Austin County, TexasEdit This Page
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United States 
Texas Counties A Austin County
Guide to Austin County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Austin County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | March 17, 1836 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Bellville | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
| Address | Austin County Courthouse 1 E Main Street Bellville, TX 77418 Phone: 979.865.5911 Austin County Website | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Contents |
County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage, land and probate records from early 1800’s,
cemetery, court, military discharge and naturalization
records; Discharge Court has divorce records[1]
History
- Austin County History
- Pioneers of Austin County~Austin County TXGenWeb
- Sheriffs of Austin County~Austin County TXGenWeb
Parent County
1836--Austin County was created 17 March 1836 from Old Mexican Municipality. County seat: Bellville [2]
The county was named for Stephen F. Austin, founder of the Anglo-American colony that eventually became Texas
Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Austin County border changes.
Record Loss
1960--The Austin County Courthouse, built in 1888, was destroyed by fire on April 5, 1960. Courthouse records were saved.[3]
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Towns and Cities: Bellville | Cat Springs | Industry | New Ulm | San Felipe | Sealy | Wallis | Welcome
Neighboring Counties
Resources
- Local County Resources and Contacts ~ Austin County TXGenWeb
Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Online Grave Transcripts | Published Grave Transcripts | County Cemetery Directories |
| Family History Library | ||
| WorldCat | ||
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| Billion Graves | |
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| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- Austin County Cemetery Index of Names ~ Austin County TXGenWeb
- Austin County Cemeteries Complete list of Cemeteries in Austin County~ Austin County TXGenWeb
- Tombstone Transcription Project ~ Partial transcription of cemetery tombstones ~ USGenWeb
- Texas Historic Cemeteries ~ Partial indexes to historic cemeteries
- African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
- Cemetery Junction ~ Links to cemetery transcriptions
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.
- Austin County, Texas Churches ~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Early Church Records of Austin County~partial record listing.
- Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
Lutheran
- Records of Trinity Lutheran Church, New Ulm, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court
Land
After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions, including deeds and mortgages, have been recorded by the county. You can obtain copies of these land records by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse. For more information, see Texas Land and Property.
The Family History Library Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
- Assessment Roll of Austin County, Texas for the Year 1890 ~Austin County, TXGenWeb
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Austin County, Texas. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Texas Local Histories.
- Texas Museums ~ List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Austin County History
- Pioneers of Austin County~Austin County TXGenWeb
- Sheriffs of Austin County~Austin County TXGenWeb
Maps
- Texas Land Survey Maps for Austin County, Texas (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- 1880 Census Map ~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- 1850 Census Map ~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Historical Maps From the Republic to the Turn of the Century ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
Military
- Military Resources ~ Links to research Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Fallen Heroes ~ Partial Index of casualties from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Honoring Our Veterans ~ Partial index of veterans from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Veterans of Austin County, Texas An internet memorial for the patriotic citizens of Austin County, Texas~Austin County, TXGenWeb
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Austin County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Austin County, Texas Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Off-line Newspaper Information
Online Newspapers
- Sealy News, serving Sealy and Austin County.
- Daily Texan
Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form
Obituaries
- Pete E Etlinger Funeral Home of Bellville Notices 1966 - 1978 ~Complete Index~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Obituaries of Austin County, Texas Partial listing of obituaries published in Austin County, Texas~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Obituary Resources ~ Links to research and locate obituaries ~ Hidden Ancestors
- USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~ Texas
- Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
- Obituary Depot ~ Texas Newspaper Citations
- Obituary Project ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function
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.
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)
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.
Texas County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910 lists FHL films with county tax lists. The lists vary by county and year. Most records are between the years of 1846 - 1910.
- Assessment Roll of Austin County, Texas for the Year 1890 Austin County TXGenWeb
Vital Records
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas. Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records.
A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
- Birth Records of Austin County, Texas 1867-1930~Complete list of Birth Records of Austin County, Texas~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Early Marriages of Austin County, Texas 1824-1920 ~Complete Index~Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Austin County Marriages 1921-1974 ~ Complete Index ~ Austin County, TXGenWeb
- Texas Death Index 1964 to 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.
- 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 Marriage Records 1966 - 2005 ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 ~ Hidden Ancestors
- USGenWeb Census Project ~ Texas 1850 - 1930
Societies and Libraries
Bellville Public Library
12 W Palm St
Bellville, TX 77418
Phone: (979) 865-3731
Website
Virgil & Josephine Gordon Memorial Library
917 N Circle Dr
Sealy, TX 77474
Phone: (979) 885-7469
Website
Austin County Library System
6730 Railroad St
Wallis, TX 77485
Phone: (979) 478-6813
Website
Family HIstory Centers
1000 E Rutherford Ln
Austin, Travis, Texas, United States
Phone: 512-837-3626
Hours: M,T,Th & Sat 10am-1pm; W 9am-3pm, & 6pm-8:30pm
Closed: all major holidays
5201 Convict Hill Rd
Austin, Travis, Texas, United States
Phone: 512-892-6483
Hours: Tues, Wed, Sat,10am-2pm; Wed. 6pm-9pm
Closed: Closed July 4th Weekend, Thanksgiving Week, Christmas Holidays - December 20 through January 1, 2011
Web Sites
- TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
- Hidden Ancestors Information on Texas genealogy research as well as genealogy research in general.
- Family History Library Catalog
- Cyndi's List ~ Texas
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Austin County, Texas. Page 658 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ GenDisasters.com - Bellville, TX Courthouse Fire, Apr 1960 http://www3.gendisasters.com/texas/10017/bellville-tx-courthouse-fire-apr-1960
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- This page was last modified on 12 June 2013, at 22:38.
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