Hidalgo County, Texas Genealogy

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

Texas Online Genealogy Records

County Courthouse
Hidalgo County Courthouse County Clerk's Office 100 N. Closner P O Box 58 Edinburg, TX 78540 Phone: (956) 318-2100

County Clerk has birth, marriage, death, probate, court and land records; Distric Clerk has divorce records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 58 Edinburg 78540 Phone: 956-318-2100 Fax: 956-318-2105

District Clerk

P.O. Box 487 Edinburg 78540 Phone: 956-318-2200

Hidalgo County has had four county seats: Edinburgh, Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Chapin (Edinburg). In 1852, the town of La Habitacion was renamed Edinburgh and became the county seat. Later, the name of the town was changed to Hidalgo. After a severe flood in 1886, the town was moved two miles north. Later, Edinburgh was moved away from the Rio Grande River - the present site and town of Hidalgo. In 1908, the town of Chapin became the county seat. In 1911, the town's name was changed to Edinburg.

The last county courthouse in Hidalgo is still standing. Built in 1886, the building was once two story with a cupola; after a fire in the early 1900s, the building was repaired and rebuilt as one story.

The 1908 Courthouse at Edinburg served the county for nearly 50 years. It was torn down in 1954, after the opening of the current modern structure.

History
1750 and 1883--Spanish mission and settlements were established by 1750 and Anglo-American settlements by 1883.

Parent County
1852--Hidalgo County was created 24 January 1852 from Cameron and Starr Counties.
 * County seat: Edinburg

The county was named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, (1753-1811). Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest known as the "father of Mexican independence," was born on May 8, 1753, at his father's hacienda near Guanajuato, Mexico.

Record Loss
1886--Flood destroyed the town of Hidalgo, which at that time was the county seat. Presumably, the courthouse was also destroyed or heavily damaged.

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
Brooks •  Cameron  •  Kenedy  •  Starr  •  Willacy

African American

 * 1865 - 1870 (images) - How to Use this Collection
 * African American Griots ~ USGenWeb
 * AfriGeneas ~ African Ancestored Genealogy
 * Texas African American Genealogy ~ Access Genealogy

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Sources


 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries

Census

 * 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas

Church
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in Texas
 * FamilySearch Places

Land

 * Land Survey Abstract Indicies ~  USGenWeb Archives Project

Local Histories

 * The Centennial Celebration of the Organization of Hidalgo County in Texas, 1952, by the Hidalgo County Centennial Corporation
 * The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, 1954, by J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh.
 * Hidalgo County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military

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

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission
 * Civil War Pension Applications ~ USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Confederate Census Applications USGenWeb Archives
 * Union Texas Volunteers 1st Regiment Hidalgo County TXGenWeb site
 * 1890 Veterans Schedule Census for Hidalgo County Hidalgo County TXGenWeb site

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * Hidalgo County World War II Casualties (Four pages of names, be sure to click "next" at the bottom of the page to reach the name you are looking for). Access Genealogy website

Korean War

 * Hidalgo County Korean War Casualties ~ USGenWeb Archives Project

Newspapers

 * w3newspapers -  Texas Newspaper Index with links
 * Newslink -  Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
 * The Olden Times  -   Historic Texas News Online
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Obituaries

 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Texas
 * Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)

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


 * 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


 * 1800-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 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

 * 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 FamilySearch 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 $
 * 1903 - 2000 (index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 $

Libraries
Alamo Public Library 416 N Tower Rd Alamo, TX 78516 Telephone Number: 956-787-6160 Facebook

Donna Public Library 301 S Main St Donna, TX 78537 Telephone Number: 956-464-2221 Website

Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library 1906 S Closner Blvd Edinburg, TX 78539 Telephone Number: 956-383-6246 Website

Elsa Public Library 711 N Hidalgo St Elsa, TX 78543 Telephone Number: 956-262-3061 Website

Hidalgo Public Library 710 E Texano Dr Hidalgo, TX 78557 Telephone Number: 956-843-2093 Website

La Joya Municipal Library 925 S Leo Ave La Joya, TX 78560 Telephone Number: 956-581-4533 Website

McAllen Memorial Library 601 N Main St McAllen, TX 78501 Telephone Number: 956-688-3300 Website

Mercedes Memorial Library 434 S Ohio St Mercedes, TX 78570 Telephone Number: 956-565-2371 Website

Pharr Memorial Library 121 E Cherokee Ave Pharr, TX 78577 Telephone Number: 956-787-3966 Website

Speer Memorial Library 801 E 12th St Mission, TX 78572 Telephone Number: 956-580-8750 Website

San Juan Public Library 1010 S Standard Ave San Juan, TX 78589 Telephone Number: 956-702-0926 Website

Weslaco Public Library 525 S Kansas Ave Weslaco, TX 78596 Telephone Number: 956-968-4533 Facebook

Museums
Museum of South Texas History 200 N. Closner Blvd. Edinburg, Texas 78541 Telephone Number: 956-383-6911 Website The museum's Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archive holds an extensive collection of regional items, including maps, newspapers, books, genealogical material, audiovisual and digital material, and the largest collection of historical photographs within the lower Rio Grande Valley.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Brownsville Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Harlingen Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Hidalgo Texas FamilySearch Center
 * La Joya Texas FamilySearch Center
 * McAllen Texas West FamilySearch Center
 * Mission Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Rio Grande City Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Weslaco/Mercedes Texas FamilySearch Center


 * Central West Libraries - Forbes Library Branch - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Hidalgo County Archives USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Hidalgo County TXGenWeb Site
 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
 * USGenWeb Texas Archives Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records
 * The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.