El Paso County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to El Paso 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 "El Paso del Norte", which is Spanish for "The Pass of the North". It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either side of the river. The County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
El Paso County Courthouse 500 E San Antonio Street El Paso, TX 79901-2421 Phone: 915.546.2071

County Clerk has birth, death, and burial records from 1903, marriage records from 1880, military discharge records from 1919, probate and land records

Seven courthouses have been the home of El Paso County Government. The first courthouse was built at San Elizario in 1850. When Ysleta became the county seat, a second courthouse was built, 1866. Two additional courthouses were built at Ysleta in 1871 and 1882. A three-story Second Empire style courthouse was built at El Paso in 1886; it was torn down in 1918. In 1917, a Classic Revival style courthouse was built; it was extensively remodeled in 1955, and then demolished in 1992. El Paso County's current courthouse, a glass and steel structure opened in 1991.

El Paso County Courthouse County Clerk's Office website 500 E. San Antonio, Suite 105 El Paso, Texas 79901 (915) 546-2071 Fax (915) 546-2012 Main Office Fax (915) 543-3806 Vital Records Department

District Clerk

500 E. San Antonio St. Rm. 103 El Paso 79901-2489 Phone: 915-546-2021

El Paso County Government website

History
El Paso County is located in the far south western corner of Texas where the states of New Mexico and Texas, and the country of Mexico meet.

El Paso is presently its largest city. Across the Rio Grande is Chihuahua's largest city, Ciudad Juarez. Today it is a major international port of entry, and from its earliest days has been a significant customs and immigrations checkpoint between the United States and Mexico.

Parent County
1850-- El Paso County was created 3 January 1850 from Bexar Land District.

County seats:
 * 1) 1850-1866- San Elizario
 * 2) 1866-1868- Ysleta
 * 3) 1868-1873- San Elizario
 * 4) 1873-1883- Ysleta
 * 5) 1883-present- El Paso  

Boundary Changes
1912 - Culberson County created from eastern portion of El Paso County.

1917 - Hudspeth County created from eastern portion of El Paso County.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Dona Ana County, New Mexico •  Hudspeth  •  Otero County, New Mexico

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

Church
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * El Paso
 * El Paso Dist
 * Emery
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1909-1924 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1924-1954 at FamilySearch - Hod to use this collection, index
 * 1945-1952 at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1906-1989 — index and images

Local Histories

 * The City and county of El Paso, Texas : containing useful and reliable information concerning the future great metropolis of the Southwest ... 1886, El Paso Bureau of Information. Digital book online from archive.org.
 * The Land Where We Live: El Paso del Norte, 1973, by Conrey Bryson.
 * Pass of the North: Four Centuries on the Rio Grande, 2 vols., 1968, 1980, by Charles Leland Sonnichsen.
 * El Paso: A Borderlands History, 1990, by W. H. Timmons.
 * Souvenir of the city of El Paso, Texas. Photo-gravures. Digital book online at archive.org.
 * San Elizario, 1973, by Eugene O. Porter.
 * The El Paso Salt War, 1877, published in 1957 by Charles Leland Sonnichsen. Digital book on line at archive.org.
 * Forty years at El Paso, 1858-1898; recollections of war, politics, adventure, events, narratives, sketches, etc., 1901by W. W. Mills Digital book online at The Portal to Texas History.
 * El Paso County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps

 * 1856 Texas and Part of New Mexico 1856 from the David Rumsey Map Collection.
 * 1865 Best Route for the Movements of Troops from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas 1865 from the A.R. Roessler Collection, Texas State Archives.
 * 1881 El Paso County 1881 from the Culberson County TXGenWeb site
 * 1891-1939 El Paso - Fort Bliss Main Post Historic District, 1891-1939 from the Amon Carter Museum.
 * 1897 El Paso County, 1897 with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * 1900 El Paso County 1900 from the Culberson County TXGenWeb site
 * 1908 El Paso Quadrangle 1908 Shows contour lines, elevations, rivers, creeks, towns, cities, roads, buildings, schools, and railroads. Covers part of El Paso County.
 *  1920 El Paso 1920 Automobile Blue Book Map from the Amon Carter Museum.
 * 1940 El Paso County General Highway Map 1940
 * 1940 El Paso General Highway Map 1940 shows detail of the City of El Paso and vicinity.
 * 1961 El Paso County General Highway Map 1961
 * Texas, West Portion Asher and Adams Map from the David Rumsey Map Collection.
 * 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 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $

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

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * El Paso Herald, selected issues on line 1910-1914 from the Portal to Texas History.
 * 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 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


 * El Paso County Birth Records Search from EPCounty.com, the official county government website.
 * 1840 - 1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1997 (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 $
 * El Paso County Marriage Records Search from EPCounty.com, the official county government website
 * 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 Texas Marriage Collection at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1837 - 1965 — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837 - 1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837 - 1977 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966 - 2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * El Paso County Death Records Search from EPCounty.com, the official county government website.
 * 1890-1976 with images - How to Use this Collection 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 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1964 - 1998 (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 — index - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1860 Census - El Paso County: Census images online at archive.org, 1860 Census transcription from the El Paso County TXGenWeb site.
 * 1870 Census - El Paso County: Census images online at archive.org. Census images online at the TXGenWeb site.
 * 1880 Census - El Paso County: Census images online at the TXGenWeb site.
 * 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records (Index) - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968 - 2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
El Paso Genealogical Society 501 North Oregon El Paso, Texas 79902 Telephone Number: 915-543-5440 Website

El Paso County Historical Society 603 Yandell Drive El Paso, TX 79940 Telephone Number: 915-533-3603 website

El Paso Museum of History 510 N. Santa Fe El Paso, TX 79901 Telephone Number: 915-351-3588 website

San Elizario Gen. And Historical Society 1521 San Elizario Rd. San Elizario, Texas Telephone Number: 915-851-1682 website

Family History Centers

 * El Paso Texas 1st & 3rd Family History Center
 * El Paso Texas Family History Center
 * El Paso Texas Mount Franklin Family History Center
 * Hondo Pass Texas Family History Center
 * Socorro Texas Family History Center

Websites

 * El Paso County TXGenWeb
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.