Texas Court Records

Major Texas courts that kept records of genealogical value were established as follows:

Commissioners courts are county-wide courts that have kept records of taxes, juries, county financial affairs, and police matters. These files often include records of other courts, such as county courts. The Family History Library has commissioners courts records for some Texas counties. From Bexar County, for example, the library has the county commissioners' minutes from 1837 to 1909.

District courts have county-wide jurisdiction over divorces, felonies, misdemeanors, probate appeals, and civil suits, as well as adoptions since 1931. The Family History Library has district court records for half of the Texas counties, often dating to the early 1900s. From Bexar County, for example, the library has microfilm copies of San Antonio court minutes from 1837 to 1911. The original records are in the various county courthouses.

County courts have been established in each county and have jurisdiction over major criminal cases, civil matters, and some naturalizations. A judge oversees matters and a county clerk keeps the records. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of county court records from many counties of Texas. From Galveston County, for example, county court minutes are available from 1867 to 1908.

Web Sites:
http://www.state.tx.us/category.jsp?categoryId=6.3