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Guide to Grayson County, Texas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The county was named for Peter Wagener Grayson, an attorney general of the Republic of Texas. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Grayson County Courthouse 200 S. Crockett Sherman, Texas 75090 Phone: 903-813-4352 Grayson County Courthouse

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 Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Railroads were very important to Grayson County !

Census Records

 * See also Using the Census to find other records about ancestors

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * All About Grayson County Official Records
 * Official Grayson County Clerk's Genealogy Page

Directories
1976 Sherman - Denison City Directory 1876 1887-1888 Morrison &amp; Formby's General Directory of the City of Sherman 1887-1888 1893-1894 Sherman - Denison City Directory 1893- 1894 1898-1899 Maloney's Denison-Sherman City Directory, 1898 - 1899 1899-1900 Maloney's Denison - Sherman City Directory, 1899-1900 1887-1888 Morrison &amp;Formby's Sherman City Directory, 1887 - 1888 1910-1911 R.L. Polk Co.'s Sherman City Directory, 1910 - 1911 1912-1913 R.L. Polk Co.'s Sherman City Directory, 1912 - 1913 1918 R.L. Polk Co.'s Sherman City Directory, 1918 1923 R.L. Polk Co.'s Sherman City Directory, 1923 1925 R.L. Polk Co.'s Sherman City Directory, 1925 1935 Worley's Sherman City Directory, 1935 1940 History and Business Guide of Sherman &amp; Grayson County, 1940 1947-1948 Worley's Sherman City Directory, 1947-8 1948 History and Business Guide of Sherman &amp; Grayson County,1948 1973 Grayson County Rural Directory 1973

Land and Property Records

 * Land Records are kept in the Grayson County Clerk's Office.
 * Very early records made during the Republic of Texas are found in Fannin County's Courthouse and in the Texas State Archives.
 * 1908 Grayson County, Texas Plat Book This book has biographical sketches as well as detailed maps with land owners. It even shows the location of individual houses around the countryside. Some cemetery locations are visible in this book.

Local Histories
The first courthouse was constructed in 1847 and torn down in 1858. This old photograph had this statement attached; "I, J.P. Loving, do hereby certify that the above photograph is a true picture of the first court house built in the present town of Sherman, Texas, and that it was customary for juries trying cases in said court house to retire to the shade of the old Pecan tree, then standing on the public square to consider their verdict" signed Jesse P. Loving. The pecan tree he mentioned was used as a bank of sorts. People would hang their saddlebags and other personal property on or under the old pecan tree and they knew everything would be safe on their reurn. Even bags of gold were left there undisturbed. No one is ever known to have violated the sanctity of this 'bank'. Grayson County is located at the top of Texas and is home to the famed Preston Road. This road was a major pioneer road, crossing the Red River into Texas. Just to the east of the Preston Road was the Shawnee Trail, the first cattle drive road in Texas. This cattle trail crossed the Red River in a natural rock formed cattle shute and herds passed through the Indian Nations in Oklahoma to reach the railheads in Kansas. The Butterfield Overland Mail route also passed through Grayson county, this land was a vital link for pioneers entering the West. Above is an Old Bois d' Arc Tree in a field of Indian Blanket Flowers. This area of Texas is a rich land, beautiful with rolling hills, prairie grasses; native pecan, oak, hackberry, elms, black walnut, chinaberry, blackjack, and more, and of course our famous Bois d'arc trees forrest the land. Bois d'arc trees were a cash crop in the 1800's, used as a windbreak and a living livestock fence, this tree originated in Grayson County and its neighbor to the east, Fannin County, Texas and is one of the few trees left in the world that is prehistoric. It was ironic for the American Soldiers from Texas to have to break through the Bois d'arch hedges of France and Germany in WWI and WWII. Every one of the trees that impeded our tanks and troops, came from 'back home'. This tree is called by many names, hedgeapple, horseapple, Texas orange, Osage Orange, ironwood and other names. It was of course named for its main historical use, 'Wood of the Bow'. Bows made of Bois d'arc wood were found anciently deep in South America. The Natives traded the bows and the wood far and wide. Grayson County is home to the two Americans' to receive France's highest honor, and the French Legion of Honor. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born in Denison, Grayson County and Thomas V. Munson, who saved Europe's grape and wine industry by his research and development of using grafts of our Texas native grapevine stock to save them from extinction. Lake Texoma, one of largest reservoirs in the United States was a project involving placing a large dam just North of Denison,Texas in the 1940's and is a very popular vacation spot today. It is the home of two wildlife habitats. This lake ended most of the flooding from the Red River. Grayson County is a beautiful place to live. Parent County was Fannin County - Grayson County was formed May 17, 1846 County seat: Sherman
 * Read about early Grayson County, Texas
 * Read More about Grayson County, Texas
 * Articles about Grayson County History

