Texas, County Tax Rolls - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of a selective index to tax rolls for 231 of 254 Texas counties for the years 1837 to 1910.

The years indexed include the first year for each county included prior to 1845, as well as 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1890, 1895, and 1905. The index for this collection is 13% complete. Additional records will be added as they are completed.


 * Since these tax rolls are spaced between Federal censuses, they provide a valuable tool for finding information not found in the censuses. They are even more important as a tool for 1890s as we have very few census records for that time period

There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. Ellis County, 1886, Images 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134 are cut off on the left side. As a result the beginning of the surnames are missing. This problem is present in both the online images and the microfilm copies.

A part of this collection is being indexed in FamilySearch Indexing as a Partner Project with the Texas State Genealogical Society. Governments created tax records that vary in content according to the purpose of the assessment. Most are based on personal property, real estate, and income. Taxes were collected to raise money for a variety of purposes. The tax assessments were made to determine how much money each property owner must pay. Tax records are usually reliable as they are kept by the county clerk who recorded the event at or very near the time it occurred.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Tax rolls
 * Name of owner
 * Assessment number
 * Original grantee
 * Number of acres of land
 * Value
 * Town plot description
 * Name of city or town
 * Kind, number, and value of livestock
 * Kind, quantity, and value of farm commodities
 * Amount of state taxes
 * Amount of county taxes

How Do I Search This 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 name of a parent
 * Date of event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:
 * 1) Select County/Precinct
 * 2) Select Year range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the ages listed to determine approximate birth dates and find the family in the censuses.
 * Use the information found in the record 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.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

I Can’t Find the Person 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.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Texas.
 * Texas Guided Research
 * Texas Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.