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United States Texas Counties S Smith County

Guide to Smith County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

	Texas Online Records

Smith County, Texas
Map
Location in the state of Texas
Location of Texas in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	April 11, 1846
County Seat	Tyler
Courthouse
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County Courthouse

Smith County Courthouse
100 N Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX 75702-1018
Phone: 903.535.0630 

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage records from 1848, probate records from 1847,
court and land records from 1846^[1]

History

Parent County

1846--Smith County was created 11 April 1846 from Nacogdoches County. County seat: Tyler ^[2]

Boundary Changes

Record Loss

Places / Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Cherokee
• Gregg
• Henderson
• Rusk
• Upshur
• Van Zandt
• Wood

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Additional Cemetery Sources

• Cemeteries of Smith County  ~  alphabetical list  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Smith County Cemetery Photographs  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Smith County Military Grave Markers/Markings  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Confederate Soldiers Buried in Smith County  ~  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
• Texas Escapes Listing of Texas cemeteries with transcriptions and lots of pictures.

Census

• 1850 Census  ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1850 and 1860 Federal Censuses, Smith County, TX ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• 1860 Census  ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1870 Census  ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society and USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1870 Federal Census, Smith County, TX ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• 1880 Census  ~  transcription   ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• Smith County, Texas U. S. Census Index for 1880 & 1880 Mortality Schedule ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society 
• 1890 Tax Record Abstract, Smith County, TX [census substitute] ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• 1900 Census  ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1910 Census  ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1920 Census  ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• Smith County, Texas, U. S. Census Indexes: 1900, 1910 & 1920 ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• 1930 Census   ~  transcription  ~  East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• Smith County, Texas U. S. Census Indexes for 1930 ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
   

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.

• Presbyterian Beginnings in Smith County  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• St. James Baptist Church History  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Mt. Zion Baptist Church  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Lane's Chapel Methodist Church History and Records  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
• Catholic Parishes in Texas

City Directories

• Smith County 1972 from Historic Map Works
• Smith County 1981 from Historic Map Works

Court

• Affidavits of Death and Heirship 1846 - 1909  ~  transcription ~ East Texas Genealogical Society for USGenWeb Archives Project
• Abstract District Court Minutes Smith County, TX 1847-1857 ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society

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.

• Deed/Land Records  ~  transcription ~ East Texas Genealogical for USGenWeb Archives Project
• Original Surveys/Land Patents of Smith County, Texas ~ transcription ~ USGenWeb Archives Project

Local Histories

Local histories are available for 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.

• Chronological History of Smith County, 1983 compiled by Donald W. Whisenhut for the Smith County Historical Society
• A History of Tyler and Smith County, 1948 by Albert Woldert.  Read the book on line from The Portal to Texas History.
• Tyler & Smith County, Texas: An Historical Survey, 1978 by Robert W. Glover. Read the book online from The Portal to Texas History.
• Historical Atlas of Smith County, 1965
• A History of Smith County, Texas, North Texas State Teachers College Thesis by William R. Ward, 1944, overview of the history of Smith County. Read the thesis online from The Portal to Texas History.
• The Bullard Area-Its History and People, 1800–1977 by the Bullard Community Library Commission.
• Smith County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
• Some Biographies of Old Settlers  ~  excerpts from publication  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• A History of Smith County  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project

Maps

• Texas Land Survey Maps for Smith County, Texas (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• City of Tyler Sanborn Insurance Maps for 1877, 1885, 1889, 1898, 1902, 1907, 1912 & 1919.  Scroll down the page until you get to Tyler. There are several sheets to each map.
• Smith County Maps:  1853  1872  1880  1905  from the Portal to Texas History.
• Smith County 1903 Map from Historic Map Works.
• Smith County General Highway Map 1939
• Smith County General Highway Map 1961
• 1914 Map of Angelina, Gregg, Harrison, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith & Trinity at www.rootsweb.com
  

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

Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Smith County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a 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
• Boomtown, Bridge and Baseball - The Troup Banner, 1928-1939 Troup, Smith County, Texas ~ book ~ Abstracted and Compiled by Judy Womack for East Texas Genealogical Society
• Obituaries Recorded in Lindale News & Troup Banner, Smith County, Texas ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• Obituaries Recorded in Tyler, Texas Newspapers 1905-1915 ~ book ~ East Texas Genealogical Sociiety

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
• Obituaries from the Lindale News and the Troup Banner, Smith County, Texas by Lorene West Conaway ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• Obituaries from Tyler newspapers, Smith County, Texas, 1905-1915 by Lorene West Conaway and Ruby Renfro Neilson ~ East Texas Genealogical Society

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.

• Smith County Wills and Probate  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records  ~  Ancestry.com  (subscription)

Schools

• Tyler, TX High School: 1940 Basketball Team Photo with names of individuals

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.

• 1890 Tax Record Abstract, Smith County, TX ~ East Texas Genealogical Society

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
• Marriage Records of Smith County, Texas 1846-1899 ~ East Texas Genealogical Society
• Marriage Records of Smith County, Texas 1900-1926 ~ East Texas Genealogical Society

Societies and Libraries

Tyler Public Library
201 S College Ave
Tyler, TX 75702
Phone: (903) 593-7323
Library Website
Library Catalog

Whitehouse Community Library
107 Bascom Rd
Whitehouse, TX 75791
Phone: (903) 839-2949
Library Website

Cameron-J Jarvis Troup Municipal Library
102 S Georgia
PO Box 721
Troup, TX 75789
Phone: (903) 842-3101
Library Website
Library Catalog

Lindale Library
200 E Hubbard St
Lindale, TX 75771
Phone: (903) 882-1900
Library Website
Library Catalog

Bullard Community Library
211 W Main St
Bullard, TX 75757
Phone: (903) 894-6125

Noonday Community Library
16662 CR 196
Tyler, TX 75703
Phone: (903) 939-0540

Smith County Historical Society
125 South College Ave.
Tyler TX 75702
Phone: (903) 592-5993
Fax: (903) 526-0924
Society Website

East Texas Genealogical Society
PO Box 6967
Tyler TX 75711-6967
www.etgs.org

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• Tyler Texas Family History Center

Society Hill  ~  Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies

Web Sites

• Smith County  ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
• 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

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Smith County, Texas. Page 673 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).

• This page was last modified on 25 April 2013, at 22:44.
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