Sterling County, TexasEdit This Page
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Sterling County
Guide to Sterling County Texas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Sterling County, Texas | |||||||||
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![]() Location in the state of Texas | |||||||||
![]() Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | March 4, 1891 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Sterling City | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents |
County Courthouse
Sterling County Courthouse
615 4th; PO Box 55
Sterling City, TX 76951-0055
Phone: 915.378.5191
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage records from 1913, divorce, probate, court and
land records from 1891[1]
Sterling County has had three courthouses. The first courthouse was built in 1891, the second in 1905 and the current courthouse, built in 1938.
Sterling County Government website
Inventory of county records, Sterling County Courthouse, Sterling City, Texas, 1979. Describes the records of the Commissioner's Court, County Clerk, County Court, District Clerk, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, Tax Assessor-Collector, Treasurer, and County School Superintendent. Also provides a list of Sterling County records and an index. Digital book online from The Portal to Texas History.
History
Parent County
1891--Sterling County was created 4 March 1891 fromTom Green County. County seat: Sterling City [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Broome | Sterling City
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 |
| Family History Library | ||
| WorldCat | ||
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| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- Foster Cemetery
- Iolanthe Cemetery
- Montvale Cemetery
- SterlingCity Cemetery
- 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
- 1900 ~ partial transcription ~ TXGenWeb
- 1920 ~ partial transcription ~ TXGenWeb
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.
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Sterling 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.
- Sterling County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
- Milling around Sterling County, 1976, edited by Beverly Daniels.
- Texas Museums ~ List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors
Maps
- 1895 US Atlas ~ Sterling County
- 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
- 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 Sterling County, Texas newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Sterling 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
- Starr County Obituaries ~ partial listing ~ TXGenWeb
- 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.
- Sterling County, Texas, Marriages…Book 1 and 2, 1891-1920, published by the San Angelo Genealogical and Historical Society, 1995, 31 pages including an index plus a list of ministers and a list of unclaimed marriage licenses. Available from the San Angelo Genealogical and Historical Society
- 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
Sterling County Public Library
301 Main
Sterling City, TX 76951
Phone: (325) 378-2212
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.
- 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), Sterling County, Texas. Page 674 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 25 April 2013, at 23:21.
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