Deaf Smith County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Deaf Smith 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 for Erastus "Deaf" Smith[4] (1787–1837), a partially deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution and was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Deaf Smith County Courthouse 235 E. 3rd St., Room 203 Hereford, TX 79045-5515 Phone 806-363-7077 - 806-364-1746 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, probate and court records from 1891, land records from 1882 and military discharge records from 1919; District Clerk has divorce records and doctor records from 1903

The County Clerk's Office is the record keeper of the county. The county records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, military discharges, land records, real estate records, property records, probate, and civil filings.

The Deaf Smith County Clerk has court records, land records, probate records, and marriage records  from 1890, as well as birth and death records from 1903. County Clerk

235 E. 3rd Rm. 203 Hereford 79045 Phone: 806-363-7077 Fax: 806-363-7023 District Clerk

235 E. 3rd Rm. 304 Hereford 79045 Phone: 806-364-3901 Fax: 806-363-7007

History
Deaf Smith County was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith, a famous scout of the Texas Revolution.

Parent County
Deaf Smith County was created 21 August 1876 from Bexar District, but was not organized until 1 December 1890.
 * County seats:
 * 1) 1890-1898- LaPlata
 * 2) 1898-present- Hereford

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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 extends into New Mexico

Neighboring Counties
Castro •  Curry County, New Mexico  •  Oldham  •  Parmer  •  Quay County, New Mexico  •  Randall

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


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

Census

 * USGenWeb Census Project - Deaf Smith County, TX

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1906-1989 — index and images

Local Histories

 * The land and its people, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas, 1982 by the Deaf Smith County Historical Society, a history book featuring local history, photographs, illustrations, and biographies. Digital book online from The Portal to Texas History.
 * A History of Deaf Smith County, 1964, by Bessie Patterson. Digital book on line from the Portal to Texas History.
 * Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Hustlin' Heritage 75, 1973 by the Hereford Jubilee Book Committee, a brief history of the town of Hereford with pages devoted to individuals, organizations, and businesses. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
 * Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Texas, 1970 by the Hereford Chamber of Commerce, a brief sketch of the city of Hereford, Texas with photographs. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
 * Hereford Tornado, 1971, by Mike Waltrip, a brief description of the damages caused by the tornado that hit Hereford, Texas on April 19, 1971, followed by photographs of the damage that occurred throughout the town. Digital book online from the Portal to Texas History.
 * Deaf Smith County History from the Handbook of Texas Online

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. 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 at Ancestry — index and images $

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

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 (Ancestry)

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records

The Deaf Smith County Clerk probate records. They are located at 235 E. 3rd St., Room 203, Hereford, TX 79045-5515; Telephone: 806-363-7077.
 * 1800–1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800–2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840 - 1981 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 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


 * 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 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 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 to 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 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1964 - 1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection  Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates for 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 at Ancestry — index $

Societies and Libraries
Deaf Smith County Genealogical Society 211 East 4th St. Hereford 79045 Website

Deaf Smith County Historical Museum 400 Sampson Street PO Box 1007 Hereford, TX 79045 Telephone Number:806-363-7070 Website

Deaf Smith County Library 211 E 4th St Hereford, TX 79045 Telephone Number: 806-364-1206 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Amarillo Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Borger Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Clovis New Mexico FamilySearch Center
 * Pampa Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Tucumcari New Mexico FamilySearch Center


 * Amarillo Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * 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.