Houston County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Houston County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Houston County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | 12 June, 1837 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Crockett | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | Houston County Courthouse PO Box 370 Crockett, TX 75835 | ||||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Sam Houston, a president of the Republic of Texas and Governor of Texas. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Houston County Court House
PO Box 370;
Crockett, TX 75835
Phone:936.544.3255
County Clerk has birth, marriage, and death record from 1903,
probate court and land records from 1882; District Clerk has
divorce record from 1920; County History Commission has
burial records, family & local histories[2]
County Clerk
401 East Houston Ave, 1st Floor P.O. Box 370
Crockett 75835
Phone: 936-544-3255 ext. 240
District Clerk
P.O. Box 1186
Crockett 75835
Phone: 936-544-3255
Houston County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1903 | 1903 | 1882 | 1882 | 1882 | 1829 |
General compliance by the 1930s. | ||||||
History[edit | edit source]
1690--San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in East Texas, was founded in 1690 and abandoned in 1693.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1837--Houston County was created 12 June 1837 from Nacogdoches County.
- County seat: Crockett [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1865, 1882 Many county records were destroyed in courthouse fires in February 1865 and November 1882.
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 | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Anderson • Angelina • Cherokee • Leon • Madison • Trinity • Walker
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
- African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
- AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
- Texas African American Genealogy ~ Access Genealogy
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 | |
| Houston County TXGenWeb Cemeteries | Interment | |
| Names in Stone | FamilySearch Places | |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- Houston County Cemetery and Tombstone Transcriptions USGenWeb Cemetery Photographs
- Texas Cemeteries ~ Texas Escapes
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 2,721 | ||
| 1860 | 8,058 | 196.1% | |
| 1870 | 8,147 | 1.1% | |
| 1880 | 16,702 | 105.0% | |
| 1890 | 19,360 | 15.9% | |
| 1900 | 25,452 | 31.5% | |
| 1910 | 29,564 | 16.2% | |
| 1920 | 28,601 | −3.3% | |
| 1930 | 30,017 | 5.0% | |
| 1940 | 31,137 | 3.7% | |
| 1950 | 22,825 | −26.7% | |
| 1960 | 19,276 | −15.5% | |
| 1970 | 17,855 | −7.4% | |
| 1980 | 22,299 | 24.9% | |
| 1990 | 21,375 | −4.1% | |
| 2000 | 23,185 | 8.5% | |
| 2010 | 23,732 | 2.4% | |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | |||
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.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Houston 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.
- The History of Houston County, Texas, 1943 by Armistead Albert Aldrich.
- 1687-1979 History of Houston County, Texas, 1687–1979, 1979) by the Houston County Historical Commission.
- Houston County in the Civil War, 1981 by Thomas Nelms Mainer.
- The First Settlers of Houston County, Texas, 1983, by Gifford E. White.
- Houston County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
www.rootsweb.com
- Historical Texas Maps - Hidden Ancestors.
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site.
- 1914 Map of Angelina, Gregg, Harrison, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith & Trinity at
- 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 $
- Military Resources. Information pertaining to each war, both general and Texas specific.
- Our Fallen Heroes. Partial index of servicemen who were killed in action.
- Honoring our Veterans. Partial index of veterans of all wars.
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
- 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
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Houston County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Houston County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Houston County Courier
- 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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 - 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
- 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
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Houston Polish Gen. Society
3606 Maroneal
Houston 77025
Website
Houston Genealogical Forum
PO Box 271466
Houston 77277-1466
Website
Houston Historical Commission
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]
- Houston County, TXGenWeb
- TXGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
- Houston County Archives ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- 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, "Houston County, Texas," in https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Hopkins_County,_Texas_Genealogy. accessed 10/07/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Houston 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), Houston 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, "Houston County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_County,_Texas, accessed 27 June 2019.
