Zapata County, Texas Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Zapata County Courthouse PO Box 789 Zapata, TX 78076 Phone: 956.765.9915 County Clerk has birth records 1870’s-1930’s, marriage and land records from 1800’s, probate and court records from 1900’s; District Clerk divorce records; Just of Peace Office has birth records from 1930’s and death records

County Clerk

200 E. 7th Ave. Ste. 138 Zapata 78076 Phone: 956-765-9916

District Clerk

P.O. Box 788 Zapata 78076 Phone: 956-765-9930 Fax: 956-765-9931

Zapata County has had four courthouses, built in 1874, 1901, 1953 and the current courthouse, 2005.

Zapata County Courthouse County Clerk's Office Mary Jayne Villarreal-Bonoan - County Clerk 200 E. 7th Avenue, Ste. 138 P.O. Box 789 Zapata, TX 78076 Phone: 956-765-9915 Fax: 956-765-9933 Zapata County Government website

History
1750 and 1848-- Spanish settlers arrived in 1750. The Texas claim to this land was assured under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

Parent County
1858--Zapata County was created 22 January 1858 from Starr and Webb Counties.
 * County seat: Zapata

Record Loss
1863--Most, if not all, county records were destroyed during military action in 1863.

Places / Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Populated Places
Escobas | Falcon | Lopeño | San Ygnacio | Ramireño | Zapata

Neighboring Counties
Jim Hogg •  Starr  •  Webb 

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

 * Tombstone Transcription Project ~ Partial transcription of cemetery tombstones ~ USGenWeb
 * Texas Historic Cemeteries ~ Partial indexes to 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

 * Lopeno Church
 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in Texas

Local Histories

 * Texas' Last Frontier: A Brief History of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1917, by Frank Cushman Pierce.
 * Zapata County Roots Revisited, 1990 by Jean Y. Fish.
 * Zapata County Centennial Celebration, 1858–1958, published in 1958, by the Zapata County Centennial Commission.
 * Falcon Dam and the Lost Towns of Zapata, 1971 by Patsy Jeanne Byfield.
 * Zapata County History from the Handbook of Texas Online
 * Texas Museums ~  List of all museums in Texas  ~  Hidden Ancestors

Maps



 * Zapata County Maps
 * Historical Maps ~  From the Republic to the Turn of the Century  ~  Hidden Ancestors
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site

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
 * 1890 Union Veteran Schedule for Zapata County

Newspapers

 * 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 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index)- FamilySearch

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1837-1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1837-1977 Texas County Marriage Records, 1837-1977 - FamilySearch. Index to a variety of marriage records (registers, licenses, intentions to marry, etc.) from select counties in Texas.
 * 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005  -  Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  -  FamilySearch record collection

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 Family Search 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

Societies and Libraries
Southwest Texas Genealogical Society PO Box 295 Uvalde 78802

Zapata County Historical Commission Box 6305 Zapata, TX 78076


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

Websites

 * Zapata County TXGenWeb
 * 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.