Stephens County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Stephens 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 Buchanan County, after U.S. President James Buchanan, but was renamed in 1861 for Alexander H. Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Stephens County Courthouse 200 West Walker Breckenridge, Texas 76424 Phone: 254.559.3700

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage records from 1876, probate records from 1886 and land records from 1858; District Clerk has divorce and court records

County Clerk

200 W. Walker Breckenridge 76424 Phone: 254-559-3700 Fax: 254-559-5892

District Clerk

200 W. Walker Breckenridge 76424 Phone: 254-559-3151 Fax: 254-559-8127

History
1857-- The first white settler arrived in 1857.

Parent County
1858--Stephens County was created 22 January 1858 from Bosque County. It was originally called Buchanan County, until the name changed 17 December 1861.
 * County seat: Breckenridge

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:

Neighboring Counties
Callahan •  Eastland  •  Palo Pinto  •  Shackelford  •  Throckmorton  •  Young

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

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Maps

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

 * Newspaper Articles at TXGenWeb.
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Obituaries

 * Obits at TXGenWeb.

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 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

Births

 * 1903-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriages

 * 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 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 — index $
 * 1966-2010 FamilySearch record collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * Marriages at TXGenWeb.

Deaths

 * 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 — index and images $
 * 1964-1998 (no images) Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Death Certificates at TXGenWeb.

Divorces

 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Stephens County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 350 Breckenridge, TX 76424 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Abilene Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Burleson Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Cleburne Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Fort Worth Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Graham Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Granbury Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Mineral Wells Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Stephenville Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Weatherford Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Brownwood Texas Genealogical Library - an affiliate library
 * Fort Worth Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Grapevine Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Southlake Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Williams Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * 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.