Hughes County, Oklahoma Genealogy

United States

Oklahoma

Hughes County

 

Guide to Hughes County, Oklahoma ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Oklahoma Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Holdenville Organized: July 16, 1907 Parent County(s): Creek Lands (Creek Choctaw Lands) Neighboring Counties Coal  • McIntosh  • Okfuskee  • Pittsburg  • Pontotoc  • Seminole See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

Located in southeastern Oklahoma. The county was named for W. C. Hughes, an Oklahoma City lawyer and member of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention.

County Courthouse

Hughes County Courthouse
200 N. Broadway Street
Holdenville, Oklahoma 74848
Phone: 405.379-5487

Clerk Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court
records from 1907; County Clerk has land records from 1907

Hughes County, Oklahoma Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1908	1907	1908	1907	1907	1907	1860
*Statewide registration for births and deaths in 1908. General compliance by 1930.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1907--Hughes County was created 16 July 1907 from Creek Lands (Creek and Choctaw Lands). County seat: Holdenville Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties Oklahoma Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

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:

Cities
Holdenville (county seat)	Wetumka
Towns
Allen Atwood Calvin Dustin	Gerty Horntown Lamar Spaulding	Stuart Yeager

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Hughes County, Oklahoma online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com OKGenWeb USGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Oklahoma Gravestones Oklahoma Cemeteries Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves FamilySearch Places
See Oklahoma Cemeteries for more information

 

• Oklahoma GenWebTwenty-three cemeteries were found using GNIS, others identified by Oklahoma's GenWeb volunteers. Links are provided for both GNIS maps that show the general location with respect to nearby towns and DoT maps that show the township in great detail.
  
• Holdenville Cemetery 9,715 memorials with section and row for each.
  

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	24,040	—
1920	26,045	8.3%
1930	30,334	16.5%
1940	29,189	−3.8%
1950	20,664	−29.2%
1960	15,144	−26.7%
1970	13,228	−12.7%
1980	14,338	8.4%
1990	13,023	−9.2%
2000	14,154	8.7%
2010	14,003	−1.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Hughes County, Oklahoma Genealogy census records online, see: Oklahoma Census.

Federal Census Records

Federal Censuses were taken for Oklahoma starting in 1860. For links to Federal census indexes, see Oklahoma Census.

• Oklahoma Genealogical Society 1890 territorial censuses for Payne, Kingfisher, Beaver, Counties and Choctaw Nation

State Census Records

• 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census 1890 - Oklahoma Historical Societ
• 1890 and 1907 Oklahoma Territorial Census, 1890 at Ancestry Oklahoma Territorial Census, — index and image ($)

Church Records

Church records 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 date. For general information about Oklahoma denominations, view the Oklahoma Church Records Wiki page.

• http://sites.rootsweb.com/~okgs/records.htm

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Directories

• http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okgs/records.htm

 A Partial 1900 Directory of Garfield County, Oklahoma and (The First) City Directory Of Oklahoma City, Indian Territory August 22, 1889

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

American Indians

Census

• 1851 - 1959 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Censuses and Rolls, 1851-1959 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1895 - 1914 U.S., Native American Citizens and Freedmen of Five Civilized Tribes, 1895-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1898 - 1914 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Dawes Census Cards for Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• Dawes Final Rolls - Oklahoma Historical Society

Land and Property

• 1884 - 1934 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Land Allotment Jackets for Five Civilized Tribes, 1884-1934 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1889 Oklahoma County Plats 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
• 1899 - 1907 Oklahoma Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes, 1899-1907 at FamilySearch — index and images
• For more information see Indigenous Peoples of Oklahoma

Funeral Homes

• http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okgs/records.htm

Genealogies

• http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okgs/records.htm

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Oklahoma Land and Property for additional information about early Oklahoma land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

Online Land Records

• Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
• 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
  
• 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
• 1889 Oklahoma County Plats, 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
• El Reno Homesteader Filings - Oklahoma Historical Society

For more information see Oklahoma Land and Property

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Hughes County, Oklahoma Genealogy. County and town histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Oklahoma Local Histories.

