Brown County, Texas Genealogy

United States Texas  Counties B  Brown County

Guide to Brown County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth records from 1900, death records from 1903, marriage, land, probate, court and military records from 1880; District Court has divorce records from 1880

Parent County
1856--Brown County was created 27 August 1856 from Comanche and Travis Counties. County seat: Brownwood

The county was named for Henry Stevenson Brown, (1793-1834), early settler, trader, and Indian fighter, who was born in Madison County, Kentucky, on March 8, 1793, the son of Caleb and Jemima (Stevenson) Brown.

Record Loss
1880, 1894--Courthouse and many county records were destroyed by fire in March 1880 and February 1894.

Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Populated Places
Towns and Cities: | Bangs | Blake | | Brookesmith |  | Byrds | Cross Cut | Early | Grosvenor | Holder | Lake Brownwood | Lake Shore | May | Owens | Thrifty | Williams | Winchell |  |

Neighboring Counties
Callahan •  Coleman  •  Comanche  •  Eastland  •  McCulloch  •  Mills  •  San Saba

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Additional Cemetery Sources
Cemetery Books available from the Brown County Historical Society


 * History of Greanleaf Cemetery
 * Eastlawn Memorial Park, Early, Texas, records of over 4,000 tombstones,1951-2001.
 * Zephyr Cemetery Survey Book, 1455 deceased names listed with years of birth &amp; death, updated 2007.
 * Salem Cemetery, Brown County, history and alphabetical listing of persons buried.
 * Fairview Cemetery, Grosvenor, list of known deceased from 1878, history, cemetery plat.
 * Rural Cemetery Inscriptions of Brown County Supplement includes 51 rural cemeteries updated 1970-2002.

Church

 * List of Churches in Brown County from the Brown County TXGenWeb site.
 * St. John's Episcopal Church, Brownwood History from the Brown County TXGenWeb site

Court

 * Brown County District Court Records, starting with 1860 are available at the Local History and Genealogy Library, Brownwood, Texas.

Land

 * Brown County Bounty-Land Warrant Files A-S are available at the Local History and Genealogy Library, Brownwood, Texas.

Local Histories

 * Brown County, Texas, 1956-1985, published 1987 by Estill Franklin Allen, Brown County Historical Society.
 * In the Live and Lives of Brown County People, 23 volumes, available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * The Promised Land: A history of Brown County, 1941, by James C. White, available from the Brown County Historical Society  Partial transcription online at the Brown County TXGenWeb site.
 * Something About Brown, 1958, by Dr. T. R. Havins., available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * Frontier's Generation, 1931, by Tevis Clyde Smit.
 * Blanket, Texas Community History 1983, with an Edition compiled in 2000, by Estill Franklin Allen, available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * Early Communities of Lake Brownood by Pattie Lee Cross Weedon, available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * Pioneer Women of Brownwood, History &amp; Genealogy of Brown County Sheriffs 1858-2008, Last Train to Blanket, and other Brown County Books available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * Frontier Times Magazine by J. Marvin Hunter. Database of magazines 1923-1954 located at the Local History &amp; Genealogy Library  The magazines chronicle life in Western and Central Texas in the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s and feature county and town histories, lives of interesting people, biographies of Texas Rangers, etc.  Index to the magazines at Frontier Times website.

Maps



 * Brown County General Highway Map 1940 from the Texas State Library.
 * Brown County General Highway Map 1961 Detail of Brownwood and other towns in Brown County from the Texas State Library.
 * Map of Historic Brown County with locations of former small communities, schools, etc. available from the Brown County Museum of History and the History and Genealogy Research Library
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenweb site.

Military

 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * Veterans Memorials in Brown County from the Heritage Association Brown County.
 * Civil War Veterans of Brown County (In the Life and Lives of Brown County People, Vol. 10) includes 440 Veteran listed alphabetically. Available from the Brown County Historical Society.
 * Brown County World War II Veterans, Surnames A-G with brief biographical sketches. Alphabetical list of veterans who lost their lives; and Brown County World War II Veterans, Surnames H-Z, includes biographical sketches, "Women in the Military" and "Story of Camp Bowie. (In the Life and Lives of Brown County People, Vol. 12 &amp; 13) Available from the Brown County Historical Society.

Newspapers

 * Brownwood Bulletin Newspaper
 * Brownwood Bulletin and Brownwood Banner newspapers archives are available on microfilm at the Local History &amp; Genealogy Library.

Taxation

 * Brown County Tax Rolls 1859-1910 are available at the Local History and Genealogy Library, Brownwood, Texas.

Vital Records

 * Brown County Marriage Records, Texas Birth Index 1903-1976 and Texas Deaths 1906-1973 are available on microfilm at the Local History and Genealogy Library, Brownwood, Texas.

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index only) - FamilySearch
 * Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 -  FamilySearch

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 - FamilySearch records collection 
 * Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * Index to Marriages Brown County Texas 1880-1920. Book available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * 1814 - 1909 and 1966 - 2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * McInnis Funeral Home Records, 1910-1942. Book available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images] 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.
 * Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * Texas Deaths and Burials 1903 - 1973 (index)  -  FamilySearch
 * 1977 - 1986 at FamilySearch.org — index

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index

Libraries

 * Brownwood Public Library 600 Carnegie Brownwood, TX 76801 325-646-0155  website


 * Local History and Genealogy Library Includes DAR Genealogy Library across the street from the Courthouse 213 S. Broadway Brownwood, TX 76801 325-646-6006  information The library has the Brownwood newspapers on microfilm, City Directories from 1909, phone books, cemetery burial lists, Brown County Tax Rolls, District Court records, World War II records and newspaper clippings, and vital records. The libraries' Genealogy holdings are searchable in the Brown County Public Library catalog. Closed on weekends and Saturdays


 * Walker Memorial Library includes Burress Genealogy Library Howard Payne University 1000 Fisk St. Brownwood, TX 76801 325-649-8602 hours &amp; info Genealogy collections are listed in the library's catalog


 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Family History Center 4503 4th St. Brownwood, TX 76801

Societies

 * Pecan Valley Genealogical Society 213 S. Broadway Brownwood, TX 76801 325-646-6006  website


 * Brown County Historical Society Located in the Local History &amp; Genealogy Library 213 S. Broadway P. O. Box 146 Brownwood, TX 76801-0146 325-646-8208 website


 * Brown County Historical Commission 305 North Fisk Avenue Brownwood, TX 76801 325-643-3322  website


 * Heritage Association of Brown County

Museums

 * Brown County Museum of History Located in the Old Jail, Downtown Brownwood P.O. Box 2006 Brownwood, TX 76804-2006 325-641-1926   website Also has an Annex located at 209 Broadway Street, across from the Jail.


 * Blanket Museum of History Located in the former Blanket State Bank building and the former Ernest Allen Drug Store building 712 Main Street Blanket, TX 76432  website

Web Sites

 * TXGenweb Project
 * TXGenweb Project