Texas, Nolan County, Civil Court Minutes and Case Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images to civil court minutes and case files from Nolan County, Texas. Additional images will be published as they become available. The records cover the years 1881 to 1938.

Civil court actions contain a variety of records with information of genealogical and historical value. Civil suits were generally brought to settle questions of land ownership, unpaid debts, unfulfilled contracts, and unperformed agreements. Suits concerning dower, breach of contract, and slander were frequent. Divorces were included.

Civil cases were usually heard in the District Courts. District courts have county-wide jurisdiction over divorces, felonies, misdemeanors, probate appeals, and civil suits, as well as adoptions since 1931.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records generally contain the following information:


 * Names of interested parties
 * Date of court proceeding or transaction
 * Details of the case
 * Amount of money exchanged or paid
 * Names of witnesses

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The names of interested individuals
 * The approximate date the court case occurred

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:
 * 1) Select Record Category
 * 2) Select Record Type, Volume, and Year Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use a Probate record to identify adoptions, guardians, heirs and relatives
 * Use a probate record to approximate a death date, then find a death certificate
 * For earlier years, use the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records
 * Use the information found in the record to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism and marriage records
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration and land records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well

Record Finder
Consult the Texas Research Tips and Strategies and its Record Finder to search other records.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Texas, Nolan County, Civil Court Minutes and Case Files, 1881-1938." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Nolan County District Clerk Archives, Sweetwater.
 * Collection Citation:

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