Harris County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Harris County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Harris County, Texas | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | 17 March, 1836 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Houston | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Address | Harris County Courthouse 1001 Preston 4th Floor Houston, TX 77251-1525 | ||||||
| |||||||
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for John Richardson Harris, who founded the town of Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou in 1826. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Harris County Courthouse
1001 Preston 4th Floor
Houston, TX 77251-1525
Phone:713.755.6405
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage and land records from 1836, probate records
form late 1800’s, court records from 1920’s and
immirgration records 1880-1890; District Clerk has divorce
records[2]
County Clerk
P. O. Box 1525
Houston 77251
Phone: 713-755-6438
District Clerk
Physical Address
201 Caroline, Suite 420
Houston, Texas 77002
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 4651
Houston 77210
Phone:713-755-5715
Harris County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1836 | 1903 | 1837 | 1836 | 1831 | 1829 |
General compliance by the 1930s. | ||||||
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1836--Harris County was created 17 March 1836 from Old Mexican Municipality.
- County seat: Houston [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
See an interactive map of Harris County border changes.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
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 | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
±Water surface only; land in adjacent county
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Brazoria • Chambers • Fort Bend • Galveston • Liberty • Montgomery • Waller
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| 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. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- At Rest: A Historical Directory of Harris County, Texas Cemeteries (1822-2001) Including Burial Customs and Other Interesting Facts, With a Listing of Past and Present Communities, Funeral Homes and Monument Companies, by Trevia Wooster Beverly, Houston: Tejas Publications & Research, c. 1995; 2001.
- Glenwood Cemetery established in 1871 by the Houston Cemetery Company
- Washington Cemetery established in 1887 by the Deutsche Gesellschaft von Houston
- Houston & Texas Death Records Webpage
- 1895-2008 Texas, Houston, Historic Hollywood Cemetery Records, 1895-2008 at FamilySearch — index and images. Also at Ancestry - index and images ($).
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 4,668 | — |
| 1860 | 9,070 | 94.3% |
| 1870 | 17,375 | 91.6% |
| 1880 | 27,985 | 61.1% |
| 1890 | 37,249 | 33.1% |
| 1900 | 63,786 | 71.2% |
| 1910 | 115,693 | 81.4% |
| 1920 | 186,667 | 61.3% |
| 1930 | 359,328 | 92.5% |
| 1940 | 528,961 | 47.2% |
| 1950 | 806,701 | 52.5% |
| 1960 | 1,243,158 | 54.1% |
| 1970 | 1,741,912 | 40.1% |
| 1980 | 2,409,547 | 38.3% |
| 1990 | 2,818,199 | 17.0% |
| 2000 | 3,400,578 | 20.7% |
| 2010 | 4,092,459 | 20.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Education[edit | edit source]
- Rice University Yearbooks: 1916-1935
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.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Harris 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.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
- 1897 Map of 1897 Harris County, Texas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
- 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]
- 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
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 Harris County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Harris County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Houston Chronicle Newspaper
- Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Texas newspapers including Galveston from the early 1800's.
- 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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
- Harris County Clerk Searchable Indexes http://www.cclerk.hctx.net/applications/websearch/
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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
- 1837-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)
- 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 $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 with images - How to Use this Collection - The name index was created by FamilySearch and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903 and in many counties prior to 1910. Fold3.com also has Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 ($) available online.
- 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 - Index to Texas statewide death certificates covering 4 million deaths since 1964.
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths, 1977-1986 — index - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index) - Hidden Ancestors
- 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]
Atascocita-Kingwood Genealogical Society
PO Box 5214
Kingwood, TX 77325
Baytown Historical Preservation Association
PO Box 1244
Baytown TX 77522-1244
Chaparral Genealogical Society
310 North Live Oak
PO Box 606, Tomball
TX. 77377-0606
Telephone Number: 281-516-7417
Library Hours: Mon.- Wed. 10-2 Sat. 10-2
Closed 4th Sat. of every month. Society is closed for an undisclosed period of time.
Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research
5300 Caroline
Houston, Texas
Harris County Genealogical Society
PO Box 391
Pasadena 77501
Houston West Family Genealogy Society
PO Box 842661
Houston, TX 77284-2661
Humble Area Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2723
Humble, TX 77347-2723
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
- Baytown Texas Family History Center
- Bear Creek Texas Family History Center
- Bear Creek Texas West Family History Center
- Clear Lake Texas Family History Center
- Fallbrook Texas Family History Center
- Friendswood Texas Family History Center
- Houston Texas Family History Center
- Houston Texas North Family History Center
- Katy Texas Family History Center
- Kingwood Texas Family History Center
- Klein Texas Family History Center
- Melbourne Texas Family History Center
- Pasadena Texas Family History Center
- Pine Trails Texas Family History Center
- Shadowdale Texas Family History Center
- Tomball Texas Family History Center
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Harris County Family History and Genealogy, a part of the TXGenWeb and USGenWeb projects.
- 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, "Harris County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_County,_Texas. accessed 10/01/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Harris County, Texas. Page 665 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Harris 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, "Harris County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_County,_Texas, accessed 20 May 2019.
