Colorado County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Colorado County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Colorado County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | March 17, 1836 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Columbus | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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| Address | Colorado County Courthouse PO Box 68 Columbus, TX 78934 | ||||||||
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 History
- 2.1 Parent County
- 2.2 Boundary Changes
- 2.3 Record Loss
- 2.4 Places/Localities
- 2.5 Resources
- 3 Societies and Libraries
- 4 Websites
- 5 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for the Colorado River of Texas. The county was founded in 1836 and organized the next year. The County is located in the southeast-central area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Colorado County Courthouse
PO Box 68
Columbus, TX 78934
Phone: 979.732.2155
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage and probate records from 1837 and land
records District Clerk has divorce and court records[2]
County Clerk
400 Spring Street, Rm 103
Columbus 78934
Phone: 979-732-6561
District Clerk
400 Spring Street, Rm 210 E
Columbus 78934
Phone: 979-732-2536
Colorado County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1837 | 1903 | 1837 | 1824 | 1837 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1836--Colorado County was created on 17 March 1836 from an Old Mexican Municipality.
- County seat: Columbus [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
| Cities | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Austin • Fayette • Jackson • Lavaca • Wharton
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- 1865 - 1870 Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870 (images) - FamilySearch
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| FindAGrave | Family History Library | FindAGrave |
| TX Gravestones | WorldCat | Tombstone Project |
| BillionGraves (name) | Cemeteries of TX | |
| GenWeb Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| BillionGraves | Linkpendium | |
| TXGenWeb | FamilySearch Places | |
| Names in Stone | ||
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Additional Cemetery Sources
- African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
- Cemetery Junction ~ Links to cemetery transcriptions
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 2,257 | ||
| 1860 | 7,885 | 249.4% | |
| 1870 | 8,326 | 5.6% | |
| 1880 | 16,673 | 100.3% | |
| 1890 | 19,512 | 17.0% | |
| 1900 | 22,203 | 13.8% | |
| 1910 | 18,897 | −14.9% | |
| 1920 | 19,013 | 0.6% | |
| 1930 | 19,129 | 0.6% | |
| 1940 | 17,812 | −6.9% | |
| 1950 | 17,576 | −1.3% | |
| 1960 | 18,463 | 5.0% | |
| 1970 | 17,638 | −4.5% | |
| 1980 | 18,823 | 6.7% | |
| 1990 | 18,383 | −2.3% | |
| 2000 | 20,390 | 10.9% | |
| 2010 | 20,874 | 2.4% | |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | |||
Church[edit | edit source]
- Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in Texas
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[edit | edit source]
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 FamilySearch Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1906 - 1989 Texas, Naturalization Records, 1906-1989 — index and images
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Colorado County, Texas Genealogy. 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[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Texas Land Survey Maps for Colorado County, Texas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- 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
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 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
Mexican-American War[edit | edit source]
- 1845 - 1848 - US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1861 - 1865 - Texas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861 - 1865 - Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917 - 1920 - Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Colorado County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Census Diggins 1830-1930
- Do a Colorado County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Home Town News - Texas Newspaper Index with links
- Newslink - Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
- The Olden Times - Historic Texas News Online
- Nebitt Memorial Library - Online, FREE searchable archive of select newspapers in Colorado County
- 1857-1980 Colorado Citizen
- 1885-1888 Weimar Gimlet
- 1887 Weimar Daily Informer
- 1887-1888 Weimar Daily Gimlet
- 1889-1980 Weimar Mercury
- 1898 Daily Tribune
- 1902-1915 Mercury
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 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
Probate[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1800 – 1990 Texas Probate Records 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — images
- 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records Ancestry.com (subscription)
Taxation[edit | edit source]
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.
- 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at findmypast ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive. You can also order them online through a third party company.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1903 - 1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
- 1903 - 1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index) - FamilySearch
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1802 - 2010 Texas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1814 - 1909 and 1966 - 2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1837 - 1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1837 - 1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837 - 1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837 - 1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966 - 2005 Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1814 - 1909 and 1966 - 2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1890 - 1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images]
Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. Few certificates are available prior to 1903. - 1903 - 1973Texas Deaths and Burials 1903 - 1973 (index) Familysearch
- 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1903 - 2000 Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
- 1964 - 1998 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.
- 1977 - 1986 Texas Deaths 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1850 - 1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930
- 1968 - 2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
- 1968 - 2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1968 - 2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Society Hill ~ Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Colorado County TXGenWeb
- TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Colorado County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_County,_Texas. accessed 07/30/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Colorado County, Texas. Page 661 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Colorado County, Texas . Page 658-677 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 655-665.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Colorado County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_County,_Texas, accessed 31 March 2019.
