Wise County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Wise 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 a Virginia Congressman Henry A. Wise, who had supported annexation of Texas by the United States. He was elected governor of Virginia in 1856. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wise County Courthouse 200 North Trinity Street PO Box 359 Decatur, Texas 76234-0359 Phone: 940.627.3351 County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage records from 1881, probate records from 1882, land records from 1852 and court records

County Clerk

P.O. Box 359 Decatur 76234 Phone: 940-627-3351 Fax: 940-627-2138

District Clerk

P.O. Box 308 Decatur 76234 Phone: 940-627-5535

History
1855 The first white settler arrived in 1854 and the first public school opened in 1855.

1860's Just northwest of Fort Worth and Dallas, in the 1860's, "Wise County had more Indian attacks &amp; kidnappings than any other county in Texas".

1880's In the early days of Wise County there were very large cattle ranches and homestead farms. Starting in the 1880's, coal was mined near the town of Bridgeport. Later limestone rock crushers and gas production became important.

Parent County
1856--Wise County was created 23 January 1856 from Cooke County. County seat: Decatur

Record Loss
1881, 1895--Courthouse and many county records were destroyed by fire.

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
Cooke •  Denton  •  Jack  •  Montague  •  Parker  •  Tarrant

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

Additional Cemetery Sources


 * Alphabetical Headstone Listings for Wise County, 1850-2010 31,537 Names with headstone pictures online
 * Wise County Cemetery Location, Maps &amp; Information 101 Cemeteries in Wise County

Census

 * 1860-1930 -- Wise County Census Images LARGE images of all year's pages
 * 1860 -- 1860 Census Transcription All of Wise County Transcribed with Additional Information, 3,034 names with index
 * 1870-1910 -- Wise County Census Indexes of Last Names Only
 * 1900-1910 -- Wise County 1900 &amp; 1910 Census Transcriptions &amp; Index of Names, Southwest corner of Wise County only
 * 1920 -- 1920 Census All of Wise County Transcribed with Additional Information, 23,117 names with index
 * 1930 -- 1930 Census All of Wise County Transcribed with Additional Information, 19,202 names with index (population was less)

Maps

 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb 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

Newspapers

 * Wise County Messenger
 * Bridgeport Index Newspaper 1910-1975 15,377 images of pages with names indexed.

Obituaries
1960-1989 (most 1970s) Obituaries From Local Papers 4,160 Newspaper clippings online

1910-1975 (only a few in older years) Whole Newspaper Pages -The Bridgeport Index Most years have names indexes

1976-2008 Obituaries From The Bridgeport Index 7,106 Newspaper clippings online

2000-2009 Obituary Text From The Wise County Messenger 5,197 Obituaries with complete text

Recent The Wise County Messenger Link;Decatur paper obituaries

Recent The Bridgeport Index Link - Bridgeport paper obituaries

Probate
Online Probate Records


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

Schools

 * Old School Pictures &amp; Yearbooks 1900s-1970s Indexed class pictures &amp; yearbooks.

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records '


 * 1864-1933 Wise County Recorded Births &amp; Birth Certificates, 1864-1933 Data of 19,202 births with 9,500 certificates online.
 * 1926-2009 Birth,Statistics and Announcements 1926-2009 No longer have online. Sent on request.
 * 2003 Wise County Messenger Newspaper Birth announcements 2003-present online

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 $
 * 1866-2001 Wise County Marriages 1866-2001 Bride &amp; Groom &amp; Date of Marriage,10,527 Listings
 * 1881-1945 Wise County Marriages 1881-1945 Bride &amp; Groom &amp; Date of Marriage,14,976 Listings
 * 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010  -  FamilySearch record collection
 * 2000-2009 Wedding Announcements from The Wise County Messenger Newspaper 2000-2009 1,520 with Complete Text

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.
 * 1903-1966 Wise County Death Certificates Online - 1903-1966 7,904 images online
 * 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1903-1990 Wise County Recorded Deaths - 1903-1999 11,324 deaths listed
 * 1914-2001 Wise County Funeral Records in Alphabetical Order 1914-2001, 19,000 Pages with older images online
 * 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

 * 1968-2001 Wise County Divorces 1968-2001 Divorces With Marriage Dates &amp; Number of Children, 5,904 Records
 * 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
Wise County Heritage Museum 1602 S Trinity St Decatur, TX 76234 Telephone Number: 940-627-5586 E-mail:[mailto:wisemuseum@embarqmail.com_ wisemuseum@embarqmail.com] Website

Bridgeport Historical Museum 812b Halsell Street Bridgeport, Texas Website


 * Paradise Historical Society - Links to Paradise Information

Family History Centers

 * Decatur Texas Family History Center

Websites

 * Wise County on the Web - Many local links
 * Lake Bridgeport- Pictures &amp; links to information
 * Jones Family Funeral Home, Bridgeport Texas
 * Hawkins Funeral Homes, Decatur, Bridgeport &amp; Boyd
 * 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.