Willacy County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Willacy 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 state senator John G. Willacy. The County is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Willacy County Courthouse Courthouse Annex Building 190 North 3rd Street Raymondville, Texas 78580 Phone: 956.689.2710 County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, probate and court records from 1921 and land records from 1891

County Clerk

540 W. Hidalgo St. Raymondville 78580 Phone: 956-689-2710

District Clerk

546 W. Hidalgo St. Raymondville 78580 Phone: 956-689-2532 Fax: 956-689-5713

Willacy County's first courthouse is now located in Kenedy County. When Willacy County was organized in 1911, Sarita was selected as the county seat. In 1917, construction began on a three-story Classic Revival style courthouse. In 1921, Kenedy County was organized out of the northern part of Willacy County; Sarita and the new courthouse were now part of Kenedy County. Raymondville was selected as the county seat; and construction began on a new courthouse, a Classic Revival style building is a grand three-story brick structure with limestone details. This courthouse continues to serve Willacy County.

Willacy County Courthouse County Clerk - Hon. Terry Flores 576 W. Main St. Raymondville, Texas 78580 Office (956) 689-2710 Fax (956) 689-9849 Willacy County Government Website

Parent County
1911--Willacy County was created 11 March 1911 from Hidalgo and Cameron Counties.
 * County seat: Sarita, 1911-1921; Raymondville, 1921-present.

Boundary Changes
1921 -- Northern part of Willacy County became Kenedy County.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Cameron •  Hidalgo  •  Kenedy

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

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Local Histories

 * Texas' Last Frontier: A Brief History of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1917; reprinted, 1962; by Frank Cushman Pierce, Rio Grande Valley Historical Society.
 * The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, 1954, by J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh.
 * A Century of Service: The History of the Catholic Church in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1979, by Gilberto Rafael and Martha Oppert Cruz.
 * Willacy 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 1838-1900 at Ancestry — index and images $

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
Online Newspapers
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Taxation

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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840 - 1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1935 (images and index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1997 (index only) - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837 - 1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837 - 1977 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1966 - 2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1890-1976 with images - How to Use this Collection Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by FamilySearch and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903.
 * 1903 - 1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1964 - 1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1968 - 2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index $

Societies and Libraries
Reber Memorial Library 193 N 4th St Raymondville, TX 78580 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Harlingen Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Hidalgo Texas FamilySearch Center
 * La Joya Texas FamilySearch Center
 * McAllen Texas West FamilySearch Center
 * Mission Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Weslaco/Mercedes Texas FamilySearch Center

Websites

 * Willacy County TXGenWeb
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
 * — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.