Fannin County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Fannin County

Guide to Fannin 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: Bonham Organized: February 1838 Parent County(s): Red River Neighboring Counties Bryan (OK) • Collin • Delta • Grayson • Hunt • Lamar See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for James Fannin, who commanded the group of Texans killed in the Goliad Massacre during the Texas Revolution. The county is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Fannin County Courthouse
101 E Sam Rayburn Dr
Bonham, TX 75418
Phone: 903-583-7486
Fannin County Website

County Clerk has birth records from 1903 with a few 1874-1876, death records from 1903, marriage records from 1852, probate, land and court records from 1838/

Fannin 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	1852	1903	1838	1838	1838	1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

1929 Courthouse caught fire on December 31, 1929. Records in the District Clerk's office and County Clerk's office were saved. Many other county records were destroyed. The courthouse was rebuilt. 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 Red River County, on 14 December 1837. County Seat: Bonham 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
Bailey Bonham (county seat) Ector	Honey Grove Leonard Pecan Gap‡	Ravenna Savoy Trenton‡
Towns
Dodd City Ladonia	Windom	Whitewright‡
Unincorporated communities
Bug Tussle Duplex Elwood	Gober Ivanhoe Mulberry	Randolph Telephone Warren

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

Resources

Cemeteries

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

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	3,788		—
1860	9,217		143.3%
1870	13,207		43.3%
1880	25,501		93.1%
1890	38,709		51.8%
1900	51,793		33.8%
1910	44,801		−13.5%
1920	48,186		7.6%
1930	41,163		−14.6%
1940	41,064		−0.2%
1950	31,253		−23.9%
1960	23,880		−23.6%
1970	22,705		−4.9%
1980	24,285		7.0%
1990	24,804		2.1%
2000	31,242		26.0%
2010	33,915		8.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• 1840 Texas Slave Holders
• 1850 Fannin County Slave Holders
• 1850 Fannin County Mortality Index
• 1850 Fannin County Census A-J
• 1850 Fannin County Census K-Z
• 1850 Fannin County Census 142a - 153b
• 1850 Fannin County Census 154a - 166a
• 1850 Fannin County Census 166b - 178b
• 1850 Fannin County Census 179a - End
• 1860 Texas Slave Holders
• 1860 Mortality Index
• 1860 Fannin County Census Index with active links to images
• 1860 Fannin County Census - Partial Transcription
• 1860 Census - 168A to 184A
• 1860 Census - 185A to 194A
• 1860 Census - 194B to 204A
• 1870 Fannin County Mortality Index

Church Records

• See Texas Church Records for more information.

• Christian Church Directory for Texas at ChurchFinder
• Catholic Parishes in Texas

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

• African American Griots at USGenWeb

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

Funeral Homes

Wise Funeral Home in Bonham

Land and Property Records

• See Texas Land and Property for more information.

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

Local Histories

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

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

1836 The first permanent settlement was at Tulip in 1836.

• Texas Indexes (about 20 counties) at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Fannin County Maps - TXGenWeb
• 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

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 & images ($)

Mexican-American War

• 1845-1848 US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 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
• Confederate Pension Applications at USGenWeb Archives Project
• Confederate Indigent Families List at 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

World War II

• Fightin' Men of Texas, WWII at USGenWeb Archives Project

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

• Wikipedia has a list of online newspaper archives for Texas.
• w3newspapers-Texas Newspaper Index with links
• Newslink-Texas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
• The Olden Times - Historic Texas News Online
• Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has The Paris News from 1925 that may include residents from Fannin County.
• Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History
• 1800s-Current Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

• USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project - Texas
• Obituary Daily Times - Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries

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 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records at Ancestry ($)
• 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 ($)
• 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926-1995 at MyHeritage — index ($)

Marriage

• 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index ($)
• 1814-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 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 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 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 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas

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

• McKinney Texas FamilySearch Center
• Paris Texas FamilySearch Center
• Sherman Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

Bertha Voyer Memorial Library
500 N 6th St
Honey Grove, TX 75446
Phone: 903-378-2206
Website

Bonham Public Library
305 E 5th St
Bonham, TX 75418
Phone: 903-583-3128
Website

Leonard Public Library
102 S Main
Leonard, TX 75452
Phone: 903-587-2391
Website

Societies

Fannin County Genealogical Society
204 West 10th Street
Bonham, Texas 75418
Website

Fannin County Genealogical and Historical Society
605 Agnew
Bonham, TX 75418
Website

Websites

• Fannin TX GenWeb part of TXGenWeb
• Fannin USGWArchives part of USGWArchives Texas Counties
• Frontier Times Magazine
• Historic Texas
• Honey Grove Preservation League
• Fannin County Historical Commission
• FamilySearch Catalog The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.