Fayette County, Texas Genealogy

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



Description
The county was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman who became an American Revolutionary War hero. The County is located in the southeast central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Fayette County Courthouse PO Box 59 La Grange, TX 78945-2657 Phone:979.968.3251

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, probate and land records from 1838; District Clerk has divorce records from 1838

County Clerk

P.O. Box 59 La Grange 78945 Phone: 979-968-3251

District Clerk

151 N. Washington St. Rm. 102 La Grange 78945 Phone: 409-968-3548

History


Part of Stephen F. Austin's Colony.

The county is named after Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834).

Parent County
1837--Fayette County was created 14 December 1837 from Bastrop and Colorado Counties. County seat: La Grange namesake: Marquis de Lafayette

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
Austin •  Bastrop  •  Colorado  •  Gonzales  •  Lavaca  •  Lee  •  Washington

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
 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions

Church

 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel

Catholic

 * Catholic Parishes in Texas

Lutheran

 * Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Round Top


 * Records of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Round Top, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).


 * St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Fayetteville


 * Records of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Fayetteville, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Local Histories

 * Fayette County: Her History and Her People, 1902, by Frank Lotto. Digitized Book online from archive.org.
 * An Early History of Fayette County, 1936, by Leonie Rummel Weyand and Houston Wade.
 * Chronicles of Fayette, 1975 by Julia Lee Sinks.
 * Texas Museums ~  List of all museums in Texas  ~  Hidden Ancestors

Maps

 * 1843 Fayette County 1843 from The Portal to Texas History
 * 1865 Fayette County 1865 from The Portal to Texas History
 * 1871 Fayette County 1871 from The Portal to Texas History
 * 1880 LaGrange 1880 Panoramic Map from the Amon Carter Museum.
 * 1880 Fayette County 1840 from The Portal to Texas History
 * 1881 Flatonia 1881 Panoramic Map from the Amon Carter Museum.
 * 1940 Fayette County General Highway Map 1940 from the Texas
 * 1961 Fayette County General Highway Map 1961 from the Texas
 * 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.

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
 * Fayette County World War I Veterans Plaque

World War II

 * Fayette County World War II Veterans Plaque

Korean War

 * Fayette County Korean and Vietnam Veteran's Plaque

Newspapers

 * Fayette County Newspapers selected issues of The Texas Monument 1850-1852, The True Issue 1856-1864, The LaGrange New Era 1871, The Fayette County Record 1873-1876, Slovan 1880, and the Lagrange Intelligencer 1884, from The Portal to Texas History.
 * Fayette County Record newspaper
 * Flatonia Argus newspaper
 * 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


 * 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index (index) - FamilySearch

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.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 $
 * 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages - FamilySearch record collection

Death
Online Death Indexes and 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 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

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


 * 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930

Societies and Libraries
Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives 855 South Jefferson Street La Grange, Texas78945 Telephone Number: 979-968-3765 or 979-968-6418 website

Fayette Public Library 855 S Jefferson La Grange, TX 78945 Telephone Number: 979-968-3765 Website

Schulenburg Public Library 700 Bohlmann Ave Schulenburg, TX 78956 Telephone Number: 979-743-3345

Round Top Family Library 206 W Mill St Round Top, TX 78954 Telephone Number: 979-249-2700 Website

Family History Centers

 * Society Hill Links and addresses to Texas genealogical and historical societies

Websites

 * Fayette County TXGenWeb Site
 * Fayette County, TXGenWebTXGenWeb 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.