Houston County, Texas Genealogy
United States 
Texas Counties H Houston County
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 | |||||||||
 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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Contents
County Information
County Courthouse
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[1]
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
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| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1903 | 1882 | 1850 | 1865 | 1859 | |
History
San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in East Texas, was founded in 1690 and abandoned in 1693.
Parent County
1837--Houston County was created 12 June 1837 from Nacogdoches County. County seat: Crockett [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
1865, 1882 Many county records were destroyed in courthouse fires in February 1865 and November 1882.
Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Populated Places
Crockett | Grapeland | Kennard | Latexo | Lovelady
Neighboring Counties
Anderson • Angelina • Cherokee • Leon • Madison • Trinity • Walker
Resources
African American
- 1865-1870 Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records(images) - FamilySearch
- Texas African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
- AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
- Texas African American Genealogy ~ Access Genealogy
Cemeteries
| Online Grave Transcripts | Published Grave Transcripts | County Cemetery Directories |
| Family History Library | ||
| WorldCat | ||
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| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- Houston County Cemetery and Tombstone Transcriptions ~ USGenWeb
- New Energy Cemetery ~ alphabetical listing ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- Houston County Cemeteries ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- Texas Cemeteries ~ Texas Escapes
- Interment.net
- Find-A-Grave
Individual cemeteries:
- Eleck Turk Cemetery, Grapeland BillionGraves
- Evergreen Cemetery, Lovelady BillionGraves
Census
| 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% | |
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 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
- 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 www.rootsweb.com
Military
- 1838 - 1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1845 - 1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $
- Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
- 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.
- Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 - FamilySearch
- Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 - FamilySearch
Newspapers
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).
- Census Diggins 1830-1930
- Do a Houston County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
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 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1800 – 1990 Texas Probate Records 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — 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
- 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
- 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 Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1837-1977 Texas County Marriage Records, 1837-1977 - FamilySearch. Index to a variety of marriage records (registers, licenses, intentions to marry, etc.) from select counties in Texas.
- 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 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 at FamilySearch.org - index
- 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com - index and images $
- 1903-2000 Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
- 1964-1998 llection/1375599 Texas Death Index 1964-1998 Texas, Death Index, 1964-1998 (FamilySearch Historical Records) 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
Societies and Libraries
Houston Polish Gen. Society
3606 Maroneal
Houston 77025
Houston Genealogical Forum
P.O. Box 271466
Houston 77277-1466
Website
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
- Houston County Archives ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- TXGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
- FamilySearch Catalog
References
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
