Hill County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Hill 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 George Washington Hill, secretary of war and secretary of the navy under the Republic of Texas. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hill County Courthouse PO Box 398 Hillsboro, TX 76645-0398 Phone: 254.582.4030 County Clerk has birth and marriage records1876, probate reocrds from 1879 and land records from 1853; District Clerk has divorce records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 398 Hillsboro 76645 Phone: 254-582-4042

District Clerk

P.O. Box 634 Hillsboro 76645 Phone: 254-582-4042

Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro, the county seat, was completed in 1890 built of white Limestone, by the architect W. C. Dodson. This structure was designated at a Texas Historical Landmark in 1971. The courthouse was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1993. The four limestone walls and the iron staircases were all that was left standing. The courthouse been completely restored by the residents and elected officials during the late 1990s. For more, including photos, see Hill County Texas County Courthouse in the Road Trip Destination Guide website.

History
1848 and 1853-- Early settlement followed the establishment of Fort Graham in 1848 to suppress Indian hostility. Hill County was formed in 1853 from Navarro County.

Parent County
1853--Hill County was created 7 February 1853 from Navarro County.
 * County seat: Hillsboro

Record Loss
1872--The Hill County Courthouse caught fire on 18 Sept 1872. Many county records were destroyed.

1993--The Hill County Courthouse, built in 1890, caught fire on 1 Jan 1993, destroying most of the building.

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
Bosque •  Ellis  •  Johnson  •  Limestone  •  McLennan  •  Navarro

General

 * Hill County Records Available on Microfilm from Baylor University (Texas State Library &amp; Archives)

African American Resources

 * African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
 * AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
 * Texas African American Genealogy ~ Access Genealogy
 * 1865 - 1870 (images) - How to Use this Collection
 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries

Biographies

 * Biographies - Hill County TXGenWeb

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Sources


 * Atchison, Mrs. Joe. Peoria Cemetery 1826-1978; Hill County, Texas. Waco, TX: Self-published, 1979.
 * Cemetery Index (Hill County Genealogical Society)
 * Hill County, Texas Cemeteries (Cathy Shelley)
 * Mount Calm Cemeteries: The town of Mount Calm is located in Hill County, and the Mount Calm Cemetery is located about 3/4 miles southwest of town. An older Mount Calm cemetery is located about 1-3/4 miles south of town in Limestone County, near the original location of the town, which was picked up and moved north when the railroad came through.
 * Richland Cemtery (transcription) -  Hill County TXGenWeb
 * Simmons Cemetery: The Forgotten Cemetery (Cathy Shelley)

Census

 * 1880 Census Images - Hill County TXGenWeb
 * 1890 Census Images - Hill County TXGenWeb
 * 1900 Census Images - Hill County TXGenWeb
 * Acker, Karen Ladd. Abstracts of Post Returns for Fort Graham, Texas, April 1849-October 1853: With a List of Soldiers Enumerated on the 1850 U.S. Census of Navarro County. Houston, TX: Self-published, 2008. (Contains records of personnel changes at Fort Graham in Navarro County, present-day Hill County, which closed in 1853.) | WorldCat page
 * Census Records and Indexes (Hill County) (Linkpendium)
 * Hill County Archives: Census Records (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * 1900 and 1910 Layman, Helen. Czech Families in Hill County, Texas in 1900 &amp; 1910: Extractions from the United States Census. Houston, TX: Czech Heritage Society of Texas, 2001. | World Cat page

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Daniel, J.C. A History of the Baptists of Hill County, Texas. 1907.
 * 1888-2008 Leak, Jim. Median River Baptist Association Also Known as Hill County Baptist Association: 1888-2008 - 120 Years. TX: Hill County Baptist Assn., 2009. | WorldCat page
 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in Texas
 * FamilySearch Places

Court

 * Hill County Archives: Court Records (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * 1906-1989 - How to Use this Collection

Land

 * 1853-1901 Deed records on microfilm at FS Library: and property deeds with index
 * Hill County, Texas Original Land Owners (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Hill County, Texas Miscellaneous Deeds (U.S. GenWeb Archives)

