Bosque County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Bosque County

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

Texas Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Meridian Organized: 07 Aug 1854 Parent County(s): McLennan Neighboring Counties Coryell • Erath • Hamilton • Hill • Johnson • McLennan • Somervell See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for the Bosque River, which runs through the center of the county north to south. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Bosque County Courthouse
110 S Main St
Meridian, TX 76665
Phone: 254-435-2382
Bosque County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1902, marriage, probate and land record from 1854 and court records.
District Clerk has divorce records.

Bosque County, Texas Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1902	1854	1902	1856	1854	1854	1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

1871--The Bosque County Courthouse, built in 1869, burned. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Parent County(s): Createdd from McLennan county on Feb 4, 1854. County Seat: Meridian Texas Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Texas Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Texas county boundary changes

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:

Cities
Clifton Cranfills Gap‡ Iredell	Meridian (county seat) Morgan	Valley Mills‡ Walnut Springs
Unincorporated communities
Cayote Kopperl	Mosheim	Womack
Census-designated places
Laguna Park
Ghost towns
Norse

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Bosque County, Texas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave TX Gravestones Photo Project Bosque TX GenWeb TX Tombstone Transcription Project BillionGraves Cemeteries of TX USGenWeb Archives Interment
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Texas Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	2,005		—
1870	4,981		148.4%
1880	11,217		125.2%
1890	14,224		26.8%
1900	17,390		22.3%
1910	19,013		9.3%
1920	18,032		−5.2%
1930	15,750		−12.7%
1940	15,761		0.1%
1950	11,836		−24.9%
1960	10,809		−8.7%
1970	10,966		1.5%
1980	13,401		22.2%
1990	15,125		12.9%
2000	17,204		13.7%
2010	18,212		5.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

• See Texas Church Records for more information.

• Bosque County Churches - Past and Present from the Bosque County TXGenWeb site

Lutheran

• Records of St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Cranfills Gap, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
• 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
  

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

Clifton Funeral Home in Clifton

Land and Property Records

• See Texas Land and Property for more information.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Bosque County and may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information.

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

Settled mostly by Norwegians in the western part of the county and Germans in the eastern part of the county.

• Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas), 1985, by the Bosque County History Book Committee, includes introductory material about the history and geography of the area, community histories, and family histories with genealogical information. Read the book on line from The Portal to Texas History.
• Bosquerama, 1854–1954: Centennial Celebration of Bosque County, Texas, 1954 by the Bosque County Centennial Association.
• A History of Bosque County, 1954 by William C. Pool.
• Bosque Territory, 1964 by William C. Pool.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Texas Land Survey Maps for Bosque County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• Military and War information from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

• 1838-1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry ($) — index & images
• 1861-1865 Texas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images at partner site
• 1861-1865 Texas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images at partner site
• Confederate Pension Applications at Texas State Library and Archives Commission
• Military Pensions from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site

World War I

• 1917-1920 Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1906-1989 Texas Naturalization Records, 1906-1989 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Newspapers

• Newspapers from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
• Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
• 1800s-Current Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

Obituaries from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site

Probate Records

Probate records of Texas counties were kept by the probate clerk, usually in "probate minutes."

• See Texas Probate Records for more information.

• 1800-1990 Texas Probate Records, 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
• 1800-2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com ($) — index & images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

• See Texas Taxation for more information.

• 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at Findmypast ($) — index & images

Vital Records

Vital Records of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths were recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. Copies can be obtained from the County Clerk's office, or order certified copies online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. See Texas Vital Records for more information.

Birth

• 1840-1981 Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• Births from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
• 1903-1935 Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Key to Texas County Codes; Also at: Ancestry ($)
• 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926-1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriage

• 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index
• 1814-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry ($) — index
• 1837-1965 Texas Marriages, 1837-1965 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1973 Texas Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1977 Marriages from the Bosque Co TXGenWeb site
• 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry ($) — index
• 1966-2010 Texas Marriages, 1966-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

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

Divorce

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

Research Facilities

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Cleburne Texas FamilySearch Center
• Waco Texas FamilySearch Center
• Nellie Pederson Civic Library - an affiliate library
• Waco-McLennan County Library - an affiliate library

Societies

Texas Genealogical Society Inc.
c/o Waco-McLennan County Library
1717 Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76701
Website

Valley Heritage Society
PO Box 159
Valley Mills, TX 76889

County Historical Commission
101 North Main Street
PO Box 534
Meridian TX 76665
Website

Websites

• Bosque TX GenWeb part of TXGenweb
• USGWArchives Bosque TX part of USGWArchives Texas Counties
• FamilySearch Catalog – 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.

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

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Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.