Fort Bend County, TexasEdit This Page
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Texas Counties F Fort Bend County
Guide to Fort Bend County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Fort Bend County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | December 29, 1837 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Richmond | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents |
County Courthouse
Fort Bend County Courthouse
301 Jackson St; PO Box 520
Richmond, TX 77469
Phone: 281.341.8685
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage and land records from 1838, probate records
from 1836 and court records from 1876[1]
History
Parent County
1837--Fort Bend County was created 29 December 1837 from Austin, Brazoria, and Harris Counties. [2] County seat: Richmond [3]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Arcola | Beasley | Fairchilds | Fulshear | Houston (mostly in Harris County) | Katy (mostly in Harris and Waller Counties) | Meadows Place | Missouri City | Needville | Orchard | Pleak | Richmond | Rosenberg | Simonton | Stafford | Sugar Land | Thompsons | Weston Lakes
Neighboring Counties
Resources
African American
- Texas African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
- AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
- Texas African American Genealogy ~ Access Genealogy
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 | Findagrave.com | |
| WorldCat | Names in Stone | |
| |
Billion Graves | |
| |
Epodunk | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- Fort Bend County Cemeteries ~ USGenWeb Archives 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
Individual cemeteries:
- Morton Cemetery, Richmond BillionGraves
- San Grabiel Cemetery, Richmond BillionGraves
Census
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 16,538 | ||
| 1910 | 18,168 | 9.9% | |
| 1920 | 22,931 | 26.2% | |
| 1930 | 29,718 | 29.6% | |
| 1940 | 32,963 | 10.9% | |
| 1950 | 31,056 | −5.8% | |
| 1960 | 40,527 | 30.5% | |
| 1970 | 52,314 | 29.1% | |
| 1980 | 130,846 | 150.1% | |
| 1990 | 225,421 | 72.3% | |
| 2000 | 354,452 | 57.2% | |
| 2010 | 585,375 | 65.1% | |
- 1850 Census Index by Surname ~ USGenWeb
- 1850 Census Pages ~ USGenWeb
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.
- 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.
- Land Survey Abstract Indicies ~ USGenWeb
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Fort Bend 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.
- History of Fort Bend County,containing biographical sketches of many noted characters, 1904, by Andrew Jackson Sowell.
- The Book of Fort Bend County, 1926, compiled by S. A. McMillan.
- The History of Fort Bend County, 1822-1861, 1939 by Jim L. Bridges.
- Wharton's History of Fort Bend County, 1939, by Clarence Wharton.
- Fort Bend County Sesquicentennial, 1822-1972, 1972, by the Fort Bend County Sesquicentennial Association.
- The Jay Bird Democratic Association of Fort Bend County, 1979, by Pauline Yelderman.
- Fort Bend 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 Texas Genweb site
Military
- WWII Honor List ~ TXGenWeb
- Civil War Indigent Families List ~ USGenWeb
- Confederate Pension Applications ~ USGenWeb
- 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 Fort Bend County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- Bend+county+Texas+Newspapers&qt=results_page WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Fort Bend 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
- Fort Bend County Obituary Database searchable, online database of Fort Bend County related obituaries, from the Fort Bend County Libraries.
- 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.
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
- Fort Bend County Librarieswebsite
- George Memorial Library
(has extensive genealogy and history department on the second floor)
1001 Golfview Dr
Richmond, TX 77469
Phone: (281) 342-4455 website
Family History Center
- Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
- Richmond Texas Family History Center (Sugar Land)
- Society Hill ~ Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies
Web Sites
- Fort Bend County Archives ~ USGenWeb
- Fort Bend County ~ TXGenWeb
- 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.
- USGenWeb Texas Archives Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records.
- Family History Library Catalog
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Fort Bend County, Texas. Page 664 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handbook of Texas Online: Fort Bend County http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcf07
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
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- This page was last modified on 15 May 2013, at 00:16.
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