Hays County, TexasEdit This Page
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United States 
Texas Counties H Hays County
Guide to Hays County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Hays County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | March 1, 1848 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | San Marcos | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents |
County Courthouse
Hays County Courthouse
137 N Guadalupe Street
San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: 512.393.7330
County Clerk has probate records from 1839, birth records
from 1865, marriage, court, and land records from 1848
and military records from 1919; District Clerk has divorce
records from 1897[1]
History
The first Anglo-American arrived around 1835, the first church was organized in 1847 and the first school was organized in 1849. A Spanish settlement was in the area from 1808 to 1812. Mexican land grants date as early as 1831.
Parent County
1848--Hays County was created 1 March 1848 from Travis County. County seat: San Marcos [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
African American
- 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
- Hays 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
- Wimberley Cemetery, Wimberley BillionGraves
Census
- 1850 Federal Census ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- 1860 Federal Census ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- 1880 Federal Census ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
Church
- 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.
Original Land Owners of Texas ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Hays 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
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
- Confederate Pension Applications Index ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- Confederate Indigent Families ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- Korean War Casualties ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- 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 Hays County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Hays 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
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
Kyle Community Library
409 W Blanco St
Kyle, TX 78640
Phone: (512) 268-7411
Website
San Marcos Public Library
625 E Hopkins St
San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: (512) 393-8200
Website
Buda Public Library
303 N Main St
Buda, TX 78610
Phone: (512) 295-5899
Website
Dripping Springs Community Library
501 Sportsplex Dr
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
Phone: (512) 858-7825
Website
Wimberley Village Library
400 Fm 2325
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: (512) 847-2188
Website
Family History Centers
Society Hill ~ Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies
Web Sites
- Hays County Archives ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
- Hays 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), Hays 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).
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- This page was last modified on 26 April 2013, at 16:37.
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