Madison County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Madison 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 James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Madison County Courthouse 101 W Main Street; Madisonville, TX 77864 Phone: 936.348.2638 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, probate, land, military and court records from 1873

County Clerk

103 W. Trinity Ste. 104 Madisonville 77864 Phone: 936-241-6210

District Clerk

101 W. Main Rm. 226 Madisonville 77864 Phone: 936-348-9203

Parent County
1853--Madison County was created 2 February 1853 from Grimes, Leon, and Walker Counties.
 * County seat: Madisonville

Record Loss
1865, 1873--Courthouses and county records were destroyed by fire in June 1865 and January 1873.

1967--Madison County Courthouse, built 1896, was destroyed by fire on May 14, 1967. Some county records may have been destroyed.

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
Brazos •  Grimes  •  Houston  •  Leon  •  Robertson  •  Walker

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.

Additional Cemetery Sources
 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
 * Texas Escapes Listing of Texas cemeteries with transcriptions and lots of pictures.

Census

 * 1850 - 1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Texas Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in Texas
 * FamilySearch Places

Land

 * Land Survey Abstract Indices of the Original Land Owners ~  USGenWeb Archives Project

Local Histories

 * A History of Madison County, 1984, by the Madison County Historical Commission.
 * Madison County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site.
 * 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 — index and images $

Mexican-American War

 * 1845 - 1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War at Ancestry — index $

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * Confederate Pension Applications USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Confederate Indigent Families USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Madison County Confederate Pensions TXGenWeb

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * w3newspapers -  Texas Newspaper Index with links
 * Newslink -  Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
 * The Olden Times  -   Historic Texas News Online
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Obituaries

 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Texas
 * Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function

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 $


 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records Ancestry.com (subscription)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Taxation

 * 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — index and images

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1903 - 1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903 - 1997 https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1949342 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 — 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 — index $
 * 1966 - 2010 at FamilySearch
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1837 - 1977 Texas County Marriage Records, 1837-1977 - FamilySearch - Index to a variety of marriage records (registers, licenses, intentions to marry, etc.) from select counties in Texas.
 * 1890 - 1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images]<
 * 1903 - 1973  at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1903 - 2000 Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch

Divorce

 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1968 - 2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968 - 2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index $

Societies and Libraries
Madison County Historical Commission 101 N. Commerce #64 Madisonville, TX 77864 Website

Madison County Library 605 S May St Madisonville, TX 77864 Telephone Number: 936-348-6118 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Cleveland Texas FamilySearch Center
 * College Station Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Conroe Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Rockdale Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Carnegie History Center - an affiliate library
 * Huntsville Texas Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Madison County Archives ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
 * USGenWeb Texas Archives Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records.
 * — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.