Collin County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Collin 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 Collin McKinney (1766-1861), one of the five men who drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and the oldest of the 59 men who signed it. The County is located in the northeast-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Collin County Courthouse 210 S McDonald Street Ste 124 McKinney, TX 75069-5655; Phone: 972.548.413 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, court record to 1970, marriage and probate records; District Clerk has divorce and land records County Clerk

2300 Bloomdale Road, Suite 2106 McKinney, TX 75071 Phone: 972-548-4139 District Clerk

P.O. Box 578 McKinney, TX 75069 Phone: 972-548-4320

Parent County
1846--Collin County was created 3 April 1846 from Fannin County.
 * County seat: McKinney

The county was named for Collin McKinney, (1766-1861), land surveyor, merchant, politician, and lay preacher, was born on April 17, 1766, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, second of ten children of Daniel and Massie (Blatchley) McKinney (many variants of his mother's names occur in the sources).

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
Dallas •  Denton  •  Fannin  •  Grayson  •  Hunt  •  Rockwall

African American

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

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

Church

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1906 - 1989 — index and images

Local Histories

 * Collin County: Pioneering in North Texas, 1975, by Roy Franklin Hall and Helen Gibbard Hall.
 * From Blackland Prairie to Blacktop: a History of Collin County, by Randolph W. Farmer.
 * A History of Collin County, 1958, by J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh. Read it on line from The Portal to Texas History.
 * History of Frisco, 1902-1976, published by Frisco Bicentennial Society
 * History of McKinney and Collin County, written for the Encyclopedia of Texas, 1924, pamphlet. Read it online from The Portal to Texas History.
 * History of Nevada, Texas. by Grace (Moran) Evans.
 * Images of America: McKinney, 2010 by Ryan Barnhart and Ryan Estes. See part of the book online at Google Books.
 * Plano: an Illustrated Chronicle, by Vicki Northcutt.
 * Prosper, Texas its History and Families, by Bill Hays.
 * Scrapbook of Traditions, Annals and History: Collin County from 1846 to 1880, the George Pearis Brown Papers, edited by Helen Gibbard Hall and Donald R. Hoke.
 * Wylie Area Heritage, by Beb Fulkerson.
 * Collin County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.
 * Texas Museums List of all museums in Texas ~  Hidden Ancestors

Maps

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Historical Maps ~  From the Republic to the Turn of the Century  ~  Hidden Ancestors
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
 * Collin County Historical Commission Historic Assets Survey Map

Military

 * 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 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 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $

Civil War
Online Records
 * 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

 * Collin County Newspapers from the 1880s-1930s
 * Home Town News -  Texas Newspaper Index with links
 * Newslink -  Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
 * The Olden Times  -   Historic Texas News Online
 * Plano Star Courier Name Indexes, 1918-1922

Obituaries

 * 1884 - 1869 McKinney Newspaper Obituary Index 1884-1989
 * 1980 - 1989 McKinney Newspaper Birth, Engagement and Marriage Index 1980-1989
 * 1990 - 1991 McKinney Newspaper Birth, Engagement and Marriage Index 1990-1991
 * 1990 - 1999 McKinney Newspaper Obituary Index 1990-1999
 * 2000 - present McKinney Newspaper Obituary Index 2000-2009
 * 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 (Ancestry)

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records&nbsp Ancestry.com (subscription)
 * Texas Land Title Abstracts ~ Ancestry.com (subscription)

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 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 - 2005 Texas Marriage Records 1966 - 2005 - Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966 - 2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010 FamilySearch

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1890 - 1976 https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1320964 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images]]
 * 1903 - 1973 Texas Deaths and Burials 1903 - 1973 (index) FamilySearch
 * 1903 - 1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1903 - 2000Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 (index) - FamilySearch
 * 1977 - 1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1964 - 1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images]

Divorce

 * 1850 - 1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas 1850 - 1930
 * 1968 - 2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968 - 2010  at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1968 - 2011Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $

Societies and Libraries
Collin County Historical Society &amp; Museum 300 E. Virginia Street McKinney, TX 75069 Telephone Number: 972-542-9457 Website

North Collin County Genealogical Society McKinney, Texas Website

Collin County Genealogical Society PO Box 865052 Plano 75086-5052 Website

Charles J Rike Memorial Library 203 Orange St Farmersville, TX 75442 Telephone Number: 972-782-6681 Website

Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library 101 E Hunt St McKinney, TX 75069 Telephone Number: 972-547-7323 Website

Genealogy, Local History, Texana, and Archives Plano Public Library System 2501 Coit Rd Plano, TX 75075 Telephone Number: 972-769-4240 Website

Rita Truett Smith Public Library 800 Thomas St Wylie, TX 75098 Telephone Number: 972-442-7566 Website

Allen Public Librarybr&gt;300 N Allen Dr Allen, TX 75013 Telephone Number: 214-509-4900 Website

Celina Community Library 710 E Pecan St Celina, TX 75009 Telephone Number: 469- 742-9131 Website

Melissa Public Library 1713 Cooper St Melissa, TX 75454 Telephone Number: 972-837-4540 Website

Frisco Public Library 6101 Frisco Square Blvd Ste 3000 Frisco, TX 75034 Telephone Number: 972-292-5669 Website

Princeton Community Library 319 Mckinney Ave Princeton, TX 75407 Telephone Number: 972-736-3741

Prosper Community Library 300 Eagle Ln Prosper, TX 75078 Telephone Number: 972-346-2455 Website

Family History Centers

 * McKinney Texas Family History Center

2801 W El Dorado Pkwy McKinney, Collin, Texas, United States Phone: 972-547-0019 Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10am-2pm and 7pm-9pm Closed: Closed all major holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas


 * Plano Texas Family History Center

2700 Roundrock Trl Plano, Collin, Texas, United States Phone: 972-867-6479 Hours: T,Th 9:30am-9pm; W 9:15am-1:00pm Closed: Dec 21-31; 2011: Mar 14-18; Jul 4-14; Nov 22-24; Dec 20-29

Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries

Websites

 * Collin County, Texas Past Finders' Photo Collection
 * 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.
 * Genealogy, Local History, Texana, and Archives of Plano Public Library System
 * Collin County Clerk's Genealogy Corner
 * Collin County Historical Commission
 * Collin County Genealogical Historical Records
 * Collin County Digital Collection