Wood County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Wood 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 George T. Wood, governor of Texas from 1847 to 1849. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wood County Courthouse PO Box 338 Quitman, TX 75783-0338 Phone: 903.763.2711 County Clerk has birth and death records Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage,land and probate records from 1879, cemetery and court records, military records from 1918; District Clerk has divorce records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 1796 Quitman 75783 Phone: 903-763-2711 Fax: 903-763-5641

District Clerk

P.O. Box 1707 Quitman 75783 Phone: 903-763-2361

Wood County has had four courthouses. They were built in 1851, 1854, 1883 and 1925, the current courthouse.

History
1824, 1852, 1845 The area was originally Caddo Indian country. The first settler arrived in 1824, the first school opened in 1852 and the first newspaper was published in 1845.

Parent County
1850--Wood County was created 5 February 1850 from Van Zandt County.
 * County seat: Quitman

Boundary Changes
1870--A western section of Wood County was used to form the new Rains County.

Record Loss
1878--Courthouse and all county records were destroyed by fire in December 1878.

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
Camp •  Franklin  •  Hopkins  •  Rains  •  Smith  •  Upshur  •  Van Zandt

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

Local Histories

 * Wood County, 1850–1900, 1976, by the Wood County Historical Society.An overview of Wood County, Texas from roughly 1850 to 1900, includes historical sketches of various aspects of life in the county as well as anecdotes. Genealogical information and documentation are also included for pioneer families in the area. Read the book on line from The Portal to Texas History.
 * History of Mineola, Texas; "Gateway to the Pines", 1973 by Lucille Jones. Read the book online from The Portal to Texas History.
 * Wood County History from The Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site

Military

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

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
 * 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (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 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 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 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  -  FamilySearch record collection

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images] Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by Family Search and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903.
 * 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1964-1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.

Divorce

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

Societies and Libraries
Wood County Genealogical Society PO Box 832 Quitman 75783

The Genealogy Research Room of the Wood County Quitman Public Library 202 E. Goode Street Quitman, Texas Telephone Number: 903-763-4191

Society Mailing Address P.O. Box 832 Quitman, Texas 75783

E-mail:[mailto:wcgstx@gmail.com wcgstx@gmail.com]

Society Facebook Page Link: Wood County Texas Genealogy Research Community

Wood County Texas Web site:

OPHGR Organization for the Preservation of Historical and Genealogical Records, Canton, TX [mailto:pvinson47@aol.com P. Vinson], President;  [mailto:ophgr1@gmail.com email]    Website

These folks go to county courthouses, churches and other places where old documents and records are housed. They either scan the very old records with their oversized scanner or they transcribe those old documents and then publish them as books. Membership is $10.00/year if you have an email address and you get their Newsletter sent to you quarterly. Visit their web site for Publication Listings as well as membership information.

They also host several workshops during the year. Topics include: Beginning Researcher, Internet Research, Beginner Computer Help as well as Native American/Melungeon/African American Research.

Websites

 * 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.