Edwards County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Edwards County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Edwards County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | 1 February, 1858 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Rocksprings | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | Edwards County Courthouse PO Box 184 Rocksprings, TX 78880-0184 | ||||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Haden Edwards, an early settler of Nacogdoches, Texas. The Edwards Aquifer and Edwards Plateau are named after the county by reason of their locations. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Edwards County Courthouse
PO Box 184
Rocksprings, TX 78880-0184
Phone: 830.683.2235
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1884[2]
County and District Clerk
P.O. Box 184
Rocksprings 78880
Phone: 830-683-2235
The towns of Bullhead (now called Vance), 1883-1884, and Leakey, 1884-1891, both served as county seats for Edwards County. In 1891, Rock Springs (now Rocksprings) became the county seat. Bullhead and Leakey are both in the portion of Edwards County that became Real County in 1913. Leakey became the county seat of Real County.[3]
The current Edwards County courthouse was built in 1891. In 1898 it was destroyed by fire, with only the outer walls remaining. The building was rebuilt. In 1927, a tornado swept through Rocksprings killing 70 people and destroying much of the town.[4] The roof of the courthouse was damaged. The courthouse served as a refuge for the tornado victims.
Edwards County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1884 | 1903 | 1884 | 1884 | 1884 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
Edwards County was named for Hayden Edwards, one of the first American settlers of Nacogdoches.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1858--Edwards County was created 1 February 1858 from Bexar Land District, but was not officially organized until 1883.
- County seats:
- 1883-1884-Bullhead (now called Vance)
- 1884-1891-Leakey
- 1891-present-Rocksprings (spelled Rock Springs) [6][7]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
1913--Real County was carved out of the eastern section of Edwards County.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1888-- Edwards County Courthouse at Leakey, built in 1883, burned on 10 July 1888.
189 -- Edwards County Courthouse at Rocksprings, built in 1891, burned.[8] Only the walls remained standing. The building was rebuilt. No record loss.
1927-- Edwards County Courthouse at Rocksprings roof damaged by tornado.[9] No record loss.
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:[10]
| Towns | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Kerr • Kimble • Kinney • Real • Sutton • Uvalde • Val Verde
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 |
| Linkpendium | WorldCat | Tombstone Project |
| BillionGraves (name) | Cemeteries of TX | |
| GenWeb Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| BillionGraves | TX Gravestones | |
| TXGenWeb | Interment | |
| Names in Stone | FamilySearch Places | |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 266 | ||
| 1890 | 1,970 | 640.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,108 | 57.8% | |
| 1910 | 3,768 | 21.2% | |
| 1920 | 2,283 | −39.4% | |
| 1930 | 2,764 | 21.1% | |
| 1940 | 2,933 | 6.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,908 | −0.9% | |
| 1960 | 2,317 | −20.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,107 | −9.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,033 | −3.5% | |
| 1990 | 2,266 | 11.5% | |
| 2000 | 2,162 | −4.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,002 | −7.4% | |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | |||
- 1900 Federal Census - images - USGenWeb Archives Project
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]
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.
- Original Land Owners of Texas - USGenWeb Archives Project
- Land Abstract- TXGenWeb
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 Edwards 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.
- Edwards County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- 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 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Mexican-American War[edit | edit source]
- 1845 - 1848 - US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 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
- Confederate Pension Applications - 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 Edwards County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Edwards 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
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 at FamilySearch — images
- 1800-2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 at [http://home.ancestry.com/ 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 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. 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 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1964 - 1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths, 1977-1986 — index - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records (index) - Hidden Ancestors
- 1968 - 2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1968-2011 Texas Divorces at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
German-Texan Heritage Society
507 East 10th Street
GTHS PO Box 684171
Austin, Texas 78768-4171
website
Edwards County Historical Commission
Facebook
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
- USGenWeb project - May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then 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, "Edwards County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_County,_Texas. accessed 08/08/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Edwards County, Texas. Page 663 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ HistoricTexas.net: Edwards County http://www3.historictexas.net/edwards-county-texas
- ↑ Rock Springs, Texas Tornado, Apr 1927 http://www.gendisasters.com/texas/9040/rock-springs-tx-tornado-apr-1927
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Edwards 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).
- ↑ HistoricTexas.net: Edwards County http://www3.historictexas.net/edwards-county-texas
- ↑ Rocksprings, TX Edwards County Courthouse Fire, Dec 1898 http://www.gendisasters.com/texas/22576/rocksprings-tx-edwards-county-courthouse-fire-dec-1898
- ↑ Rockspring, TX Tornado, Apr 1927 http://www.gendisasters.com/texas/21565/rocksprings-tx-tornado-apr-1927
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Edwards County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_County,_Texas, accessed 4 April 2019.
