Collin County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Collin County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Collin County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | April 3, 1846 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | McKinney | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | Collin County Courthouse 210 S McDonald Street Ste 124 McKinney, TX 75069-5655 | ||||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Collin McKinney (1766-1861), one of the five men who drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and the oldest of the 59 men who signed it. The County is located in the northeast-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Collin County Courthouse
210 S McDonald Street Ste 124
McKinney, TX 75069-5655;
Phone: 972.548.413
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
court record to 1970, marriage and probate records;
District Clerk has divorce and land records[2]
County Clerk
2300 Bloomdale Road, Suite 2106
McKinney, TX 75071
Phone: 972-548-4139
District Clerk
P.O. Box 578
McKinney, TX 75069
Phone: 972-548-4320
Collin County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1846 | 1903 | 1970 | 1846 | 1846 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1846--Collin County was created 3 April 1846 from Fannin County.
- County seat: McKinney [4]
The county was named for Collin McKinney, (1766-1861), land surveyor, merchant, politician, and lay preacher, was born on April 17, 1766, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, second of ten children of Daniel and Massie (Blatchley) McKinney (many variants of his mother's names occur in the sources).
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
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 | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Historic communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Dallas • Denton • Fannin • Grayson • Hunt • Rockwall
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
Cemetery[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. | %± | |
| 1850 | 1,950 | ||
| 1860 | 9,264 | 375.1% | |
| 1870 | 14,013 | 51.3% | |
| 1880 | 25,983 | 85.4% | |
| 1890 | 36,736 | 41.4% | |
| 1900 | 50,087 | 36.3% | |
| 1910 | 49,021 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 49,609 | 1.2% | |
| 1930 | 46,180 | −6.9% | |
| 1940 | 47,190 | 2.2% | |
| 1950 | 41,692 | −11.7% | |
| 1960 | 41,247 | −1.1% | |
| 1970 | 66,920 | 62.2% | |
| 1980 | 144,576 | 116.0% | |
| 1990 | 264,036 | 82.6% | |
| 2000 | 491,675 | 86.2% | |
| 2010 | 782,341 | 59.1% | |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | |||
Church[edit | edit source]
- Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
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 Collin 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.
- Collin County: Pioneering in North Texas, 1975, by Roy Franklin Hall and Helen Gibbard Hall.
- From Blackland Prairie to Blacktop: a History of Collin County, by Randolph W. Farmer.
- A History of Collin County, 1958, by J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh. Read it on line from The Portal to Texas History.
- History of Frisco, 1902-1976, published by Frisco Bicentennial Society
- History of McKinney and Collin County, written for the Encyclopedia of Texas, 1924, pamphlet. Read it online from The Portal to Texas History.
- History of Nevada, Texas. by Grace (Moran) Evans.
- Images of America: McKinney, 2010 by Ryan Barnhart and Ryan Estes. See part of the book online at Google Books.
- Plano: an Illustrated Chronicle, by Vicki Northcutt.
- Prosper, Texas its History and Families, by Bill Hays.
- Scrapbook of Traditions, Annals and History: Collin County from 1846 to 1880, the George Pearis Brown Papers, edited by Helen Gibbard Hall and Donald R. Hoke.
- Wylie Area Heritage, by Beb Fulkerson.
- Collin County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
- Texas Museums List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Texas Land Survey Maps for Collin County, Texas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- 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
- Collin County Historical Commission Historic Assets Survey Map
- 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 $
- 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 Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 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
Word War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - The men and women in World War II from Collin County. McKinney, Texas : publisher not identified, 1945?
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Collin County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Collin County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Collin County Newspapers from the 1880s-1930s
- Home Town News - Texas Newspaper Index with links
- Newslink - Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
- The Olden Times - Historic Texas News Online
- Plano Star Courier Name Indexes, 1918-1922
- Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1884 - 1869 McKinney Newspaper Obituary Index 1884-1989
- 1980 - 1989 McKinney Newspaper Birth, Engagement and Marriage Index 1980-1989
- 1990 - 1991 McKinney Newspaper Birth, Engagement and Marriage Index 1990-1991
- 1990 - 1999 McKinney Newspaper Obituary Index 1990-1999
- 2000 - present McKinney Newspaper Obituary Index 2000-2009
- 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 (Ancestry)
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 $
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records  Ancestry.com (subscription)
- Texas Land Title Abstracts ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)
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 $
- 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 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
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths, 1977-1986 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1964 - 1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1850 - 1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930
- 1968 - 2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
- 1968 - 2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1968 - 2011Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Collin County Historical Society & Museum
300 E. Virginia Street
McKinney, TX 75069
Telephone Number: 972-542-9457
Website
North Collin County Genealogical Society
McKinney, Texas
Website
Collin County Genealogical Society
PO Box 865052
Plano 75086-5052
Website
Charles J Rike Memorial Library
203 Orange St
Farmersville, TX 75442
Telephone Number: 972-782-6681
Website
Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library
101 E Hunt St
McKinney, TX 75069
Telephone Number: 972-547-7323
Website
Genealogy, Local History, Texana, and Archives
Plano Public Library System
2501 Coit Rd
Plano, TX 75075
Telephone Number: 972-769-4240
Website
Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc.
P.O. Box 860477
Plano, TX 75086‐0477
Telephone Number: 972-836-9436
Website
Rita Truett Smith Public Library
800 Thomas St
Wylie, TX 75098
Telephone Number: 972-442-7566
Website
Allen Public Library
300 N Allen Dr
Allen, TX 75013
Telephone Number: 214-509-4900
Website
Celina Community Library
710 E Pecan St
Celina, TX 75009
Telephone Number: 469- 742-9131
Website
Melissa Public Library
1713 Cooper St
Melissa, TX 75454
Telephone Number: 972-837-4540
Website
Frisco Public Library
6101 Frisco Square Blvd Ste 3000
Frisco, TX 75034
Telephone Number: 972-292-5669
Website
Princeton Community Library
319 Mckinney Ave
Princeton, TX 75407
Telephone Number: 972-736-3741
Website
Prosper Community Library
200 S. Main
Prosper, TX 75078
Telephone Number: 972-346-2455
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
- Carrollton Texas Family History Center
- McKinney Texas Family History Center
- Plano Texas Family History Center
- Richardson Texas Family History Center
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Collin County, Texas Past Finders' Photo Collection
- 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.
- Genealogy, Local History, Texana, and Archives of Plano Public Library System
- Collin County Clerk's Genealogy Corner
- Collin County Historical Commission
- Collin County Genealogical Historical Records
- Collin County Digital Collection
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Collin County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_County,_Texas. accessed 07/30/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Collin 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), Collin 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, "Collin County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_County,_Texas, accessed 31 March 2019.
