Texas, Eastland County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in the Collection?
This collection includes the following types of court records:


 * Naturalization certificates
 * Petitions
 * Declarations of intent
 * Civil proceedings
 * Indexes to Civil proceedings

The early volumes are handwritten in book format. Later records are handwritten or typed on blank pages or pre-printed forms. This collection covers the years 1868 to 1949.

Counties generally begin recording court proceedings as soon as the court is organized. Court records are made as a permanent record of the court proceedings. Naturalization is the process of granting citizenship privileges and responsibilities to foreign-born residents. The counties recorded naturalization procedures in the court records as legal proof of citizenship.

Information that was current at the time the record was made are usually reliable. However, there was always a chance for misinformation. Errors may have occurred because of the informant’s lack of knowledge or because of transcription errors.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The civil and criminal proceedings generally include the following information:


 * Names of interested parties
 * Names of jurors
 * Names of witnesses
 * Proceeding dates
 * Name and title of presiding officer

The Declaration of Intent and Naturalization Petitions usually included the following:


 * Name
 * Arrival date
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Age
 * Race
 * Last foreign residence
 * Current residence
 * Arrival place
 * Names of witnesses
 * Signature of judge or court official

Naturalization proceedings after 1906 usually included the following additional details:


 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse
 * Maiden name of wife
 * Birth date of spouse
 * Residence of spouse
 * Date of Declaration of Intent or Naturalization

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The location or date of the event

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What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were usually family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
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Known Issues With This Collection
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Citing This Collection
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