Denton County, Texas Genealogy

Guide to Denton County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Texas Online Genealogy Records

Description
The county was named for John B. Denton, was established in 1846. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Denton County Courthouse

1 Courthouse Drive

Denton, TX 76208

Phone: 940.349.2012

County Clerk

County Clerk

The office of the County Clerk is the official record keeper for all Real Property, Vital Statistic, Civil Court, Misdemeanor Court, Probate Court, and Juvenile Court records in Denton County.

County Clerk has birth, death, and burial records from 1903, marriage, probate, court and land records from 1876.

Denton County Courts Building—Main Office 1450 East McKinney Street Denton, Texas 76209 Phone: 940-349-2012 Fax: 940-349-2019

Direct link to records search District Clerk

District Clerk

District Clerk has divorce records from 1876.

Denton County Courts Building - 1st Floor

1450 E. McKinney, Ste. 1200 Denton, Texas 76209 Phone: 940-349-2200

Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square, Office of History and Culture

110 W. Hickory St., Denton, TX 87201

Phone: 940-349-2850

History
Denton County History

Denton County, Texas, Wikipedia

Parent County
1846—Denton County was created 11 April 1846 from Fannin County.

County seat: Denton

Boundary Changes
Denton County in Texas: Individual County Chronologies, Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, The Newberry Library.

Record Loss
1875—Courthouse and almost all county records were destroyed by fire in December 1875.

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
Collin •  Cooke  •  Dallas  •  Grayson •  Tarrant  •  Wise

African American

 * 1865-1870 (images) - How to Use this Collection

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

Additional Cemetery Sources


 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions
 * Denton County Cemeteries and Funeral Home Records - Denton Public Library Special Collections

Churches
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Texas Christian Church Directory~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Churches in Texas
 * FamilySearch Places

Court
County Clerk - The office of the County Clerk is the official record keeper for all Real Property, Vital Statistic, Civil Court, Misdemeanor Court, Probate Court, and Juvenile Court records in Denton County.

Search Denton County records including real property, plats, marriages, births, deaths, foreclosures, marks & brands, and commissioners' court here.

District Clerk - The District Clerk is a registrar, recorder, and custodian of all court pleadings, instruments, and papers that are part of any cause of action in any civil or criminal district court.

Land

 * Deeds, 1854-1902; index to deeds, 1854-1903 at FamilySearch - available at Family History Center or Denton Public Library (affiliate library)

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1906-1989 — index and images

Local Histories

 * History and Reminiscences of Denton County, 1918 by Edward Franklin Bates (reprinted 1976) an overview of Denton County including the history of various time periods and specific aspects of the area as well as reminiscences of citizens. Read the book online from The Portal to Texas History.
 * Denton Memories: The Early Years - A Pictorial History, 2019, by Denton Record-Chronicle.
 * Denton Memories II: The 1940s, 1950s and 1960s - A Pictorial History, 2021, by Denton Record-Chronicle
 * Historic Denton County: An Illustrated History, 2002, by Hollace Hervey
 * History of Denton, Texas, from Its Beginning to 1960, 1978, by C. A. Bridges.
 * The History of Early Denton Schools and Robert E. Lee School 1871-1957, 1957, by Arthur J. Seely, Mrs. E.C. Wiley, and Miss Willie Brashears. Read the book online at the Portal to Texas History.
 * Denton County History from the Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps & Gazetteers

 * Texas Land Survey Maps for (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Denton County, Texas at The Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map Collection, UT-Austin.
 * Denton County maps at Library of Congress.
 * Early Denton County Maps, HistoricMapWorks. Choose: Continent: North America; Country: United States; State: Texas, then enter Denton in the Search box.
 * Denton County Maps at The Portal to Texas History
 * 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
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * A Gazetteer of Texas, 1904, by Henry Gannett. Read the book online at The Portal to Texas History.
 * The Geography of Denton County, 1936, by Mary Jo Cowling

Military

 * 1838 - 1900 Texas, U.S., Muster Roll Index Cards 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 at Ancestry.com — index ($)
 * 1845 - 1849 Mexican War Service Records - Texas at Fold3 - index and images ($) or access with Denton Public Library card

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1884 - 1958 Alabama, Texas and Virginia, U.S. Confederate Pensions at Ancestry ($) — index and images ($)
 * 1899 - 1975 - Confederate Pension Applications ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission

World War I

 * 1917 - 1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Home Town News -  Texas Newspaper Index with links
 * Newslink -  Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
 * The Olden Times  - Historic Texas News Online
 * Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
 * Access the following databases via the Denton Public Library's "Denton Newspapers" webpage:
 * The Early News Index - A PDF subject listing of events before 1908 as reported in various Denton County Newspapers
 * Denton Record-Chronicle Archive - Coverage from 2004 through today.
 * Letters to Santa: Transcribed from the Denton Record-Chronicle - PDF document
 * Wedding Anniversaries and Family Reunions in the Denton Record-Chronicle: 1930s-1970s - index
 * Pilot Point Post Signal 1910-1912 on The Portal to Texas History
 * Denton County Newspaper Collection - on The Portal to Texas History
 * Online Newspaper Research Links - provided by The Ancestor Hunt
 * Access the following via the Denton Public Library's "Birth, Death & Marriage Notices" webpage. Indices and transcriptions from the Denton Record-Chronicle and other area publications.
 * Birth Announcements
 * Probate Births
 * Marriage Announcements
 * Death Announcements

Obituaries

 * Afrigeneas ~ African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Daily Times ~ Index to over 15,000,000 obituaries, 1905-2016, at Ancestry ($)
 * Obituary Depot ~ Texas Obituaries
 * Obituary Project ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * Obituary Resources ~ Links to research and locate obituaries ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Texas

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1800 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1833 – 1974 - Texas Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry — index and images ($)


 * Probate Court

Taxation

 * 1837-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1837-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


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

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1824-1917 Texas Marriage Collection at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1837-1965 — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1977 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1965 Texas Select County Marriage Index at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1875-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)
 * 1966-2005 Texas Marriage Records ~ Hidden Ancestors
 * 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection - How to Use this Collection
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1890-1976 with images - How to Use this Collection ~ 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.
 * 1903-1973 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1903-2000 (index) - How to Use this Collection
 * 1964-1998 (no images) - How to Use this Collection  Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.

Divorce

 * 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas
 * 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records Hidden Ancestors
 * 1968-2010 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1968-2011 Texas Divorces at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Societies and Libraries
Denton County Historical Commission 110 West Hickory Denton, TX 76201 Telephone Number: 940-349-2860

Denton County Genealogical Society 502 Oakland Street Denton, Texas 76201 Telephone Number: 940-349-8752 Website


 * Genealogy Society Information and Activities of Denton County, Texas

Denton Public Library

Emily Fowler Central Library

502 Oakland Street

Denton, Texas 76201

Website

Family History Centers

 * Azle Texas Family History Center
 * Carrollton Texas Family History Center
 * Decatur Texas Family History Center
 * Denton Texas Family History Center
 * Fort Worth Texas Family History Center
 * Lewisville Texas Family History Center
 * McKinney Texas Family History Center
 * Plano Texas Family History Center
 * Richardson Texas Family History Center


 * Denton Public Library - North Branch - an affiliate library
 * Denton Public Library - South Branch - an affiliate library
 * Frisco Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Grapevine Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Southlake Public Library - an affiliate library

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.