Presidio County, TexasEdit This Page
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Texas Counties P Presidio County
Guide to Presidio County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents |
County Courthouse
Presidio County Courthouse
PO Box 789
Marfa, TX 79843
Phone: 915.729.4812
County and District Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage and land records from 1875, divorce and court records
from 1886, probate records from 1884 and military records from 1944[1]
Built in 1886, the courthouse at Marfa, Texas is the only courthouse building that has ever served Presidio County. The Second Empire Style stone and brick building was designed by Alfred Giles and built for a cost of $60,000. The courthouse dome was restored in 2004.
Presidio County Courthouse
320 N. Highland St.
Marfa, TX 79843
432-729-4670 County Clerk's office
County of Presidio government website
Inventory of records of Presidio County housed in the Presidio County courthouse in Marfa, 1981, describes the records of the County Clerk, District Clerk, Tax Assessor-Collector, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, County Judge, County Treasurer, and County Surveyor that are available at the courthouse. Read the book on line from the Portal to Texas History.
History
Parent County
1850--Presidio County was created 3 January 1850 from Bexar Land District. County seat: Marfa [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Chinati | Marfa | Plata | Presidio | Redford | Ruidosa | Shafter
Neighboring Counties
Resources
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
Presidio County Cemetery List from the Presidio County TXGenWeb site.
Census
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 580 | — |
| 1870 | 1,636 | 182.1% |
| 1880 | 2,873 | 75.6% |
| 1890 | 1,698 | −40.9% |
| 1900 | 3,673 | 116.3% |
| 1910 | 5,218 | 42.1% |
| 1920 | 12,202 | 133.8% |
| 1930 | 10,154 | −16.8% |
| 1940 | 10,925 | 7.6% |
| 1950 | 7,354 | −32.7% |
| 1960 | 5,460 | −25.8% |
| 1970 | 4,842 | −11.3% |
| 1980 | 5,188 | 7.1% |
| 1990 | 6,637 | 27.9% |
| Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. | ||
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 Family History Library Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Presidio 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.
Presidio County History from the "Handbook of Texas Online"
History of Marfa and Presidio County, 1535–1946, 2 vols., Austin: Nortex, 1985. Written by Cecilia Thompson.
Gray Ghosts of far west Texas : a history of Confederate veterans and their families who settled in the Texas counties of: Brewster, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Pecos, Reeves, Terrell, 2 volumes. Written by Verna A. Bonner.
Maps
Presidio County, Texas Maps 1862-1932 from the Presidio County TXGenWeb site
Military
Presidio County, Texas World War II Dead, soldiers killed in action or died while serving, from the Presidio County TXGenWeb site
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Presidio County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Presidio County, Texas Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
The Big Bend Sentinel Newspaper, Marfa, Texas
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.
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 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.
Societies and Libraries
- Marfa City Municipal Library
115 E Oak St
Marfa, TX 79843
432-729-4631 - Presidio Library
Oreilly St
Presidio, TX 79845
432-229-3317 - Big Bend Genealogical Society, Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio Counties
- Marfa and Presidio County Museum
110 W. San Antonio St
Marfa, TX 79843
432-729-4140
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- Presidio County TXGenWeb site maps, history, cemetery information, and more.
- Presidio County Texas Old Photos
- Family History Library Catalog
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Presidio County, Texas. Page 672 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 15 May 2013, at 00:49.
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