Waller County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Waller 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 Edwin Waller, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first mayor of Austi. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Waller County Courthouse 836 Austin Street #217 Hempstead, Texas 77445-4667 Phone: 979.826.7711 Phone: 1-800-901-4412. County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, probate, court and land records from 1873

County Clerk

836 Austin St.; Rm 217 Hempstead 77445 Phone: 979-826-7711

District Clerk

836 Austin St.; Rm 318 Hempstead 77445 Phone: 979-826-7735

There have been 4 courthouses in Waller County. The first courthouse was in a rented frame building. In 1877, the first brick courthouse was built, and was in use until it burned in 1892. In 1894, a new courthouse was built. The 1894 courthouse served the county until it was demolished in 1954 after the current courthouse opened.

History
1821--The area was part of Stephen F. Austin's first colony, with the first settlement occurring around 1821.

Parent County
1873--Waller County was created 28 April 1873 from Austin and Grimes Counties.'''
 * County seat: Hempstead

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
Austin •  Fort Bend  •  Grimes  •  Harris  •  Montgomery  •  Washington

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

Census

 * 1880 Census for Waller County, census images from archive.org
 * 1900 Census for Waller County, transcribed from the USGenWeb Archives; census images from archive.org.
 * 1910 Census for Waller County, transcribed from the USGenWeb Archives; census images from archive.org.
 * 1920 Census for Waller County, transcribed from the USGenWeb Archives; census images from archive.org.
 * 1930 Census for Waller County, census images from archive.org.

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Local Histories

 * Liendo Plantation, 1977 by Carrie B. Coss, Waller County Historical Commission.
 * A History of Waller County, Texas, 1973 by Waller County Historical Survey Committee. Available from the Waller County Historical Museum
 * Forgotten Places of Waller County. Available from the Waller County Historical Museum
 * Waller County Whatnot. Available from the Waller County Historical Museum
 * Books available from the Waller County Historical Museum.
 * Waller County History from The Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military

 * 1838 - 1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry — index and images $

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * The Waller Times Newspaper
 * 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 $

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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

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

Death
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 * 1890-1976 with images - How to Use this Collection 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 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1964 - 1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection 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

 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1968-2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index $

Societies and Libraries
Waller County Historical Society PO Box 438 Waller, TX 77484-0438 Website

Waller County Historical Museum 906 Cooper PO Box 1548 Brookshire, TX 77423 Telephone Number: 281-934-2826 Website

Chaparral Genealogical Society 310 North Live Oak, PO Box 606 Tomball, TX 77377-0606 Telephone Number:281-516-7417 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bear Creek Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Fallbrook Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Houston Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Katy Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Melbourne Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Pasadena Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Pine Trails Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Richmond Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Shadowdale Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Houston Public Library Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Waller County TXGenWeb, maps, history and other information for Waller County.
 * — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.