Chambers County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Chambers County

Guide to Chambers 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: Anahuac Organized: 02 Aug 1858 Parent County(s): Jefferson, Liberty Neighboring Counties Galveston • Harris • Jefferson • Liberty See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for Thomas Jefferson Chambers, a major general in the Texas Revolution. The county is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Chambers County Courthouse
404 Washington Ave
Anahuac, TX 77514
Phone: 409-267-2418
Chambers County Website

County Clerk has birth records from 1903, death records from 1908, marriage, probate court and land records from 1875 and divorce records from 1910.

Chambers 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
1903	1875	1908	1875	1875	1875	1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

1875: Chambers County Courthouse in Wallisville and most, if not all, county records were destroyed by fire on December 2, 1875. 1935: Chambers County Courthouse in Anahuac destroyed by fire on April 28, 1935. All records were saved. 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): Created from Jefferson and Liberty Counties on 12 February 1858. County Seat: Anahuac 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
Anahuac (county seat) Baytown‡ Beach City	Cove Mont Belvieu‡ Old River-Winfree‡	Shoreacres‡± Seebrook‡± Texas City‡
Unincorporated communities
Double Bayou Hankamer Monroe City	Seabreeze Smith Point	Turtle Bayou Wallisville
Census-designated places
Oak Island	Stowell	Winnie

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

 ±Water surface only; land in adjacent county

Resources

Biographies

• Chambers County Bibliography at TXGenWeb

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Chambers County, Texas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave TX Gravestones TX Tombstone Transcription Project BillionGraves USGenWeb Archives TXGenWeb Interment.net Names in Stone
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	1,508		—
1870	1,503		−0.3%
1880	2,187		45.5%
1890	2,241		2.5%
1900	3,046		35.9%
1910	4,234		39.0%
1920	4,162		−1.7%
1930	5,710		37.2%
1940	7,511		31.5%
1950	7,871		4.8%
1960	10,379		31.9%
1970	12,187		17.4%
1980	18,538		52.1%
1990	20,088		8.4%
2000	26,031		29.6%
2010	35,096		34.8%

• 1840 Chambers Census at TXGenWeb

Church Records

• See Texas Church Records for more information.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

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

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

• Petition of Settlers - TXGenWeb

Directories

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

• 1865-1870 Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only

Funeral Homes

Proctor's Mortuary in Anahuac

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 Chambers County and may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information.

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

• 1821--The first permanent settlement began in 1821 when the Spanish established a fortress at Anahuac and allowed American colonists to enter.
• Chambers County Families - index of names at TXGenWeb
• Chambers County: A Pictorial History, 1988 by Margaret S. Henson and Kevin Ladd.
  
• Chambers County History from the Handbook of Texas Online

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 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

Mexican-American War

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

Civil War

• 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
• 1838-1900 Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Chambers County in the Confederancy - TXGenWeb
• Confederate Pension Applications Index - USGenWeb Archives Project
• Confederate Indigent Families - USGenWeb Archives Project

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

• Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Galveston newspapers from the early 1800's.
• Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
• 1800s-Current Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

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 — 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

• 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 ($)
• Chambers County Births - USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926-1995 at MyHeritage — index ($)

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 ($)
• 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1973 Texas Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1966-2010 Texas Marriages, 1966-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)

Death

• 1890-1976 Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 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 ($)
• 1903-2000 Texas Death Index, 1903-2000 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 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 ($)
• Chambers County Divorces - USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)

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

• Baytown Texas FamilySearch Center
• League City Texas FamilySearch Center
• Pasadena Texas FamilySearch Center
• Pine Trails Texas FamilySearch Center
• Houston Public Library - Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research - an affiliate library
• Texas State Library & Archive - Sam Houston Regional Library & Research Center - an affiliate library

Libraries

• Chambers County Library System - Local History
  202 Cummings St
  Anahuac TX, 77514
  Phone: 409-267-2554
  Website
  
  

Websites

• Chambers County TXGenWeb part of TX GenWeb
• Chambers TX USGWArchives part of USGenWeb Texas Counties
• GenealogyTrails
• Frontier Times Magazine
• Historic Texas

• 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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“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.