Local Histories

 * 1838-1965 Bailey, Ellis, A History of Hill County, Texas, 1838-1965.
 * The Heritage of Hill County, Texas. Clanton, AL: Heritage Publishing, 2006. | WorldCat
 * The Heritage of Hill County, Texas, Vol. 2. Lexington, KY: Heritage Publishing, 2010 | WorldCat page
 * 1853-1980 A History of Hill County, Texas, 1853-1980. Hill County Historical Commission, 1980.
 * Kirkpatrick, A.Y. The Early Settlers' Life in Texas, and the Organization of Hill County. 1963.
 * A Memorial and Biographical History of Johnson and Hill Counties, Texas: Containing the Early History of this Important Section of the Great State of Texas Together with Glimpses of its Future Prospects... Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1892. | digital copy of Vol. 1 in Internet Archive | Google Books page (no preview)
 * Simpson, Harold B. Hill County Trilogy. Hillsboro, TX: Hill College Press, 1986. | WorldCat page

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
 * Current State of Texas Map of Counties
 * 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 $
 * 1849 - 1853 - Acker, Karen Ladd. Abstracts of Post Returns for Fort Graham, Texas, April 1849-October 1853: With a List of Soldiers Enumerated on the 1850 U.S. Census of Navarro County. Houston, TX: Self-published, 2008. (Contains records of personnel changes at Fort Graham in Navarro County, present-day Hill County, which closed in 1853.) | WorldCat page
 * Hill County Honor Roll: World War I, World War II, Korean War. Hillsboro, TX: American Legion Post No. 4, 1963. | WorldCat page

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
 * Bryan, J.L. Confederate Veterans Buried in Hill County, Texas. Quinlan, TX: Solis/Bryan Researches, 1988. | WorldCat page
 * Confederate Reunion (Cathy Shelley)
 * Hill County, Texas Confederate Pension Applications (U.S. GenWeb Archives)

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Military Discharges (WWI) (Cathy Shelley)

Newspapers

 * Bessire, Royal C. Obituaries Hill County, Texas: 1886 to 1900. Hewitt, TX: Self-published, 2006. | WorldCat page
 * Funeral Announcements (Cathy Shelley)
 * Hill County Archives: Obituaries (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Hill County, Texas Obituaries (Cathy Shelley)
 * The Hillsboro Reporter
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
 * Just the News - Surnames (Cathy Shelley)

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


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


 * 1853 to 1934 with index
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)

Taxation

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


 * , by the Texas Comptrollers Office

Births
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840 - 1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriages
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * A Hill County, Texas Marriage Records A (CensusDiggins.com)
 * A-Z Hill County, Texas Marriages A to Z, Part 1 (Cathy Shelley)
 * Z-Z Hill County, Texas Marriages Z to Z, Part 2 (Cathy Shelley)
 * 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 — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837 - 1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837 - 1977 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1873-1880 Ingmire, Frances Terry. Hill County, Texas Marriage Records, 1873-1880. St. Louis: Self-published, 1981. | WorldCat page
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1873-1934
 * 1966 - 2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Deaths

 * 1890-1976 with images - How to Use this Collection 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.
 * 1890-1976 Footnote.com ($) has Texas Death Certificates 1890-1976 available online.
 * 1903*1956
 * 1903 - 1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1903 - 2000 (index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1964 - 1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964
 * 1977 - 1986 — index - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1968 - 2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index $

Societies and Libraries
Hill County Genealogical Society 1019 E Elm Hillsboro, TX 76645 Website Hillsboro City Library 118 South Waco Street Hillsboro, TX 76645 Phone: 254-582-7385 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Arlington Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Athens Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Burleson Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Cleburne Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Corsicana Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Dallas Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Fort Worth Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Waco Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Central Library - an affiliate library
 * Ennis Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Fort Worth Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Kaufman County Library - an affiliate library
 * Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Waco-McLennan County Library - an affiliate library
 * Williams Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Hill County, Texas GenWeb
 * Hill County, Texas (Handbook of Texas)
 * Hill County, Texas (official site)
 * Hill County, Texas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Hill County, Texas USGenWeb Archives
 * Profile for Hill County, Texas (includes genealogy; ePodunk)
 * Texas GenWeb: May have maps, name indices, history or other information for Hill County.