Cameron County, Texas Genealogy

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

Texas Online Genealogy Records

Description
The county was named for Captain Ewen Cameron, a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition. The County is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth, death and military records from 1848, marriage records from 1800, land records from 1845, probate records from 1850 and court records from 1964

County Clerk

P.O. Box 2178 964 E. Harrison St. Brownsville 78520 Phone: 956-544-0815

District Clerk

974 East Harrison St. Brownsville 78520 Phone: 956-544-0848

Cameron County Website

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:

Resources

 * Cameron County Resources~Cameron County, TXGenWeb"

Neighboring Counties
Hidalgo •  Willacy

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

Additional Cemetery Sources


 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions

Church
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

 * Texas Museums ~  List of all museums in Texas  ~  Hidden Ancestors

Maps

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Historical Maps ~  From the Republic to the Turn of the Century  ~  Hidden Ancestors
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military

 * Cameron County Military Resources ~ Cameron County, TXGenWeb


 * Cameron County, Texas Military
 * Military Resources ~ Links to research Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Fallen Heroes ~  Partial Index of casualties from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Honoring Our Veterans ~ Partial index of veterans from Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom ~ Hidden Ancestors

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1838 - 1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Cameron County:


 * May 12-13, 1865 - Palmito Ranch, also known as Palmito Hill
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Texas.

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Home Town News -  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

 * Obituary Resources ~ Links to research and locate obituaries ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Texas
 * Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Depot ~ Texas Newspaper Citations
 * Obituary Project ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Obituary Daily Times ~ Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries (Ancestry)

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 $


 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records Ancestry.com (subscription)
 * Texas Land Title Abstracts ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)

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 Birth Records of Cameron County 1926-1995 from the USGenWeb archives
 * 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 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — 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.com — index $
 * 1966 - 2005 Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966 - 2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1890-1976 with images - How to Use this Collection Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976
 * 1903 - 1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1964 - 1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968 - 2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1977 - 1986 — index - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

 * 1850 - 1930 USGenWeb Census Project ~ Texas 1850 - 1930
 * 1968 - 2001 Divorce Records of Cameron County 1968-2001 from the USGenWeb archives
 * Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968 - 2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Caprock Public Library 104 N 1st St Quitaque, TX 79255 Phone: (806) 455-1225

Links to Texas Genealogical and Historical Societies

Cameron County Genealogy Trails

Family History Centers

 * Brownsville Texas Family History Center
 * Harlingen Texas Family History Center

Websites

 * Cameron County 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.