Hill County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Hill County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Hill County, Texas | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | 7 February, 1853 | ||||||
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| County Seat | Hillsboro | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
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| Address | Hill County Courthouse PO Box 398 Hillsboro, TX 76645-0398 | ||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for George Washington Hill, secretary of war and secretary of the navy under the Republic of Texas. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Hill County Courthouse
PO Box 398
Hillsboro, TX 76645-0398
Phone: 254.582.4030
County Clerk has birth and marriage records1876,
probate reocrds from 1879 and land records
from 1853; District Clerk has divorce records[2]
County Clerk
P.O. Box 398
Hillsboro 76645
Phone: 254-582-4042
District Clerk
P.O. Box 634
Hillsboro 76645
Phone: 254-582-4042
Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro, the county seat, was completed in 1890 built of white Limestone, by the architect W. C. Dodson. This structure was designated at a Texas Historical Landmark in 1971. The courthouse was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1993. The four limestone walls and the iron staircases were all that was left standing. The courthouse been completely restored by the residents and elected officials during the late 1990s. For more, including photos, see Hill County Texas County Courthouse in the Road Trip Destination Guide website.
Hill County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1876 | 1876 | 1903 | 1867 | 1853 | 1879 | 1829 |
General compliance by the 1930s. | ||||||
History[edit | edit source]
1848 and 1853-- Early settlement followed the establishment of Fort Graham in 1848 to suppress Indian hostility. Hill County was formed in 1853 from Navarro County.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1853--Hill County was created 7 February 1853 from Navarro County.
- County seat: Hillsboro [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1872--The Hill County Courthouse caught fire on 18 Sept 1872. Many county records were destroyed.[5]
1993--The Hill County Courthouse, built in 1890, caught fire on 1 Jan 1993, destroying most of the building.
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:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Bosque • Ellis • Johnson • Limestone • McLennan • Navarro
Resources[edit | edit source]
General[edit | edit source]
- Hill County Records Available on Microfilm from Baylor University (Texas State Library & Archives)
African American Resources[edit | edit source]
- African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
- AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
- Texas African American Genealogy ~ Access Genealogy
- 1865 - 1870 Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870 (images) - How to Use this Collection
- African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Biographies - Hill County TXGenWeb
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
- Atchison, Mrs. Joe. Peoria Cemetery 1826-1978; Hill County, Texas. Waco, TX: Self-published, 1979. Peoria Cemetery 1826 - 1978
- Cemetery Index (Hill County Genealogical Society)
- Hill County, Texas Cemeteries (Cathy Shelley)
- Mount Calm Cemeteries: The town of Mount Calm is located in Hill County, and the Mount Calm Cemetery is located about 3/4 miles southwest of town. An older Mount Calm cemetery is located about 1-3/4 miles south of town in Limestone County, near the original location of the town, which was picked up and moved north when the railroad came through.
- Richland Cemtery (transcription) - Hill County TXGenWeb
- Simmons Cemetery: The Forgotten Cemetery (Cathy Shelley)
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 3,653 | — |
| 1870 | 7,453 | 104.0% |
| 1880 | 16,554 | 122.1% |
| 1890 | 27,583 | 66.6% |
| 1900 | 41,355 | 49.9% |
| 1910 | 46,760 | 13.1% |
| 1920 | 43,332 | −7.3% |
| 1930 | 43,036 | −0.7% |
| 1940 | 38,355 | −10.9% |
| 1950 | 31,282 | −18.4% |
| 1960 | 23,650 | −24.4% |
| 1970 | 22,596 | −4.5% |
| 1980 | 25,024 | 10.7% |
| 1990 | 27,146 | 8.5% |
| 2000 | 32,321 | 19.1% |
| 2010 | 35,089 | 8.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1880 Census Images - Hill County TXGenWeb
- 1890 Census Images - Hill County TXGenWeb
- 1900 Census Images - Hill County TXGenWeb
- Acker, Karen Ladd. Abstracts of Post Returns for Fort Graham, Texas, April 1849-October 1853: With a List of Soldiers Enumerated on the 1850 U.S. Census of Navarro County. Houston, TX: Self-published, 2008. (Contains records of personnel changes at Fort Graham in Navarro County, present-day Hill County, which closed in 1853.) | WorldCat page
- Census Records and Indexes (Hill County) (Linkpendium)
- Hill County Archives: Census Records (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
- 1900 and 1910 Layman, Helen. Czech Families in Hill County, Texas in 1900 & 1910: Extractions from the United States Census. Houston, TX: Czech Heritage Society of Texas, 2001. | World Cat page
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.
- Daniel, J.C. A History of the Baptists of Hill County, Texas. 1907.
- 1888-2008 Leak, Jim. Median River Baptist Association Also Known as Hill County Baptist Association: 1888-2008 - 120 Years. TX: Hill County Baptist Assn., 2009. | WorldCat page
- Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
- Hill County Archives: Court Records (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
- 1906-1989 Texas Naturalization Records - How to Use this Collection
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.
