Zapata County, Texas Genealogy

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County Courthouse
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
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.

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

Neighboring Counties

 * Jim Hogg
 * Starr
 * Webb 

Cemeteries

 * 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

 * 1890 Union Veteran Schedule for Zapata County
 * 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

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

 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~  Ancestry.com  (subscription)

Vital Records

 * Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 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.
 * Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005  ~  Hidden Ancestors
 * Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005   ~  Hidden Ancestors
 * USGenWeb Census Project ~ Texas 1850 - 1930

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

Web Sites

 * Zapata County TXGenWeb
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
 * Hidden Ancestors Information on Texas genealogy research as well as genealogy research in general.
 * USGenWeb Texas Archives Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records.