Starr County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Starr County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Texas Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for James Harper Starr, who served as Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas. The County is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Starr County Courthouse Rm 201 Rio Grande City, TX 78582 Phone: 956.487.2101 County Clerk has birth records from 1880, death records from 1903, marriage records from 1858, probate records from 1853, land records from 1848, court records from 1932, naturalization records 1883-1898 and military discharge records from 1919

County Clerk

100 N. FM 3167 Ste. 204 Rio Grande City 78582 Phone: 956-716-4800 (Ext: 4827) Fax: 956-716-8161

District Clerk

401 N. Britton Ave. Rm. 304 Rio Grande City 78582 Phone: 956-716-4800

History
1753--The first settlement was in 1753, and was part of Jose de Escandion's Colony.

Parent County
1848--Starr County was created 10 February 1848 from Nueces County.
 * County seat: Rio Grande City.

Boundary Changes
1852 - Large portion of eastern Starr County became Hidalgo County.

1860 - Part of the western portion of Starr County became Zapata County.

1911 - Part of northern Starr County became Brooks County.

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

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
Brooks •  Hidalgo  •  Jim Hogg  •  Zapata

African American

 * 1865-1870 Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (images) - FamilySearch

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

Additional Cemetery Sources
 * Texas Historic Cemeteries
 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
 * Texas Escapes Listing of Texas cemeteries with transcriptions and lots of pictures.

Church

 * List of Starr County Churches~ TXGenWeb
 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in Texas

Lutheran

 * Records of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Escobares, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Land

 * Starr County Land Grant Applications ~  TXGenWeb

Local Histories

 * Starr County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
 * Texas Museums ~  List of all museums in Texas  ~  Hidden Ancestors

Maps

 * 1851 Map of Starr County ~ TXGenWeb
 * 1878 Map of Starr County ~ TXGenWeb
 * 1895 Atlas Starr County TX ~ TXGenWeb
 * Historical Maps ~ From the Republic to the Turn of the Century ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenweb site
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military

 * 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Military Resources ~ Links to research Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Fallen Heroes ~ Partial Index of casualties from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Honoring Our Veterans ~ Partial index of veterans from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * List of Civil War Pension Applications ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1862 - Confederate Citizens of Starr County 1862 ~ TXGenWeb
 * 1861 - 1865 Lists of Civil War Camps and Posts, 1861-1865 ~ USGenWeb Archives Project

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * WWII Casualty List ~ USGenWeb Archives Project

Korean War

 * Korean War Casualties ~ USGenWeb Archives Project

Newspapers

 * Starr County Historical Newspaper Abstracts ~  TXGenWeb
 * Home Town News -  Texas Newspaper Index with links
 * Newslink -  Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
 * The Olden Times  -   Historic Texas News Online

Obituaries

 * Obituary Resources ~ Links to research and locate obituaries ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Texas
 * Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Depot ~ Texas Newspaper Citations
 * Obituary Project ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)

Taxation

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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index)- FamilySearch
 * 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.com — index $
 * 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005  -  Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images] 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 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1903-2000 Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
 * 1964-1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 Texas, Death Index, 1964-1998 - FamilySearch Historical Records Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

 * 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005     Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Starr County Historical Society 301 East 4th Rio Grande City, TX 78582 Website

Rio Grande City Public Library 591 E Canales St Rio Grande City, TX 78582 Telephone Number: 956-487-4389 Website

Society Hill ~  Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies

Family History Centers

 * Rio Grande City Texas Family History Center

Websites

 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
 * USGenWeb Texas Archives Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records.
 * — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.