- 1853-1901 Deed records on microfilm at FHL: Land and property deeds with index
- Hill County, Texas Original Land Owners (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
- Hill County, Texas Miscellaneous Deeds (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- 1838-1965 Bailey, Ellis, A History of Hill County, Texas, 1838-1965.
- The Heritage of Hill County, Texas. Clanton, AL: Heritage Publishing, 2006. | WorldCat
- The Heritage of Hill County, Texas, Vol. 2. Lexington, KY: Heritage Publishing, 2010 | WorldCat page
- 1853-1980 A History of Hill County, Texas, 1853-1980. Hill County Historical Commission, 1980.
- Kirkpatrick, A.Y. The Early Settlers' Life in Texas, and the Organization of Hill County. 1963.
- A Memorial and Biographical History of Johnson and Hill Counties, Texas: Containing the Early History of this Important Section of the Great State of Texas Together with Glimpses of its Future Prospects... Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1892. | digital copy of Vol. 1 in Internet Archive | Google Books page (no preview)
- Simpson, Harold B. Hill County Trilogy. Hillsboro, TX: Hill College Press, 1986. | WorldCat page
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
- Current State of Texas Map of Counties
- 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 $
- 1849 - 1853 - Acker, Karen Ladd. Abstracts of Post Returns for Fort Graham, Texas, April 1849-October 1853: With a List of Soldiers Enumerated on the 1850 U.S. Census of Navarro County. Houston, TX: Self-published, 2008. (Contains records of personnel changes at Fort Graham in Navarro County, present-day Hill County, which closed in 1853.) | WorldCat page
- Hill County Honor Roll: World War I, World War II, Korean War. Hillsboro, TX: American Legion Post No. 4, 1963. | WorldCat page
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
- Bryan, J.L. Confederate Veterans Buried in Hill County, Texas. Quinlan, TX: Solis/Bryan Researches, 1988. | WorldCat page
- Confederate Reunion (Cathy Shelley)
- Hill County, Texas Confederate Pension Applications (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917 - 1920 Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Military Discharges (WWI) (Cathy Shelley)
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Hill County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Hill County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Bessire, Royal C. Obituaries Hill County, Texas: 1886 to 1900. Hewitt, TX: Self-published, 2006. | WorldCat page
- Funeral Announcements (Cathy Shelley)
- Hill County Archives: Obituaries (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
- Hill County, Texas Obituaries (Cathy Shelley)
- The Hillsboro Reporter
- Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
- Just the News - Surnames (Cathy Shelley)
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 $
- Probate minutes 1853 to 1934 with index
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ 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 ($) — index and images
- Texas county tax rolls, 1846-1910, by the Texas Comptrollers Office
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Births[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Marriages[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- A Hill County, Texas Marriage Records A (CensusDiggins.com)
- A-Z Hill County, Texas Marriages A to Z, Part 1 (Cathy Shelley)
- Z-Z Hill County, Texas Marriages Z to Z, Part 2 (Cathy Shelley)
- 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
- 1873-1880 Ingmire, Frances Terry. Hill County, Texas Marriage Records, 1873-1880. St. Louis: Self-published, 1981. | WorldCat page
- 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1873-1934 Hill County, Texas, marriage records, 1873-1934; index, 1873-1941
- 1966 - 2010 Texas Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Deaths[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 with images - How to Use this Collection Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by FamilySearch and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903.
- 1890-1976 Footnote.com ($) has Texas Death Certificates 1890-1976 available online.
- 1903*1956 Death records, 1903-1956
- 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 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 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]
Hill County Genealogical Society
1019 E Elm
Hillsboro 76645
Hill County Genealogical Society
Hill County Genealogical Society
PO Box 636
Hillsboro, Texas 76645
For help in locating information from the Genealogical Section of the Hillsboro Public Library please contact Dora E. Nolan, E-mail:dnolan4561@sbcglobal.net
Hillsboro Library
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]
- Hill County, Texas GenWeb
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Hill County, Texas (Handbook of Texas)
- Hill County, Texas (official site)
- Hill County, Texas (RootsWeb)
- Hill County, Texas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Hill County, Texas Genealogy Data (Cathy Shelley)
- Hill County, Texas USGenWeb Archives
- Profile for Hill County, Texas (includes genealogy; ePodunk)
- Texas GenWeb: May have maps, name indices, history or other information for Hill County.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hill County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_County,_Texas. accessed 10/07/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Hill County, Texas. Page 666 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Hill 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).
- ↑ GenDisasters.com - Hillsboro, TX Hill County Courthouse Fire, Sept 1872 http://www.gendisasters.com/texas/17827/hillsboro-tx-hill-county-courthouse-fire-sept-1872
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hill County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_County,_Texas, accessed 25 June 2019.