Texas, County Tax Rolls - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This collection includes records for the years 1837 to 1910.

Record Description
Entries are handwritten on pre-printed pages. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.

Ellis County, 1886, Images 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134 are cut off on the left side. As a result the beginning of the surnames are missing. This problem is present in both the online images and the microfilm copies.

Record Content
Genealogical information in Texas tax records include:


 * Name of owner
 * Assessment number
 * Original grantee
 * Number of acres of land
 * Value
 * Town plot description
 * Name of city or town
 * Kind, number, and value of livestock
 * Kind, quantity, and value of farm commodities
 * Amount of state taxes
 * Amount of county taxes

How to Use This Record
Tax records are usually used to supplement census records. Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index to the assessments. Use the locator information in the index (such as page number or assessment number) to locate your ancestors in the assessment rolls. Compare the information in the assessment to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor in the assessment rolls, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may be new details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Tax assessments identify the name and residence of the taxpayer. This information can help you locate land records and census records.
 * The description of the real estate, number of acres owned, types of buildings, identifiable personal property, and the farm animals can help you determine an occupation: someone living at a church is probably a minister; someone with several acres of land or many farm animals is probably a farmer; someone living on the same property as the school may be a teacher; someone living above or behind a store is probably a merchant. Occupations can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as school or church records.
 * Following an ancestor through the assessment rolls can help you establish a family migration pattern or identify the year an individual moved into an area or left the area.
 * The assessment rolls can also indicate that an individual died. Use the last known tax year as an approximate death year. Use the death year and residence to locate death or probate records.

Some other tips to keep in mind are:


 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all individuals with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.
 * Other family members may have lived nearby so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the assessment rolls.

Record History
Governments created tax records that vary in content according to the purpose of the assessment. Most are based on personal property, real estate, and income.

A part of this collection is being indexed in FamilySeach Indexing as a Partner Project with the Texas State Genealogical Society.

Why This Record Was Created
Taxes were collected to raise money for a variety of purposes. The tax assessments were made to determine how much money each property owner must pay.

Record Reliability
Tax records are usually reliable as they are kept by the county clerk who recorded the event at or very near the time it occurred.

Related Web Sites
Texas State Library and Archives

Related Wiki Articles
Texas Taxation

Known Issues with the Collection
Problem #1 - Some images are cut off and difficult to read. This is due to the quality of the original records, not the filming.

Sources of Information for This Collection
Texas County Tax Records, 1837-1910, database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/); from Texas State Library and Archives, Austin. FHL microfilm 423 rolls, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"Texas County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910." index and images, FamilySearch : accessed April 7, 2011. entry for Tony Bachel, citing Tax Rolls; Baylor County, 1893, image 5, number 14; Texas State Library and Archives, Austin, Texas.