Deaf Smith County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Deaf Smith County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Deaf Smith County, Texas | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
 Location in the state of Texas | |||||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | August 21, 1876 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Hereford | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 History
- 3 Places/Localities
- 4 Resources
- 5 Societies and Libraries
- 6 Websites
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith[4] (1787–1837), a partially deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution and was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Deaf Smith County Courthouse
235 E. 3rd St., Room 203
Hereford, TX 79045-5515
Phone 806-363-7077 - 806-364-1746
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903,
marriage, probate and court records from 1891,
land records from 1882 and military discharge records
from 1919; District Clerk has divorce records and doctor
records from 1903[2]
The County Clerk's Office is the record keeper of the county. The county records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, military discharges, land records, real estate records, property records, probate, and civil filings.
The Deaf Smith County Clerk has court records, land records, probate records, and marriage records from 1890, as well as birth and death records from 1903.
County Clerk
235 E. 3rd Rm. 203
Hereford 79045
Phone: 806-363-7077
Fax: 806-363-7023
District Clerk
235 E. 3rd Rm. 304
Hereford 79045
Phone: 806-364-3901
Fax: 806-363-7007
Deaf Smith County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1903 | 1891 | 1903 | 1891 | 1882 | 1891 | 1829 |
History[edit | edit source]
Deaf Smith County was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith, a famous scout of the Texas Revolution.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
Deaf Smith County was created 21 August 1876 from Bexar District, but was not organized until 1 December 1890.
- County seats:
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]
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:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
‡This populated place also extends into New Mexico
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Castro • Curry County, New Mexico • Oldham • Parmer • Quay County, New Mexico • Randall
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Ira Aten Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Jim Cook Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
- Deaf Smith Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
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 |
| Linkpendium | WorldCat | Tombstone Project |
| BillionGraves (name) | Cemeteries of TX | |
| GenWeb Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| BillionGraves | TX Gravestones | |
| TXGenWeb | Interment | |
| Names in Stone | FamilySearch Places | |
| 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]
- USGenWeb Census Project - Deaf Smith County, TX
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 38 | ||
| 1890 | 179 | 371.1% | |
| 1900 | 843 | 370.9% | |
| 1910 | 3,942 | 367.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,747 | −4.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,979 | 59.6% | |
| 1940 | 6,056 | 1.3% | |
| 1950 | 9,111 | 50.4% | |
| 1960 | 13,187 | 44.7% | |
| 1970 | 18,999 | 44.1% | |
| 1980 | 21,165 | 11.4% | |
| 1990 | 19,153 | −9.5% | |
| 2000 | 18,561 | −3.1% | |
| 2010 | 19,372 | 4.4% | |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | |||
Churches[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 — index and images
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Deaf Smith 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.
- Deaf Smith County History - TXGenWeb
- The land and its people, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas, 1982 by the Deaf Smith County Historical Society, a history book featuring local history, photographs, illustrations, and biographies. Digital book online from The Portal to Texas History.
- A History of Deaf Smith County, 1964, by Bessie Patterson. Digital book on line from the Portal to Texas History.
- Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Hustlin' Heritage 75, 1973 by the Hereford Jubilee Book Committee, a brief history of the town of Hereford with pages devoted to individuals, organizations, and businesses. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
- Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Texas, 1970 by the Hereford Chamber of Commerce, a brief sketch of the city of Hereford, Texas with photographs. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
- Hereford Tornado, 1971, by Mike Waltrip, a brief description of the damages caused by the tornado that hit Hereford, Texas on April 19, 1971, followed by photographs of the damage that occurred throughout the town. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
- Deaf Smith County History from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Texas Museums ~ List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Historical Maps ~ From the Republic to the Turn of the Century ~ Hidden Ancestors
- Texas Counties Map. TXGenweb site
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 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 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 Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
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 Deaf Smith County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Census Diggins 1830-1930
- Do a Deaf Smith County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch 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[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 including (Ancestry)
Photographs[edit | edit source]
- Photographs relating to Deaf Smith Co, TXGenWeb
Probate[edit | edit source]
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.
Online Probate Records
- 1800–1990 Texas Probate Records at FamilySearch — images
- 1800–2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com — index and images $
The Deaf Smith County Clerk probate records. They are located at 235 E. 3rd St., Room 203, Hereford, TX 79045-5515; Telephone: 806-363-7077 .
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 ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive. You can also order them online through a third party company.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings - FamilySearch
- 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates (images and index) - FamilySearch
- 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index (index) - FamilySearch
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 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 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records  - Hidden Ancestors
- 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages - FamilySearch record collection
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records [with images] Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890 to 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
- 1903-1973 Texas Deaths and Burials (index) - FamilySearch
- 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1964-1998 Texas Death Index [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates for four million people who have died since 1964.
- 1977-1986 Texas Deaths at FamilySearch.org — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records Hidden Ancestors
- 1968-2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1968-2011 Texas Divorces at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Deaf Smith County Genealogical Society
211 East 4th St.
Hereford 79045
Deaf Smith County Historical Museum
400 Sampson Street
PO Box 1007
Hereford, TX 79045
Telephone Number:806-363-7070
Website
Deaf Smith County Library
211 E 4th St
Hereford, TX 79045
Telephone Number: 806-364-1206
Website
- 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]
- 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.
- 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, "Deaf Smith County, Texas," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_Smith_County,_Texas. accessed 07/30/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Deaf Smith County, Texas. Page 662 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Deaf Smith 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).
- ↑ Handbook of Texas Online: Deaf Smith County http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcd04
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Deaf Smith County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_Smith_County,_Texas, accessed 3 April 2019.
