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This database is an index to over 15 million births recorded in Texas between 1903 and 1997. Information contained in this index includes:
- Child's full name
- Sex
- Birth date
- Birth county
Some records also include:
- Names of both parents
- Birth certificate number
In some cases, where the names of the parents are provided, the parents' names were recorded incorrectly. Occasionally the mother's name was recorded in the father's place and the father's name was recorded in the mother's place. Therefore, you may need to switch which fields you put the parents' names in, in order to produce results.
Modern birth records are extremely valuable, but many researchers, learning birth information from home sources, fail to obtain birth certificates. This reluctance is most unfortunate and can result in an inaccurate or incomplete family genealogy. Use the information in this index to request a copy of the birth certificate. The original record will typically include additional information that is not found in the index. For information on how to order a copy of a birth certificate, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services website.
Modern birth records contain much more information than earlier records. Although birth certificates vary from state to state, most of them share much information in common.
Probated or delayed birth registrations were sometimes submitted to the respective county court. These were then forwarded to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics. Microfilm indexes to delayed birth records include Texas residents born elsewhere, many of whom were seeking Social Security registration. The bureau ended delayed birth registration in 1959.
Birth records will generally contain the following information: Child--name, birthplace, date of birth, sex, hospital, time of birth; Father--name, race, birthplace, age, occupation; Mother--name, race, birthplace, age, occupation, residence. Sometimes you will also learn term of residence in the community, term of pregnancy, marital status, number of other living children, number of other deceased children, number of children born dead.
On the images of the index, counties are listed with a code. For reference, the following table is provided with each county and its code.
This database is a collection of Texas marriage indexes covering various years and counties. To see specifically what is included in this database (counties and years covered), please see the bottom of this page. This collection is comprised of indexes created by several agencies - Jordan Dodd of Liahona Research, Hunting For Bears, and the Texas Department of State Health Services. Liahona Research and Hunting For Bears extracted information from records at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah and/or from records located at county courthouses. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DOSHS) index was created from actual marriage records and begins in 1966 with the statewide registration of marriages. Information contained in these indexes includes:
- Spouses' names
- Ages at time of marriage*
- Estimated birth year*
- Gender
- Marriage date
- Marriage location (county)
- File number*
- Compiler (Liahona Research, Hunting For Bears, or Texas DOSHS)
- Source (i.e. FHL microfilm number, location of county courthouse, etc.)
Note: Since this collection is compiled from a variety of sources not all records will contain the above listed information. Items marked with an "*" are only included with records originating in the Texas DOSHS index.
The marriage date is usually the date of marriage as given in the original entry. However, when no marriage date is given (e.g., the "marriage return" was not provided to the record keeper), the date of the license is used. Some marriages may be listed more than once in this database. This is to provide you with as much information as possible about a marriage. In a few cases, a marriage will be listed twice, but in two different counties. This most often happened when a couple obtained a license in one county, but were actually married in another. Another reason for multiple listings of the same marriage is different compilers or source information.
About Marriage Records in Texas:
Marriage records prior to 1836, if extant, may be in custody of the Roman Catholic church. Beginning with the date of organization, most counties maintain marriage records. These are presently in the jurisdiction of the respective county clerk where the license was issued. Statewide recording of marriages began in January 1966, but certified copies are not available through the state office. Marriages of blacks were frequently recorded in separate volumes.
Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution have compiled many marriage records for Texas. These are available in the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., and on microfilm through the FHL.
Taken from Wendy Bebout Elliot, "Texas," Red Book, ed. Alice Eichholz (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004).
I Found An Ancestor In This Database….What Now?
Marriage records are great sources for genealogists because they document an individual in a particular place and time as well as provide details about that person's marriage and establish important family relationships.
It is important that you use the information found in this database to locate your ancestor in the records that this index references. Usually more information is available in the records themselves than is found in an index. For example, marriage records sometimes provide the birth dates and places of the bride and groom, their parents' names, their addresses, and witnesses' names, in addition to the information listed in this index.
Finding the Original Marriage Record:
Unfortunately, Liahona Research and Hunting For Bears did not always provide information on the origin of each entry. However, careful researchers who wish to examine the original source will find sufficient information to lead them to that source.
The state department of health has the responsibility of recording the deaths of tens of thousands of residents who die each year. This index lists over 7 million individuals who died in the state of Texas from 1903-2000. A few deaths from years prior to 1903 are also included. The index was provided by the Texas Department of Health. Information available in this index includes:
- Name of deceased
- Death county
- Death date
- Death certificate number
- Gender
- Marital status
Note: not all entries will provide all of this information. In addition, only deaths from 1903-63 and 1999-2000 are linked to images of the original Department of Health index.
Where to Go From Here:With the information provided in this index, you may be able to obtain a copy of a death certificate. Because more information is often provided in an original record than in its index, it is important that you obtain a copy of the original record, if possible. For information on how to order a copy of a death certificate, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services website (www.tdh.state.tx.us) or write to:
Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics
P. O. Box 12040
Austin, TX 78711-2040
(512) 458-7111
Vital Records in Texas:
Beginning in 1903, with mandatory recording of births and deaths, copies of county records are maintained at the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Texas Department of Health, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756. Statewide indexes were microfilmed by the Texas State Library and copies are additionally available at several genealogical libraries. The death index is alphabetical within broader periods of time: 1903-40; 1940;45; 1946-55; then annually for 1956-73. The Genealogy Section of the Texas State Library provides limited correspondence service by checking indexes for a particular name for a small fee. If a birth or death record is not found at the state level, it is prudent to check the proper municipal or county office.
Taken from Wendy Bebout Elliot, "Texas," Red Book, ed. Alice Eichholz (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004).
About Death Records in General:
Modern (post-1910) death records, though comparatively recent, are steadily increasing in value. People are living longer, and death records often provide information about birth as well as death.
Modern death certificates have not been standardized throughout the United States; but, like birth certificates, most of them contain the same types of information. Most contemporary death certificates include the deceased's name, sex, race, date of death, age at the time of death, place of death, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, name of spouse, Social Security number, occupation, residence, father's name, mother's name, cause of death, and place of burial. Records from some states provide the birthplace of the deceased's parents. The Social Security number is not always included, but, when it is, it can be invaluable because other records (subject to right-of-privacy laws) may be accessible if you have the Social Security number.
As any experienced researcher knows, death records are only as accurate as the knowledge of the person who provided the information. Many informants are unaware of the name of parents or are unsure about dates and places of birth. Always try to find additional information about parents and dates and places of birth whenever possible.
Taken from Cerny, Johni, "Research in Birth, Death, and Cemetery Records." In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, ed. Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).
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