Rusk County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Rusk 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 Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a secretary of war of the Republic of Texas. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Rusk County Courthouse PO Box 758; Henderson, TX 75653; Phone. 903.657.0330 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, land and probate records from 1843, court records from 1844 and military discharge records from 1917; District Court has divorce Court has divorce records from 1844

County Clerk

P.O. Box 758 Henderson 75653-0758 Phone: 903-657-0330 Fax: 903-657-0062

District Clerk

115 N. Main Ste. 301 Henderson 75652 Phone: 903-657-0353

Parent County
1843-- Rusk County was created 16 January 1843 from Nacogdoches County.
 * County seat: Henderson

Record Loss
1878--Courthouse and many county records were destroyed by fire in March 1878.

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Neighboring Counties
Cherokee •  Gregg  •  Harrison  •  Nacogdoches  •  Panola  •  Shelby  •  Smith

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

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Maps

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
 * 1914 Map of Angelina, Gregg, Harrison, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith &amp; Trinity at www.rootsweb.com
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military

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

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

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

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

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

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 $

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 - FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1935 - FamilySearch (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1997 - FamilySearch (index only) - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 $
 * 1966 - 2010 - FamilySearch - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1890-1976 - FamilySearch with images - How to Use this Collection Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by Family Search and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903.
 * 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1964 - 1998 - FamilySearch (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 at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

 * 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
East Texas Genealogical Society PO Box 6967 Tyler TX 75711-6967 Website

German-Texan Heritage Society PO Box 684171 Austin, TX 78768 Telephone Number: 512-482-0927 Fax: 866-482-4847 Website

East Texas Research Center  Stephen F. Austin State University East Texas Research Center Box 13055, SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3055 Telephone Number: 936-468-4100 E-mail:[mailto:AskETRC@sfalib.sfasu.edu AskETRC@sfalib.sfasu.edu] Website

Rusk County Library 106 East Main Street Henderson, TX 75652 Telephone Number: 903-657-8557 Website

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Some District IV Chapters: John Tilley Edwards Chapter, Longview, Texas Stone Fort Chapter, Nacogdoches, Texas Charles G. Davenport Chapter, Tyler, Texas Fort Houston Chapter, Palestine, Texas Website

Texas State Library and Archives Commission PO Box 12927 Austin, TX 78711 +Capitol Complex 1201 Brazos St Austin, Texas +The Sam Houston Center FM 1011 off Hwy 146 Liberty, TX Monday through Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 9am-4pm Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Athens Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Corsicana Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Gilmer Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Longview Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Tyler Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Wills Point Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Ennis Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Kaufman County Library - an affiliate library
 * Quitman Texas Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Tyler Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Rusk County TXGenWeb
 * 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.