Ellis County, Texas Genealogy

United States Texas  Counties E  Ellis County

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

County Courthouse
Ellis County Courthouse 115 W Franklin Waxahachie, TX 75165 Phone: 972.923.5070 County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, land, probate, Military and court records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 250 Waxahachie 75168 Phone: 972-825-5070

District Clerk

109 S. Jackson Waxahachie 75165 Phone: 972-825-5091

The County Courthouse is located in Waxahachie.

History
The first settlement was in 1843.

Parent County
1849--Ellis County was created 20 December 1849 from Navarro County. County seat: Waxahachie

The Texas State legislature officially established Ellis County on December 20,1849. The county was named for Richard Ellis, president of the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1836.

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

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Populated Places
Cities and Towns: | Alma | Avalon | | Forreston | Garrett |  | Milford | Oak Leaf |  |  | Bardwell |  |  | Maypearl |  | Ovilla | Pecan Hill |  |

Neighboring Counties
Dallas •  Henderson  •  Hill  •  Johnson  •  Kaufman  •  Navarro  •  Tarrant

African American

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

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

Additional Cemetery Sources

 * Rootsweb-Ancestry Cemetery indexes for Ellis County
 * Gloria B. Mayfield Cemetery Indexes for Ellis County
 * 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
 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions

Church

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1906 - 1989 — index and images

Local Histories

 * History of Ellis County, Texas, 1972.
 * Memorial and Biographical History of Ellis County, 1892 (reprinted as Ellis County History, Fort Worth: Historical Publishers, 1972). Read the book online from The Portal To Texas History.
 * Ellis County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
 * Texas Museums ~  List of all museums in Texas  ~  Hidden Ancestors

Maps



 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * 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.

Military

 * 1838 - 1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1845 - 1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 - FamilySearch
 * Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 - FamilySearch
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * The Texas spirit of '17: a pictorial and biographical record of the gallant and courageous men from Ellis County who served in the Great War, 1919. Book that details the World War I military service of the citizens of Ellis County, including photographs and biographies. Read the book online at the Portal To Texas History.
 * 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
 * 'Confederate P.O.W.'s : soldiers &amp; sailors who died in federal prisons &amp; military hospitals in the North.' (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976),.

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 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images


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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


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

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

 * 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.
 * Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * 1814 - 1909 and 1966 - 2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1837 - 1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 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, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
 * 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 Deaths and Burials 1903 - 1973 (index)  -  FamilySearch
 * 1977 - 1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

 * Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005   ~  Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968 - 2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930

Societies and Libraries
Grand Prairie Genealogical Society P.O. Box 532026 Grand Prairie, TX 75053 website

Ellis County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 479 Waxahachie 75165 website

Ennis Public Library 501 W Ennis Ave Ennis, TX 75119 Phone: (972) 875-5360 Website

Ferris Public Library 514 S Mabel St Ferris, TX 75125 Phone: (972) 544-3696 Website

Ah Meadows Library 923 S 9th St Midlothian, TX 76065 Phone: (972) 775-3417 Website

Nicholas P Sims Library Lyceum 515 W Main St Waxahachie, TX 75165 Phone: (972) 937-2671 Website

Red Oak Public Library 200 Lakeview Pkwy Red Oak, TX 75154 Phone: (469) 218-1230 Website


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

Web Sites

 * 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.