Rains County, Texas Genealogy

United States Texas  Counties R  Rains County

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

County Courthouse
Rains County Courthouse PO Box 187; Emory, TX 75440-0187 Phone: 903.473.2461 County Clerk has birth records from 1902, divorce records from 1903, marriage, divorce and land records from 1880 and probate records from 1894



Rains County's first courthouse was a log building. It was used until a two-room courthouse was built in 1871; this second courthouse burned in 1879. The log building was again used as a temporary courthouse until two-story building could be built in 1884. The 1884 courthouse burned in 1908. Rains County's current courthouse, shown at right, is the county's fourth Courthouse. It was built in 1908.

Rains County Courthouse 167 E. Quitman Street P. O. Box 158 Emory, Texas 75440

Rains County Government Website

History
The first Anglo-American arrived in the 1840's.

Parent County
1870--Rains County was created 9 June 1870 from Hopkins, Hunt, and Wood Counties. County seat: Emory

Record Loss
1879 - Rains County Courthouse, built in 1871, burned; All county records were destroyed. 1908 - Rains County Courthouse, built in 1884, burned. County records were save in a fireproof vault.

Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Populated Places
Alba | Dougherty | East Tawakoni | Emory | Point

Neighboring Counties

 * Hopkins
 * Hunt
 * Van Zandt
 * Wood

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


 * Emory Cemetery Association -  Rains County TXGenWeb
 * Civil War Marked Graves - USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Military Tombstones - USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Clifton Cemetery - USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Colony Church of Christ Cemetery - USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Deaton Cemetery - USGenWeb Archives Project

Land

 * Original Land Owners of Texas -  USGenWeb Archives Project

Local Histories

 * Early Days in Texas and Rains County, 1917 by William Oscar Hebison and Ambrose Fitzgerald.
 * 100th Anniversary of Rains County, 1970
 * Rains County History from the Handbook of Texas Online

Maps



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

Military

 * Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 - FamilySearch
 * Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 - FamilySearch
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * ~ TXGenWeb
 * Military Resources ~ Links to research Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Fallen Heroes ~ Partial Index of casualties from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Honoring Our Veterans ~ Partial index of veterans from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors

Newspapers

 * Rains County Leader Newspaper

Probate

 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~  Ancestry.com  (subscription)
 * Texas, Probate Records, 1800-1990 (images) - FamilySearch

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


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

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 ~ FamilySearch records collection 
 * Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973  ~  FamilySearch record collection
 * Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  ~  FamilySearch record collection

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 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.
 * Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000  ~  FamilySearch records collection
 * Texas, Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973  ~ FamilySearch records collection
 * Texas, Deaths, 1977-1986  ~ FamilySearch records collection
 * Footnote.com ($) has Texas Death Certificates 1890-1976 available online.

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

 * Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005  (index)  -  Hidden Ancestors
 * Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010  ~  FamilySearch records

Societies and Libraries
OPHGR (Organization for the Preservation of Historical and Genealogical Records) [mailto:pvinson47@aol.com P. Vinson], President Canton, TX email: [mailto:ophgr1@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.

Web Sites

 * Rains County- USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Rains County TXGenWeb
 * TXGenWeb
 * 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.
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.