Gregg County, Texas Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Gregg County Courthouse 101 E Methvin Street; PO Box 3049; Longview, TX 75606-3049 Phone: 903.236.8430

County Clerk has birth, marriage, court and land records from 1873, death records from 1900 and probate records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 3049 Longview 75606 Phone: 903-236-8430 Fax: 903-237-2574

District Clerk

P.O. Box 711 Longview 75606 Phone: 903-237-2663 Fax: 903-236-8474

Gregg County has had three courthouses. The first courthouse, built in part with native sandstone from nearby Methvin Hill, was designed by F. E. Ruffini and completed in 1879. The second courthouse was built of red brick in 1897 on the site of the 1879 courthouse. The current courthouse was built in 1932.

Gregg County Government Website

''Inventory of the County Archives of Texas : Gregg County, 1940. ''Inventory of records housed in the Gregg County Courthouse as of 1937. Describes the records of the County Commissioners Court, County Clerk as Recorder, District Courts, County Court, Justice of the Peace Courts, Criminal District Attorney, Sheriff, Constables, Tax Assessor-Collector, Board of Equalization, County Treasurer, County Auditor, County Board of School Trustees, County School Superintendent, County Surveyor, County Health Officer, and Board of Managers of County Hospital. Digital book online from The Portal to Texas History.

History
1838--Settlement started around 1838.

Parent County
1873--Gregg County was created 12 April 1873 from Rusk and Upshur Counties. The Texas legislature planned to call the new county Roanoke, but during passage of the legislation the name was changed to Gregg, in honor of Confederate war hero John B. Gregg.
 * County seat: Longview

Boundary Changes
1874-- Gregg County was extended southward to take in a portion of northern Rusk County by act of legislature, 30 Apr 1874.

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Neighboring Counties
Harrison •  Rusk  •  Smith  •  Upshur

African American

 * 1865-1870 Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (images) - FamilySearch

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
 * Texas Escapes Listing of Texas cemeteries with transcriptions and lots of pictures.

Church

 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in Texas

Land

 * 1977-2011 Gregg County Real Estate Index from the Gregg County Clerk's Office.

Local Histories

 * 1800's-1900's Gregg County History from the Gregg County Government Website.
 * Gregg County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
 * Texas Museums ~ List of all museums in Texas ~ Hidden Ancestors

Maps

 * 1914 Map of Angelina, Gregg, Harrison, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith &amp; Trinity at www.rootsweb.com


 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * 1887 Gregg County 1887 General Land Office Map from the Portal to Texas History.
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site

Military

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission

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

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

Probate
Online Probate 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)

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * Gregg County Birth Index from the Gregg County Clerk's Office
 * 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index (index) - FamilySearch

Marriage

 * 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * Gregg County Marriage Index from the Gregg County Clerk's Office
 * 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 Texas Marriage Collection at Ancestry.com — 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 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1873-1876 Gregg County, Texas marriage record 
 * 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages - FamilySearch record collection

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1790-1928 Gregg County, Texas cemetery records
 * 1890-1976 Texas Death Records [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 Texas Deaths and Burials (index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1903-2000 Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
 * 1964-1998 Texas Death Index d Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Gregg County Death Index from the Gregg County Clerk's Office

Divorce

 * 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces at Ancestry.com — index $

Census Records

 * 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project ~ Texas

Societies and Libraries
Gregg County Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 2985 Longview 75606-2985

East Texas Genealogical Society PO Box 6967 Tyler, TX 75711 Website

Family History Centers

 * Longview Texas Family History Center
 * Society Hill ~  Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies

Websites

 * Gregg County, Texas GenWeb
 * 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.