Deaf Smith County, TexasEdit This Page
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United States 
Texas Counties D Deaf Smith County
Guide to Deaf Smith County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Deaf Smith County, Texas | |||||||||
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 Location in the state of Texas | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | August 21, 1876 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Hereford | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents |
County Courthouse
Deaf Smith County Courthouse
235 E. 3rd St., Room 203
Hereford, TX 79045-5515
Phone 806-363-7077 - 806-364-1746
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage, probate and court records from 1891,
land records from 1882 and military discharge records
from 1919; District Clerk has divorce records and doctor
records from 1903[1]
The County Clerk's Office is the record keeper of the county. The county records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, military discharges, land records, real estate records, property records, probate and civil filings.
The Deaf Smith County Clerk has court records, land records, probate records and marriage records from 1890, as well as birth and death records from 1903.
History
Deaf Smith County was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith, a famous scout of the Texas Revolution.
Parent County
Deaf Smith County was created 21 August 1876 from Bexar District, but was not organized until 1 December 1890. County seats: LaPlata, 1890-1898; Hereford, 1898-present [2] [3]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Ayr | Bippus | Bootleg | Dawn | Ford | Glenrio | Hereford | Kelso | LaPlata | Milo Center | Simms | Westway | Wyche
Cities, Towns and Communities - Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
Neighboring Counties
Resources
Biographies
- Ira Aten Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Jim Cook Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Deaf Smith Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Online Grave Transcripts | Published Grave Transcripts | County Cemetery Directories |
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| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- Cemeteries of Deaf Smith County - TXGenWeb
- Deaf Smith County - TXGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project
- 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
Census
USGenWeb Census Project - Deaf Smith County, TX
Churches
- Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
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.
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Deaf Smith 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.
- Deaf Smith County History - TXGenWeb
- The land and its people, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas, 1982 by the Deaf Smith County Historical Society, a history book featuring local history, photographs, illustrations, and biographies. Digital book online from The Portal to Texas History.
- A History of Deaf Smith County, 1964, by Bessie Patterson. Digital book on line from the Portal to Texas History.
- Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Hustlin' Heritage 75, 1973 by the Hereford Jubilee Book Committee, a brief history of the town of Hereford with pages devoted to individuals, organizations, and businesses. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
- Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Texas, 1970 by the Hereford Chamber of Commerce, a brief sketch of the city of Hereford, Texas with photographs. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
- Hereford Tornado, 1971, by Mike Waltrip, a brief description of the damages caused by the tornado that hit Hereford, Texas on April 19, 1971, followed by photographs of the damage that occurred throughout the town. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
- Deaf Smith County History from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Texas Museums ~ List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors
Maps
- 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 Files for Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Civil War Links, USGenWeb Archives
- Draft Registration, USGenWeb Archives
- World War II Missing and Dead; Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Korean War Fatal Casualties; Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Vietnam War Fatal Casualties; Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- 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
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Deaf Smith County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- Smith+county+Texas+Newspapers&qt=results_page WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Deaf Smith County, Texas Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
- Home Town News - Texas Newspaper Index with links
- Newslink - Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
- The Olden Times - Historic Texas News Online
Obituaries
- 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
Photographs
- Photographs relating to Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
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.
The Deaf Smith County Clerk probate records. They are located at 235 E. 3rd St., Room 203, Hereford, TX 79045-5515; Telephone: 806-363-7077 .
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.
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.
- 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 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
Deaf Smith County Library
211 E 4th St
Hereford, TX 79045
Phone: (806)364-1206
Website
Society Hill ~ Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies
Family History Centers
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
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Deaf Smith County, Texas. Page 662 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Handbook of Texas Online: Deaf Smith County http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcd04
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- This page was last modified on 30 April 2013, at 16:43.
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