Hardin County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Hardin 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 the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hardin County Courthouse PO Box 38 Kountze, TX 77625 Phone:409.246.5185

County Clerk has birth records from 1892, marriage, death and land records from 1859 and probate records from 1888; District Clerk has divorce records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 38 Kountze 77625 Phone: 409-246-5185

District Clerk

P.O. Box 2997 Kountze Phone: 409-246-5150

History
1832--The first Anglo-American settlement was in 1832.

Parent County
1858--Hardin County was created 22 January 1858 from Jefferson and Liberty Counties.
 * County seat:
 * 1) 1858-1887-Hardin
 * 2) 1887-present-Kountze

Record Loss
1886 -- The County Courthouse at Hardin, Texas caught fire on August 8, 1886. Some records were destroyed including the assessment rolls of the county, surveyor's records, and the county judge's records, including the probate records. The only records that may have been saved were those that were stored in an iron safe. After the fire, the county seat was moved from Hardin to Kountze.

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
Jasper •  Jefferson  •  Liberty  •  Orange  •  Polk  •  Tyler

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Land

 * 1840-1920: at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Maps

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb 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.com — index and images $

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 Hardin County, Civil War Pensions, 1899-1940 - Confederate

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
 * 1882-1939 - at FamilySearch - images and index - How to Use this Collection

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.com — 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.com — index $
 * 1966 - 2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1890-1976 - FamilySearch - 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.com — index and images $
 * 1908-1948 - FamilySearch - How to use this collection — index
 * 1964-1998 - FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection — index. Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 1977 - 1986 — index - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index) - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968 - 2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Hardin County Genealogy Library 220 W. Main St. Kountze, Texas 409-767-0423 Website

Family History Centers

 * Beaumont Texas Family History Center
 * Buna Texas Family History Center
 * Cleveland Texas Family History Center
 * Fred Texas Family History Center
 * Kingwood Texas Family History Center
 * Orange Texas Family History Center
 * Silsbee Texas Family History Center


 * Hardin County Genealogy Society of Texas - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Hardin County, Texas 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.