Wharton County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Wharton County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Wharton County, Texas | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location in the state of Texas | |||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | April 3, 1846 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Wharton | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
Contents
County Information
County Courthouse
Wharton County Courthouse
100 E Milam Street PO Box 69
Wharton, TX 77488
Phone: 979.532.2381
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage records from 1857, land records from 1846, probate records from 1849, court records from 1909 and military records from 1919.[1]
County Clerk
P.O. Box 69
Wharton 77488
Phone: 979-532-2381
Fax: 979-532-8426
District Clerk
P.O. Drawer 391
Wharton 77488
Phone: 979-532-5542
Fax: 979-532-1299
Wharton County, Texas Record Dates
|
| |||||
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1903 | 1847 | 1850 | 1837 | 1846 | |
History
Parent County
1846--Wharton County was created 3 April 1846 from Matagorda, Jackson, and Colorado Counties.
- County seat: Wharton [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
- Boling
- Danevang
- East Bernard
- Egypt
- El Campo
- Glen Flora
- Hillje
- Hungerford
- Iago
- Louise
- Mackay
- Newgulf
- Pierce
- Taiton
- Wharton
Populated Places
Boling | Danevang | East Bernard | El Campo | Glen Flora | Hungerford | Lissie | Louise | Wharton
Neighboring Counties
Austin • Brazoria • Colorado • Fort Bend • Jackson • Lavaca • Matagorda
Resources
Cemeteries
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 | TX Gravestones | |
| TXGenWeb | Epodunk | |
| Names in Stone | Interment | |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 1,752 | — |
| 1860 | 3,380 | 92.9% |
| 1870 | 3,426 | 1.4% |
| 1880 | 4,549 | 32.8% |
| 1890 | 7,584 | 66.7% |
| 1900 | 16,942 | 123.4% |
| 1910 | 21,123 | 24.7% |
| 1920 | 24,288 | 15.0% |
| 1930 | 29,681 | 22.2% |
| 1940 | 36,158 | 21.8% |
| 1950 | 36,077 | −0.2% |
| 1960 | 38,152 | 5.8% |
| 1970 | 36,729 | −3.7% |
| 1980 | 40,242 | 9.6% |
| 1990 | 39,955 | −0.7% |
| 2000 | 41,188 | 3.1% |
| Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. | ||
Church
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.
Court
Land
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
Local histories are available for Wharton 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 Book of Wharton County, Texas, 1926 by J. O. Graham.
- A History of Wharton County, 1964 by Annie Lee Williams.
- Wharton County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
Maps
- 1900 Wharton County from the TXGenWeb site
Military
- 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Mexican-American War
- 1845 - 1848 - US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $
Civil War
- 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 filed in Wharton County
World War I
- 1917 - 1920 - Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II
- Men and Women of Wharton County in World War II photos and information
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Wharton County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Census Diggins 1830-1930
- Do a Wharton County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Wharton Journal Spectator
115 W Burleson St.
Wharton, TX 77488-5003 - El Campo Leader-News
203 E Jackson St.
El Campo, TX 77437-4413 - East Bernard Tribune
218 Dill Street
East Bernard, TX 77435
Probate
Probate records of Texas 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 Records
- 1800 – 1990 Texas Probate Records at FamilySearch — images
- 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Taxation
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 lists FHL films with county tax lists. The lists vary by county and year. Most records are between the years of 1846 - 1910.
Vital Records
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. You can also order them online through a third party company.
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
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch
- 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
- 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index)- FamilySearch
Marriage
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 $
- 1837-1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 - FamilySearch record collection
- 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 - FamilySearch records collection
- 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection
Death
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images]
Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by Family Search 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 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 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
- 1977-1986 Texas Deaths 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
Divorce
- 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 $
- 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930
Societies and Libraries
Wharton County Library
Central Branch - 1920 North Fulton
Wharton, Texas 77488
Website
East Bernard Branch Library
746 Clubside Dr
East Bernard, TX 77435
Branch library
Library in El Campo
200 W Church St
El Campo, TX 77437
Branch library
Louise Branch Library
803 3rd St
Louise, TX 77455
Branch library
Library in Wharton
1920 N Fulton St
Wharton, TX 77488
Central library
Family History Centers
Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.
Websites
- Wharton County TXGenWeb Site history, genealogy and general information about Wharton 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
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wharton County, Texas. Page 676 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
