Presidio County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Presidio County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Presidio County, Texas | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | 3 January, 1850 | ||||||
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| County Seat | Marfa | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
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| Address | Presidio County Courthouse PO Box 789 Marfa, TX 79843 | ||||||
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for the ancient border settlement of Presidio del Norte. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Presidio County Courthouse
PO Box 789
Marfa, TX 79843
Phone: 915.729.4812
County and District Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage and land records from 1875, divorce and court records
from 1886, probate records from 1884 and military records from 1944[2]
County and District Clerk
P.O. Box 789
Marfa 79843
Phone: 432-729-3857
Built-in 1886, the courthouse at Marfa, Texas is the only courthouse building that has ever served Presidio County. The Second Empire Style stone and brick building was designed by Alfred Giles and built for a cost of $60,000. The courthouse dome was restored in 2004.
Presidio County Courthouse
320 N. Highland St.
Marfa, TX 79843
432-729-4670 County Clerk's office
County of Presidio government website
Inventory of records of Presidio County housed in the Presidio County courthouse in Marfa, 1981, describes the records of the County Clerk, District Clerk, Tax Assessor-Collector, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, County Judge, County Treasurer, and County Surveyor that are available at the courthouse. Read the book on line from the Portal to Texas History.
Presidio County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1875 | 1903 | 1886 | 1875 | 1884 | 1829 |
General compliance by the 1930s. | ||||||
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1850--Presidio County was created 3 January 1850 from Bexar Land District.
- County seat: Marfa [4]
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 | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
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Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
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 | Names in Stone | |
| TXGenWeb | FamilySearch Places | |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 580 | — |
| 1870 | 1,636 | 182.1% |
| 1880 | 2,873 | 75.6% |
| 1890 | 1,698 | −40.9% |
| 1900 | 3,673 | 116.3% |
| 1910 | 5,218 | 42.1% |
| 1920 | 12,202 | 133.8% |
| 1930 | 10,154 | −16.8% |
| 1940 | 10,925 | 7.6% |
| 1950 | 7,354 | −32.7% |
| 1960 | 5,460 | −25.8% |
| 1970 | 4,842 | −11.3% |
| 1980 | 5,188 | 7.1% |
| 1990 | 6,637 | 27.9% |
| 2000 | 7,304 | 10.0% |
| 2010 | 7,818 | 7.0% |
| 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 Presidio 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.
- Presidio County History from the "Handbook of Texas Online"
- 1535-1946 History of Marfa and Presidio County, 1535–1946, 2 vols., Austin: Nortex, 1985. Written by Cecilia Thompson.
- Gray Ghosts of far west Texas: a history of Confederate veterans and their families who settled in the Texas counties of: Brewster, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Pecos, Reeves, Terrell, 2 volumes. Written by Verna A. Bonner.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- 1862-1932 Presidio County, Texas Maps 1862-1932 from the Presidio County 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 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
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]
- 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
World War II[edit | edit source]
- Presidio County, Texas World War II Dead, soldiers killed in action or died while serving, from the Presidio County TXGenWeb site
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Presidio County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Presidio County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- The Big Bend Sentinel Newspaper, Marfa, Texas
- 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 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — images
- 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840 - 1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 - FamilySearch (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 - FamilySearch (index only) - How to Use this Collection
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1837 - 1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837 - 1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837 - 1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966 - 2010 Texas Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch - 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 - FamilySearch with images - How to Use this Collection
- 1903 - 1973 Texas Deaths and Burials 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1964 - 1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 - FamilySearch Historical Records Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968 - 2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index) - Hidden Ancestors
- 1968 - 2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 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]
Big Bend Genealogical Society
PO Box 1251
Alpine, Texas
79831
Website
Marfa and Presidio County Museum
110 W. San Antonio St
Marfa, TX 79843
Telephone Number: 432-729-4140
Website
Marfa City Municipal Library
115 E Oak St
Marfa, TX 79843
Telephone Number: 432-729-4631
Website
Presidio Library
Oreilly St
Presidio, TX 79845
Telephone Number: 432-229-3317
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]
- Presidio County TXGenWeb site maps, history, cemetery information, and more.
- Presidio County Texas Old Photos
- FamilySearch Catalog — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.d
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Presidio, Texas" in "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_County,_Texas. accessed 11/22/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Presidio County, Texas. Page 672 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Presidio 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, "Presidio County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_County,_Texas, Last accessed 18 August 2019.
