Leon County, Texas Genealogy

United States Texas  Counties L  Leon County

Adopted by TXGenWeb Leon County

Cheryl Burks

County Courthouse
The original Courthouse and County Seat was at Leona. It was organized July 13, 1846. The first court was held at the home of Moses Campbell and then a log courthouse was built. After a heated battle, which included the killing of one man and the wounding of another, the County Seat was moved to Centerville in October 1850.

History
Named for: This county was named for Martin de Leon, a native of Tamaulipas, Mexico who was born in 1765.

Parent County
1846--Leon County was created 17 March 1846 from Robertson County. County seat: Centerville

Record Loss
1885--A fire on the night of November 9, 1885 destroyed the courthouse. After the ashes and debris were cleared away, it was found that the brick remained in good condition and that the brick and two large safes left standing could be refurbished. Many records were lost and I do not know what the contents of the safes were. Most of the records for the county were destroyed.

Populated Places

 * Buffalo, located near the Freestone County line, is the largest community in Leon Co.
 * Centerville, the County Seat
 * Hilltop Lakes
 * Jewett
 * Malvern
 * Marquez
 * Middleton
 * Normangee
 * Nineveh
 * Oakwood
 * Red Branch

Neighboring Counties

 * Anderson
 * Brazos
 * Freestone
 * Houston
 * Limestone
 * Madison
 * Robertson

Cemeteries

 * Leon Co. Cemetery Index

Local Histories

 * A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas, 1883. Digital book on line from the Portal to Texas History.

Maps
Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site.

Vital Records

 * Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
 * Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [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.
 * Marriage Records Brides 1895 - 1910 and various years indexed by brides
 * Marriage Records Grooms 1895 - 1910 and various years indexed by grooms

Societies and Libraries
Leon Co. Genealogical Society P.O. Box 400 Centerville, TX 75833 903-536-2710 Hours of operation: 1PM to 4PM Monday through Friday

Web Sites

 * TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county