Mills County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Mills 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 John T. Mills, a justice of the Texas Supreme Court. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mills County Courthouse P.O. Box 646 Goldthwaite, Texas 76844-0646 Phone: 325-648-2711 Fax: 325-648-3251 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1887

County and District Clerk

P.O. Box 646 Goldthwaite 76844 Phone: 325-648-2711

Courthouse
Mills County has had only two Courthouses. The first courthouse was built in 1890, the year after Goldthwaite became the county seat. The courthouse burned in 1912 and the present Mills County Courthouse was built in 1913.

Mills County Courthouse County Clerk's Office - Carolyn Foster P.O. Box 646 Goldthwaite, Texas 76844 Phone: 325-648-2711 Fax: 325-648-3251

Mills County Government website

Inventory of the county archives of Texas : Mills County, no. 167. Inventory of records of Mills County housed in the Mills County Courthouse as of 1936. Digital book on line from The Portal to Texas History.

Inventory of county records, Mills County Courthouse, Goldthwaite, Texas, 1981. Inventory of records housed in the Mills County Courthouse in Goldthwaite, Texas. Describes the records of the County Clerk: as Secretary for Commissioners Court, County Clerk: as Recorder, County Clerk: as Reporter for County Court, District Clerk, Tax Assessor-Collector, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, County Judge, and County Treasurer. It also provides an index. Digital book on line from The Portal to Texas History.

History
1856--The first white settlers arrived in 1856 and established Hanna Valley.

1887--Mills county was formed from Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas Counties in 1887. The county was named in honor of John T. Mills, a early Judge, who successively held the judgeship of the Third, Seventh, and Eighth Judicial districts. Mills county Court house is located in Goldthwaite, Texas. According to the Mills County Historical The town was named for Joe G. Goldthwaite, the railroad official who conducted the auction of town lots.

Parent County
1887--Mills County was created 15 March 1887 from Comanche, Brown, Hamilton, and Lampasas Counties.
 * County seat: Goldthwaite

Record Loss
1912--The Mills County Courthouse, built in 1889, burned on May 5, 1912. No records were lost in the fire.

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
Brown •  Comanche  •  Hamilton  •  Lampasas  •  San Saba

African American

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

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


 * Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery Book (formerly known as the I.O.O.F. Cemetery). Available from the Mills County Historical Commission
 * Mills County Cemeteries, 2004. (Excludes Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery) Book available from the Mills County Historical Commission
 * Buffalo-Ebony Cemetery, Mills County, 62 page booklet, burial list updated Sept 2002. Available from the Brown County Historical Society
 * Blanket Springs Cemetery in Mills County is included Rural Cemetery Inscriptions of Brown County Supplement updated 1970-2002. Available from the Brown County Historical Society

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Churches of Mills County -  Mills County TXGenWeb
 * FamilySearch Places

County Records

 * 1841-1985 at FamilySearch — index and images

Court

 * 1841-1985 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories

 * Star Historical Museum

Maps

 * Historical Maps of Texas - Perry Castaneda Library
 * 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

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 $

Taxation

 * 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — 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
 * 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 $
 * 1893 - 1906 Affidavit for Marriage 1893 - 1906 Mills County TXGenWeb
 * 1966 - 2010 at FamilySearch
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

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.
 * 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

 * 1968 - 2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index) Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968 - 2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Comanche Public Library 311 N. Austin Street Comanche, Texas 76442 325-356-2122 Website

Mills County Historical Commission Mills County Courthouse P.O. Box 483 Goldthwaite, Mills County, Texas 76844 Website

Jennie Trent Dew Library 1113 FIsher Street Goldthwaite, Texas 76844 325-648-2447 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * San Angelo Texas Family History Center
 * Stephenville Texas Family History Center
 * Waco Texas Family History Center


 * Brownwood Texas - an affiliate library
 * Comanche Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Cross Plains Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Dublin Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Nellie Pederson Civic Library - an affiliate library
 * Tom Green County Library - an affiliate library
 * Waco-McLennan County Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Mills County - Mills County TXGenWeb site
 * Mills County at HistoricTexas.net
 * USGenWeb Archives - Mills County
 * Mill County Chamber of Commerce
 * City of Goldthwaite website
 * Texas 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.