Henderson County, Texas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first Attorney General of the Republic of Texas, and Secretary of State for the republic. He later served as the first Governor of Texas. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Henderson County Courthouse 100 East Tyler Street Suite 107 Athens, Texas 75751 Phone: 903.675.6140 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage records from 1880, probate records from 1860, court records from 1910 and land records from 1846

County Clerk

P.O. Box 632 Athens 75751 Phone: 903-675-6115 Fax: 903-675-6105

District Clerk

County Courthouse Athens 75751 Phone: 903-675-6115

History
1837--The first permanent settlements were established in 1837.

Parent County
1846--Henderson County was created 27 April 1846 from Houston and Nacogdoches Counties.
 * County seat: Athens

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:

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

Neighboring Counties
Anderson •  Cherokee  •  Ellis  •  Freestone  •  Kaufman  •  Navarro  •  Smith  •  Van Zandt

Local Histories

 * A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas, 1883. Digital book on line from the Portal to Texas History.

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site.

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


 * 1st Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Stirman's) (Confederate), Company I

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Athens Review Newspaper

Probate
Online Probate Records


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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index) - FamilySearch

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 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 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.
 * 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1964-1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 Texas, Death Index, 1964-1998 - FamilySearch Historical Records 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 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index) - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $

Societies and Libraries
Henderson County Genealogical Org. 121 S. Prairieville St. Athens 75751

Henderson County Historical Commission 207 N. Prairieville St. Athens, Texas

Henderson County Historical Society PO Box 1412 Athens 7575

Websites

 * Henderson County, Texas 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.