• http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okgs/records.htm

Battle of Round Mountains, November 19, 1861 and No Man's Land

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
• Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties
• Maps n More - county and township maps.
• Oklahoma Civil War Map of Battles

• www.okgenweb.org/okprojects/atlas-key.html For some time, this now-famous project was the only on-line source of information about many communities that existed briefly during territorial days.
• www.okgenweb.org/okprojects/town-index.html This index is based on OKTOWNS.ZIP, which was created by Mike Taylor in PKZIPW format. The original file is sorted by County, then Town, so you should download it if you want to find the towns in a specific county. As Mike described his project, this database was "mostly created by scanning the book 'Town and Place Locations', published by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• 1775 - 1783 - United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - images only
  
• For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

• 1879-1920 - Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955 at Ancestry — index (free)
• For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War I

• For more nationwide World War I databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War II

• 1940-1945 - Oklahoma, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Oklahoma Military Deaths - Oklahoma Historical Society
• For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Newspapers

Oklahoma Newspapers Online

• GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Oklahoma newspapers
• Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
• Chronicling America - contains images of some Oklahoma newspapers; searching tips
• Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites

Oklahoma Newspaper Catalogs

• Oklahoma State Historical Society - catalog of known Oklahoma newspapers; lists repositories that have the newspapers
• U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Hughes County, Oklahoma Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Hughes County, Oklahoma Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).

• NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Ada newspapers that may have included Hughes County residents. This database is sometimes free at libraries.
• files.usgwarchives.net/ok/hughes/newspapers/hughnews.txt Hughes County (Oklahoma) - Newspaper Titles, Dates, and Towns

Obituaries

• www.okcemeteries.net/hughes/miscobit/miscobit.htm Misc Hughes County Obits

Probate Records

In most counties in Oklahoma, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Oklahoma - Hughes - Probate records.

Online Records

• 1801 – 2008 Oklahoma Wills and Probate Records 1801-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1887 – 2008 Oklahoma Probate Records, 1887-2008 at FamilySearch — images
  

School Records

• 1895 - 1936 Oklahoma, School Records, 1895-1936 at FamilySearch — index and images

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

Oklahoma tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records.

Birth

Online Birth Records Indexes and Images

• Early Oklahoma Birth Records

Marriage

Online Marriage Records Indexes and Images

• 1790-1998 - Oklahoma, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1841 - 1927 - Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927 at Ancestry ($)
• 1852 - 1948 - Oklahoma, Church Marriages, 1852-1948 at FamilySearch — index
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma Marriages, 1870-1930 at FamilySearch Index only.
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma, Select Marriages, 1870-1930 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma, Marriages, 1870-1930 at My Heritage index ($)
• 1889 - 1951 - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Marriage Index, 1889-1951
• 1890 - 1995 - Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890-1995 at FamilySearch Index and images
• OKGenWeb Oklahoma Marriages
• 1907-1968 - Hughes County, Oklahoma Marriage Index 1907-1968
  

Death

Online Death Records Indexes and Images

• Obituaries Listed in the Oklahoman - Oklahoma Historical Society — index only
• United States Social Security Death Index
• 1864 - 1941 - Oklahoma Deaths and Burials, 1864-1941 at FamilySearch — index
• 1935 - 2014 - U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry ($)
• 1936 - 2007 - U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry incomplete ($}

Divorce

Online Divorce Records Indexes and Images

• 1923 - 1942 - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Divorce Index, 1923-1942

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Hughes County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Oklahoma Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

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.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Centers are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.

• Seminole Oklahoma Family History Center
• Ada Oklahoma Family History Center
• McAlester Oklahoma Family History Center

[sites.rootsweb.com/~okgs/records.htm sites.rootsweb.com/~okgs/records.htm] This site is a great resource for information on resources for Hughes County

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Hughes County. For state-wide library facilities, see Oklahoma Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Hughes County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Oklahoma Societies.

Hughes County Historical Society
124 N. Broadway
Holdenville, OK 74848
Website

Websites

• Hughes County OKGenWeb
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.