Willacy County, Texas Genealogy

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Adopted by TXGenWeb Willacy County                    David Pitt

County Courthouse
Willacy County's first courthouse is now located in Kenedy County. When Willacy County was organized in 1911, Sarita was selected as the county seat. In 1917, construction began on a three-story Classic Revival style courthouse. In 1921, Kenedy County was organized out of the northern part of Willacy County; Sarita and the new courthouse were now part of Kenedy County. Raymondville was selected as the county seat; and construction began on a new courthouse, a Classic Revival style building is a grand three-story brick structure with limestone details. This courthouse continues to serve Willacy County.

Willacy County Courthouse County Clerk - Hon. Terry Flores 576 W. Main St. Raymondville, Texas 78580 Office (956) 689-2710 Fax (956) 689-9849 Willacy County Government Website

Parent County
1911--Willacy County was created 11 March 1911 from Hidalgo and Cameron Counties. County seat: Sarita, 1911-1921; Raymondville, 1921-present.

Boundary Changes
1921 -- Northern part of Willacy County became Kenedy County.

Populated Places
Bausell | Ellis | Lasara | Los Coyotes | Lyford | Porfirio | Port Mansfield | Raymondville | Santa Monica | San Perlita | Sebastian | Willamar

Neighboring Counties

 * Cameron
 * Hidalgo
 * Kenedy

Local Histories

 * Texas' Last Frontier: A Brief History of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1917; reprinted, 1962; by Frank Cushman Pierce, Rio Grande Valley Historical Society.
 * The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, 1954, by J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh.
 * A Century of Service: The History of the Catholic Church in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1979, by Gilberto Rafael and Martha Oppert Cruz.
 * Willacy County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps
Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site.

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.

Web Sites

 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county