Gillespie County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Gillespie County

Guide to Gillespie 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: Fredericksburg Organized: 5 June, 1848 Parent County(s): Bexar Neighboring Counties Blanco • Kendall • Kerr • Kimble • Llano • Mason See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for Robert Addison Gillespie, a soldier in the Mexican–American War. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Gillespie County Courthouse
101 W Main St
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Phone: 830-997-7502
Gillespie County Website

County Clerk has birth, marriage and probate records 1850, death records from 1902, land records from 1848 and court records from 1954.
District Clerk has divorce records

Gillespie 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
1850	1850	1902	1954	1848	1850	1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

1850--Courthouse and many county records were destroyed by fire in July 1850. 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 Bexar County, 23 Feb 1848. County Seat: Fredericksburg 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

Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

• Fredericksburg
• Harper
• Luckenbach
• Willow City

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
Fredericksburg (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Blumenthal Cherry Spring Crabapple	Doss Grapetown Luckenbach	Tivydale Willow City
Census-designated places
Harper	Stonewall
Ghost towns
Albert Cain City	Eckert Morris Ranch	Pedernales Zodiac

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Gillespie County, Texas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave BillionGraves Tombstone Transcription Project TX Gravestones Photo Project Cemeteries of TX USGenWeb Archives TXGenWeb 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.

Fredericksburg Genealogical Society. This index to burials includes a surname and maiden name search.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	1,240		—
1860	2,736		120.6%
1870	3,566		30.3%
1880	5,228		46.6%
1890	7,056		35.0%
1900	8,229		16.6%
1910	9,447		14.8%
1920	10,015		6.0%
1930	11,020		10.0%
1940	10,670		−3.2%
1950	10,520		−1.4%
1960	10,048		−4.5%
1970	10,553		5.0%
1980	13,532		28.2%
1990	17,204		27.1%
2000	20,814		21.0%
2010	24,837		19.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• 1850 Census at USGenWeb Archives Project
• 1860 Census at USGenWeb Archives Project

Church Records

• See Texas Church Records for more information.

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

Lutheran

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, 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

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
• Texas African American Griots at USGenWeb

• Texas African American Genealogy at Access Genealogy

Funeral Homes

Fredericksburg Funeral Home in Fredericksburg Schaetter Funeral Home in Fredericksburg

Land and Property Records

• See Texas Land and Property for more information.

• Land Survey Abstract Indexes Gillespie County 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 Gillespie County and may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information.

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

1849-- A cholera epidemic in 1849 took a heavy toll of the early settlers.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 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

Military Records

• 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 Texas State Library and Archives Commission
• Civil War Pension Applications at USGenWeb Archives Project
• Confederate Indigent Families 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

Korean War

• Korean War Casualties at USGenWeb Archives Project

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Naturalization Records USGenWeb Archives Project

Newspapers

• Texas Digital Newspaper Program at The Portal to Texas History

Access obituaries January 1, 1980 through December 31,2004 at the Fredericksburg Genealogical Society website.These obituaries came from two newspapers, The Fredericksburg Standard and The Fredericksburg Radio Post. The Pioneer Memorial Library has copies of Fredericksburg newspapers on microfilm, with issues beginning in 1890.

• 1800s-Current Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

Access obituaries January 1, 1980 through December 31,2004 at the Fredericksburg Genealogical Society website. These obituaries came from two newspapers, The Fredericksburg Standard and The Fredericksburg Radio Post.

• USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project Texas
• Obituary Daily Times Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function

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

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

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

• Fredericksburg Texas FamilySearch Center
• Kerrville Texas FamilySearch Center
• Patrick Heath Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

• Harper Library
  23797 Us Hwy 290 West
  Harper, TX 78631
  Phone: 830-864-4993
  Website

Societies

• Fredericksburg Genealogical Society
  Website
  
  
• Pioneer Museum and Gillespie County Historical Society
  325 West Main Street
  Fredericksburg, TX 78624
  Phone: 830-990-8441
  Website
  

Websites

• Gillespie TX GenWeb part of TXGenWeb
• Gillespie USGWArchives part of USGWArchives Texas Counties
• 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.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

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.