Bryan County, Oklahoma Genealogy

United States Oklahoma  Bryan County Bryan County, Oklahoma genealogy and family history research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

County Courthouse
Blaine County Courthouse 212 N Weigle Avenue Watonga, OK 73772 Phone: 580.623.5890 Clerk Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1892; County Clerk has land records from 1892

Parent County
1907--Bryan County was created 16 July 1907 from Choctaw Lands. County seat: Durant

Description
Named for Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, a contributor to the 1907 Oklahoma Constitution, Bryan County is located in the south-central portion of the state. Bordering on the east is Choctaw County, on the north are Atoka and Johnston counties, on the west is Marshall County, and on the south is the Red River and Texas. Bryan is separated from Marshall County by the Roosevelt Bridge and Lake Texoma. Covering a total land and water area of 943.43 square miles, Bryan County lies in the Coastal Plains physiographic region, within the Red River watershed, with major drainage provided by the Blue River. The Washita River, formerly flowing north-south between Bryan and Marshall counties, is now impounded in Lake Texoma. The county is served by U.S. Highways 69/75 north-south and 70 east-west. At the beginning of the twenty-first century twelve incorporated towns existed in the county: Armstrong, Bennington, Bokchito, Caddo, Calera, Colbert, Durant (County Seat), Hendrix, Kemp, Kenefic, Mead, and Silo. It is also home to the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma located in Durant. Bryan County consists of 10 Townships: Albany, Bennington, Bokchito, Brown, Caddo, Calera, Colbert, Kemp, Matoy, and Speairs Townships. It is the only county in the United States named for Populist politician William Jennings Bryan.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Oklahoma County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oklahoma County Boundary Maps" (1819-1912) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
 * 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

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

City

 * Durant (county seat)

Towns

 * Achille
 * Armstrong
 * Bennington
 * Bokchito
 * Caddo
 * Calera
 * Colbert
 * Hendrix
 * Kemp
 * Kenefic
 * Mead
 * Silo

Census-designated places

 * Albany
 * Blue
 * Cartwright

Unincorporated communities

 * Allison
 * Banty
 * Brown
 * Cade
 * Cobb
 * Kiersey
 * Platter
 * Romia
 * Roberta
 * Utica
 * Yarnaby
 * Yuba

Neighboring Counties

 * Atoka
 * Choctaw
 * Fannin County, Texas
 * Grayson County, Texas
 * Johnston
 * Lamar County, Texas
 * Marshall

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
 * For more information see Indians of Oklahoma

State Census Records

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

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

Land
Online Land Records

For more information see Oklahoma Land and Property
 * 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
 * 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
 * 1889 Oklahoma County Plats, 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
 * El Reno Homesteader Filings - Oklahoma Historical Society

Maps

 * 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

Revolutionary War

 * 1775 - 1783 - at FamilySearch - images only
 * For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

 * http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9236 Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955] at Ancestry — index (free)
 * For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

WWI

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

WWII

 * Oklahoma Military Deaths - Oklahoma Historical Society
 * For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Newspapers
Oklahoma Newspapers Online Oklahoma Newspaper Catalogs
 * 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 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


 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has The Paris News (Paris, TX) from 1925 that may include residents from Bryan County.

Probate
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 at | FamilySearch — index and images

Vital Records
See also How to order Oklahoma Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oklahoma Birth Certificate or Death Certificate Applications to mail.

Births
Online Birth Records Indexes and Images
 * Early Oklahoma Birth Records

Marriages
Online Marriage Records Indexes and Images
 * 1841 - 1927 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1870 - 1930 at FamilySearch Index only. *1870 - 1930 Oklahoma, Select Marriages, 1870-1930 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1870 - 1930 Oklahoma, Marriages, 1870-1930 at My Heritage index ($)
 * 1889 - 1951 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Marriage Index, 1889-1951
 * 1890 - 1995 at FamilySearch Index and images
 * OKGenWeb Oklahoma Marriages

Deaths
Online Death Records Indexes and Images
 * Obituaries Listed in the Oklahoman - Oklahoma Historical Society — index only
 * 1935 - 2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1936 - 2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry, incomplete ($}
 * 1936 - 2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry, incomplete ($}

Divorces
Online Divorce Records Indexes and Images
 * 1923 - 1942 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Divorce Index, 1923-1942

Societies and Libraries
Bryan County Heritage Assn. 203 North McKinley PO Box 153 Calera 74730-0153 Telephone: 580-434-5848 Website

Bryan County Heritage Society 618 N. 19th Street Durant 74701

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers


 * Durant Oklahoma Family History Center 515 Sunny Meadows Dr Durant OK 74701 United States Location Map

Web Sites

 * Bryan County, OK History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Oklahoma Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Oklahoma Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.