Van Zandt County, Texas Genealogy

United States Texas  Counties UV  Van Zandt County

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

County Courthouse
Van Zandt County Courthouse 121 East Dallas Street Room 202 Canton, TX 75103 Phone: 903.567.6503 Phone: 903-567-7555 Fax: 903-567-6722 County Clerk has birth and death records 1903, marriage, land, probate and court records from 1848 and military discharge records from 1918; District Clerk has divorce records from 1848



Sabine Lake (also known as Jordan's Saline) served as the Van Zandt County's first county seat from 1848-1850. The first courthouse was a crude log building. In 1850 the county seat was moved to Canton, where it has remained. Courthouses were built in Canton in 1850 and 1857. In 1896 a three-story courthouse with a bell tower was built. The current courthouse opened in 1939.

Van Zandt County Government website

History
Cherokees occupied the area under a grant from Mexico in 1822 and were removed in 1839. The first post office, grist mill and saw mill were set up in 1845. During the Civil War the county was popularly known as the "Free State of Van Zandt."

Parent County
1848--Van Zandt County was created 20 March 1848 from Henderson County. County seat: Canton

Boundary Changes
1850 -- Wood county was created out of Van Zandt County.

Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Populated Places
Ben Wheeler | Canton | Edgewood | Edom | Fruitvale | Grand Saline | Martin's Mill | Van | Wills Point

Neighboring Counties

 * Henderson
 * Hunt
 * Kaufman
 * Rains
 * Smith
 * Wood

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

Additional Cemetery Sources

 * Cemetery Listings Cemeteries of Van Zandt County with photos and some bios of folks buried there from the Van Zandt County TXGenWeb site.
 * Graveyards of Van Zandt County, SE Section, Vol. A ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Graveyards of Van Zandt County, NE Section, Vol. B ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Graveyards of Van Zandt County, NW Section, Vol. C ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Graveyards of Van Zandt County, SW Section, Vol. D ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Graveyards of Van Zandt County, Vol. E (Hillcrest, Haven of Memories and other cemeteries) ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society

Census

 * Census Records - Van Zandt County-1860 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Census Records - Van Zandt County-1870 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Census Records - Van Zandt County-1880 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Census Records - Van Zandt County-1900 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * "1890 in Van Zandt County"-Various County Records ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society [census substitute]

Court

 * Divorce Records of Van Zandt County, 1848-1920 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Van Zandt Co. Court Minutes, Vol. A &amp; B 1848-1871 ~ Elvis Allen
 * "Desperate Characters of Van Zandt County" ~ Cheryl Vaughan
 * Reconstruction Records of Van Zandt County, 1867-1874: Voters Registration List 1867-1869, Occupation Taxes 1867-1874 &amp; Poll Taxes for 1872

Local Histories

 * Some History of Van Zandt County, 1919; reprinted, 1977, by Wentworth Manning. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
 * A History of Van Zandt County, 1976 by Margaret Elizabeth Hall.
 * History of Van Zandt County, 1950, by William Samuel Mills.
 * History of Van Zandt County, 1984, by the Van Zandt County History Book Committee.
 * Historical Places in Van Zandt County Many Van Zandt County historical sites and research helps on Bobby Pearce's "Field Guide to Historical Sites in Van Zandt County".
 * Van Zandt County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
 * Van Zandt County Histories and Biographies, Vol. I ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Van Zandt County Histories and Biographies, Vol. II ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * "Daddy Said" ~ Elvis Allen

Maps

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

Military

 * Veterans of Van Zandt County Muster Rolls, Civil War Pensioners, 1890 Texas Union Soldier Schedule, World War I Casualties, World War I Draft Registrations (by town), World War II Veterans with pictures, from the Van Zandt County TXGenWeb site.
 * Civil War Veterans of Van Zandt County ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society

Newspapers

 * Canton Herald newspaper
 * Van Banner newspaper
 * Wills Point Chronicle
 * Van Zandt County News
 * Grand Saline Sun
 * Edgewood Enterprise at http://smalltownpapers.com/newspapers/newspaper.php?id=121.
 * Early Obituaries &amp; Death Notices of Van Zandt County, Vol. I, 1884-1900 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Early Obituaries &amp; Death Notices of Van Zandt County, Vol. II, 1901-1907 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Early Obituaries &amp; Death Notices of Van Zandt County, Vol. III, 1908-1913 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society

School

 * School Days in Van Zandt County, Vol. I~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * School Days in Van Zandt County, Vol. II ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * School Days in Van Zandt County, Vol. III ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records Original Birth Records on Microfilm
 * Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index)- FamilySearch
 * Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
 * Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 ~ FamilySearch records collection''
 * Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973  ~  FamilySearch record collection
 * Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  ~  FamilySearch record collection
 * Van Zandt County Marriage Book, Vol. I, 1848-1909~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Van Zandt County Marriage Book, Vol. II, 1909-1931 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
 * Van Zandt County Marriage Book, Vol. III, 1932-1950 ~ Van Zandt County Genealogical Society

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records '


 * Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998
 * Texas, Death Index, 1964-1998 - Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images] 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.

'Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

 * Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index)  - Hidden Ancestors

Societies and Libraries

 * Early Van Zandt County Doctors and Medical Society Minutes and read the minutes from the Medical Society's meetings of the early 1900s.


 * OPHGR (Organization for the Preservation of Historical and Genealogical Records) [mailto:pvinson47@aol.com P. Vinson], President Canton, TX email: [mailto:opngr1@gmail.com ophgr1@gmail.com] Website: http://www.ophgr.com These folks go to county courthouses, churches and other places where old documents and records are housed. They either scan the very old records with their oversized scanner or they transcribe those old documents and then publish them as books. Membership is $10.00/year if you have an email address and you get their Newsletter sent to you quarterly. Visit their web site for Publication Listings as well as membership information. They also host several workshops during the year. Topics include: Beginning Researcher, Internet Research, Beginner Computer Help as well as Native American/Melungeon/African American Research.


 * Van Zandt County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1388, Canton, Texas 75103-1388 Phone: 903-567-5012 email: [mailto:vanzandtgensoc@etcable.net vanzandtgensoc@etcable.net] We spent a week there this summer. The library they have is wonderful and the staff extremely helpful. The location is at the court house annex. They have published Graveyards of Van Zandt Co., Tx - Vol A-E,  Marriage Record Books of Van Zandt Co. The library is open from 9 am - 4 pm Monday thru Friday and 9 am - 1 pm Saturday - staffed by local volunteers who know about the county.

Family History Centers

 * Wills Point Texas Family History Center

Web Sites

 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
 * Miss B's Place. Some genealogical information concerning: Miller, Hickman, Edens, Christian, Payne, Teal, Long, Hollis, Ledbetter, Hodge, Heddins and Peebles.
 * Betty's World Genealogical information on Betty's Families of Abney, Boxley, Bradberry, Breazeale, Brown, Carter, Middleton, Norman, Pickens, Phillips, Stone, Summers, Tinsley, Wade, Wills/Wells, and General Andrew Pickens
 * Van Zandt County Genealogical Society:   In addition to Society information, this site contains thousands of records and photographs.