Motley County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Motley 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 Junius William Mottley, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Mottley's name is spelled incorrectly because the bill establishing the county misspelled his name. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Motley County Courthouse PO Box 66 Matador, TX 79244 Phone: 806.347.2621 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1891 and land records from 1891 with some earlier

County and District Clerk

P.O. Box 660 Matador 79244 Phone: 806-347-2621

History
1878 and 1891--The first settlers arrived in 1878. The first settlement was Matador in 1891.

Parent County
1876--Motley County was created 21 August 1876 from Bexar Land District.
 * County seat: Matador.

Named in honor of Dr. Junius William Mottley, 1811-1836, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and aide to General Rusk at the Battle of San Jacinto where he was mortally wounded.

Record Loss
1944--Motley County Courthouse, built about 1904, was destroyed by fire Sept 1944. No vital records were lost, but some were damaged by water.

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
Briscoe •  Cottle  •  Crosby  •  Dickens  •  Floyd  •  Hall  •  King

African American

 * 1865-1870 Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records(images) - FamilySearch

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Additional Cemetery Sources


 * Political Graveyard - Site tells where all of the dead politicians are buried.

Census

 * 1880 Census Transcription ~ USGenWeb Census Project
 * 1900 Census Surname Index ~ Motley County TXGenWeb
 * 1910 Census Partial Index ~ Motley County TXGenWeb

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Land

 * Original Land Owners of Texas - Motley County -  USGenWeb Archives

Local Histories

 * Afred Hightower Barton
 * Charlie David Bird
 * Henry Harrison Campbell
 * Arthur G. Ligertwood

Books About Local History


 * "The Early History of Motley County" by Harry H. Campbell
 * "Of Such As These, A History of Motley County and it's Families" by Eleanor Mitchell Traweek
 * "Interments In Motley County, Texas to March 1977" by Rita Groves

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. TXGenWeb 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.com — index and images $

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * Motley County Confederate Pension Applications Motley County TXGenWeb
 * Confederate Pension Application Index USGenWeb Motley County Archives

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Motley County Tribune
 * w3newspapers -  Texas Newspaper Index with links
 * Newslink -  Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
 * The Olden Times  -   Historic Texas News Online
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Obituaries

 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Texas
 * Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and 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

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

Birth
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
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 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.com — index $
 * 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.
 * 1903 - 1973  at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1903 - 2000 Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
 * 1964 - 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates
 * 1977 - 1986  at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

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

Societies and Libraries
Motley County Genealogical Society 1105 Main PO Box 557 Matador, TX 79244 Website

Motley County Library 1105 Main Street PO Box 557 Matador, TX 79244 Website

Motley County Chamber of Commerce 828 Dundee St. (Old Traweek Hospital) PO Box 788 Matador, TX 79244 Telephone Number: 806-347-2968

Motley County Historical Musuem Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Amarillo Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Childress Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Lubbock Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Vernon Oklahoma FamilySearch Center
 * Wichita Falls Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Amarillo Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Motley County TXGenWeb. History, vital statistics, biographies, photos, newspaper clippings, surnames, maps, obituaries and other Motley County information.
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
 * USGenWeb Motley County Archives. Vital statistics, census information, cemetery transcriptions, photographs, land owners and more.
 * — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.