Grayson County Frontier Village in Denison, Texas is a place where Grayson County history is brought to life. It also houses a database of Katy Railroad Workers and has a research center in the museum building. They are glad to help patrons with their genealogical search.
 * Read More about Frontier Village


 * A history of Grayson County, Texas / Mattie Davis Lucas (Mrs. W. H. Lucas) and Mita Holsapple Hall (Mrs. H. E. Hall) 1936
 * 1830's-1870 An Illustated History of Grayson County, Texas, by Graham Landrum, 1960- Included in this book is a "pioneer index" that covers people from the 1830's to 1870.
 * Ancestors and Decendants of Grayson County, Texas - by the Grayson County Genealogical Society 1980
 * A Biographical Souvenir of Texas, 1889 This book contains biographical sketches of families written by themselves. It contains a lot of Grayson County people.
 * Glimpses of Grayson County From the Early Days, 1894
 * 1896 Black Friday at May 15, 1896 at The Sherman Cyclone
 * Denison, The Texas-Gateway, Busy, Progressive City with Golden Opportunities, 1908
 * Grayson County, Texas Plat Book, 1908 ( Includes biographical sketches and all land owners)
 * Online Books about Grayson County and Grayson County people.
 * 1879-1899 The Old Settlers Association of Grayson Co. Vol 1.1879-1899
 * 1989-1944 The Old Settlers Association of Grayson Co. Vol 2.1898-1944
 * 1911-1925 The Old Settlers Association of Grayson Co. Vol 3.1911-1925
 * 1926-1960 The Old Settlers Association of Grayson Co. Vol 4.1926-1960
 * Sherman Texas Indelible Photographs 1890
 * 1926-1946 Grayson County, Texas in the Depression and War 1929 - 1946 by David Park
 * A HISTORY OF TEXAS AND TEXANS by Frank W. Johnson
 * 1979 and 1981 History of Grayson County, Texas ( 2 Vols 1979 &amp;1981) by Grayson County Frontier Village

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for Grayson County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the Texas Genweb site
 * Maps of Grayson County &amp; Texas
 * 1897 Map of 1897 Grayson County, Texas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
 Texas Revolution 
 * 1835 - 1845 Index to the Military Rolls of the Republic of Texas 1835-1845 at Texas State Historical Association
 * 1838-1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * Grayson County Military history is a proud one.Useful links and information.

 Mexican-American War
 * 1845-1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War at Ancestry ($) — index

 Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images at partner site
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images at partner site
 * Historical Research Center - Hillsboro, Tx., has one of the worlds best Confederate Research &amp; Civil War collections.

 World War I
 * 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

 World War II
 * Men &amp; Women in World War II from Grayson County, Texas

Newspapers

 * All about Grayson County, Newspapers
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Probate Records

 * 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1800-2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * All Probate records, insanity hearings and guardianship records are in the County Clerk's Office. Email the clerk's office for details about the record you are requesting.

School Records

 * Grayson County School Page
 * Austin College is in Grayson County!

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — index and images
 * Tax Rolls are available through interlibrary loan and also through any FSC near you 1846-1910.Many of them are online, here is a page of links.
 * Tax records are kept in the County Clerks Office with more recent records in the Tax Assessors Office.
 * City of Denison (Land) Tax records are being placed online. this is an ongoing project by the Denison, Texas Genealogical Society's Online Document Project

Birth

 * 1840-1981 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1903-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1903-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriage

 * 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index
 * 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 Texas Marriage Collection at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1846-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry ($) — index & images
 * 1966-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1903-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1964-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1977-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Divorce

 * 1968-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces at Ancestry ($) — index
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

FamilySearch Centers

 * Gainesville Texas FamilySearch Center
 * McKinney Texas FamilySearch Center
 * Donald W. Reynolds Library - an affiliate library
 * Sherman Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Sherman Public Library 421 N. Travis PO Box 1106 Sherman, TX 75090-0190 Website Denison Public Library Historical Genealogical Society 300 W. Gandy St. Denison, TX 75020 Website

Societies
Denison Genealogical Society  111 RC Vaughn Dr Denison, TX 75021 Facebook Grayson County Courthouse Genealogical Records 421 N. Travis Sherman TX 7509 Website

Websites

 * Grayson TX GenWeb part of TXGenWeb
 * Grayson USGWArchives part of USGWArchives Texas Counties
 * Grayson County, Texas - Official County Website
 * Frontier Times Magazine
 * Historic Texas
 * Online books about Grayson County, Texas
 * The Handbook of Texas Online - Searchable
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.