Jefferson County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Jefferson County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Texas Online Genealogy Records

Description
The county was named for European-American settlers for U.S. president Thomas Jefferson. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth and death records 1903-1966, marriage, land, probate, court and military disharge records from 1836; District Clerk has divorce records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 1151 Beaumont 77704 Phone: 409-835-8475

District Clerk

P.O. Box 3707 Beaumont 77704 Phone: 409-835-8580

History
The Cypress Bayou Settlement in the Mexican municipality of Liberty was the nucleus from which the present area of Jefferson County grew.

Parent County
1836--Jefferson County was created 17 March 1836 from Old Mexican Municipality.
 * County seat: Beaumont

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

Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

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:

Neighboring Counties
Cameron Parish, Louisiana •  Chambers  •  Hardin  •  Liberty  •  Orange

Churches &amp; Religious Organizations
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military

 * 1838 - 1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards at Ancestry — index and images $

Mexican-American War

 * 1845 - 1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War at Ancestry — index $

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Jefferson County.
 * September 24-25, 1862 - Sabine Pass I.
 * September 8, 1863 - Sabine Pass II.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

Newspapers
Online Newspapers
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Obituaries

 * Obituaries - Rootsweb

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Taxation

 * 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — index and images

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1909 Jefferson County Births - 1903-1909 - Jefferson County TXGenWeb site
 * 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
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 — index $
 * 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1838-2002 Jefferson County Marriages - 1838-2002 - TXGenWeb
 * 1966-2010 at FamilySearch
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1890-1976 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.
 * 1903-1915 Jefferson County Deaths - 1903-1915 - Jefferson County TXGenWeb site
 * 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1964-1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

 * 1968-2005 Jefferson County Divorces - 1968-2005 - TXGenWeb
 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
The Tyrrell Historical Library Archives 801 Pearl Street Beaumont, TX 77701 409-981-5911 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Baytown Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Beaumont Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Buna Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Cleveland Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Kingwood Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Orange Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Pasadena Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Pine Trails Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Port Arthur Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Silsbee Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Hardin County Genealogy Society of Texas - an affiliate library
 * Houston Public Library Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research - an affiliate library
 * Marion & Ed Hughes Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
 * The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.