Hardin County, Texas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hardin County Courthouse PO Box 38 Kountze, TX 77625 Phone:409.246.5185

County Clerk has birth records from 1892, marriage, death and land records from 1859 and probate records from 1888; District Clerk has divorce records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 38 Kountze 77625 Phone: 409-246-5185

District Clerk

P.O. Box 2997 Kountze Phone: 409-246-5150

History
1832--The first Anglo-American settlement was in 1832.

Parent County
1858--Hardin County was created 22 January 1858 from Jefferson and Liberty Counties.
 * County seat:
 * 1) 1858-1887-Hardin
 * 2) 1887-present-Kountze

Record Loss
1886 -- The County Courthouse at Hardin, Texas caught fire on August 8, 1886. Some records were destroyed including the assessment rolls of the county, surveyor's records, and the county judge's records, including the probate records. The only records that may have been saved were those that were stored in an iron safe. After the fire, the county seat was moved from Hardin to Kountze.

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
Jasper •  Jefferson  •  Liberty  •  Orange  •  Polk  •  Tyler

Maps

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site

Military

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

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

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

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


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

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.com — index $
 * 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 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 FamilySearch 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 $
 * 1964-1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] 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 (index) - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $

Family History Centers
Hardin County Genealogical Society 335 Santa Fe Silsbee 77656

Hardin County Historical and Genealogical Society Post Office Box 1230 Kountze, Texas 77657 Telephone Number: 409-755-1128


 * Silsbee Texas Family History Center

Websites

 * Hardin County, Texas TXGenWeb
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county
 * The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.