Montague County, where many were destroyed in a courthouse fire on 25 February 1873.
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 | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Archer • Cotton County, Oklahoma • Jack • Jefferson County, Oklahoma • Montague • • Wichita
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- 1865 - 1870 Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870 (images) - How to Use this Collection
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 | |
| GenWeb Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| BillionGraves | Linkpendium | |
| TXGenWeb | Interment | |
| Names in Stone | FamilySearch Places | |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 109 | — |
| 1870 | — | |
| 1880 | 5,045 | — |
| 1890 | 7,503 | 48.7% |
| 1900 | 9,231 | 23.0% |
| 1910 | 17,043 | 84.6% |
| 1920 | 16,864 | −1.1% |
| 1930 | 14,545 | −13.8% |
| 1940 | 12,524 | −13.9% |
| 1950 | 9,896 | −21.0% |
| 1960 | 8,351 | −15.6% |
| 1970 | 8,079 | −3.3% |
| 1980 | 9,582 | 18.6% |
| 1990 | 10,024 | 4.6% |
| 2000 | 11,006 | 9.8% |
| 2010 | 10,752 | −2.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1860 Federal Census - USGenWeb Archives Project
- Clay County Census Records from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
Churches[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Families[edit | edit source]
- Clay County Family Page Links from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
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.
- Clay County Land Records from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.'
- Original Land Owners of Texas - USGenWeb Archives Project
Landmarks[edit | edit source]
- Clay County Landmarks from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1906-1989 Texas, Naturalization Records — index and images
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Clay 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.
- Clay County Museum Memories from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Clay County Maps from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
- 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]
- 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- Clay County Military Records from the Clay County 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 Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- Confederate Indigent Families - USGenWeb Archives Project
- Confederate Pension Applications Index - USGenWeb Archives Project
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 Clay County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Clay County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Clay County Newspapers from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
- Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Clay County Obituaries from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
Photographs[edit | edit source]
- Clay County Photos from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
Probate[edit | edit source]
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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 $
- 1897 - 1900 Clay County Marriages - USGenWeb Archives Project
- 1966 - 2010 Texas Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
- Clay County Marriages from the Clay County TXGenWeb site.
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 with images - How to Use this Collection
Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by FamilySearch and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903. - 1903 - 1973 Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images$
- 1903 - 2000 Texas Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - How to Use this Collection
- 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]
- Clay County Divorces - USGenWeb Archives Project
- 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]
Clay County Historical Society
PO Box 483
100 N Bridge St.
Henrietta 76365
Website
Clay County Genealogy Trails
website
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, "Clay County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County,_Texas. accessed 07/30/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clay County, Texas. Page 661 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clay 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.
- ↑ "Henry Clay," Wikipedia.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clay County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County,_Texas, accessed 31 March 2019.
