Nacogdoches County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Nacogdoches County

Guide to Nacogdoches 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: Nacogdoches Organized: 17 March, 1836 Parent County(s): Original Neighboring Counties Angelina • Cherokee • Rusk • San Augustine • Shelby See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for a local Caddo tribe called the Nacogdoches who came to East Texas around 800 A.D. The county is located in the east-central area of the state. Following the revolution the original 23 counties were created from the Nacogdoches Department; subsequently 20 other counties were created from Nacogdoches County. The Fredonia Rebellion took place in 1826-1827, the battle of Belasco (Nacogdoches) was fought on August 2, 1832, and the Cordova Rebellion occurred in 1838.

County Courthouse

Nacogdoches County Courthouse
101 W Main St
Nacogdoches, TX 75961-5119
Phone: 936-560-7755
Nacogdoches County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage records from 1793, land records from 1833, probate records from 1837, court records from late 1800’s and military records 1918.
District Clerk has divorce records.

Nacogdoches 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	1793	1903	1837	1833	1837	1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Parent County(s): Created 17 March 1836 as an Original county. County Seat: Nacogdoches Parent County(s): See an interactive map of Nacogdoches County border changes. County Seat: 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 Appleby Douglass Garrison Nacogdoches Woden

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Appleby Chireno	Cushing Garrison	Nacogdoches (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Central Heights Douglass Etaile Kingtown	Lilbert Looneyville Martinsville Mahl	Melrose Sacul Trawick Woden
Census-designated places
Redfield

Resources

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Nacogdoches & Southeastern Railroad Company: These records are housed at the Stephen F. Austin State University 'Ralph W. Steen Library'. This railroad company was incorporated in 1903 surrendered it charted in 1955.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Nacogdoches County, Texas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave BillionGraves Cemeteries of TX USGenWeb Archives Tombstone Transcription Project TX Gravestones Photo Project 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.	%±
1850	5,193	—
1860	8,292	59.7%
1870	9,614	15.9%
1880	11,590	20.6%
1890	15,984	37.9%
1900	24,663	54.3%
1910	27,406	11.1%
1920	28,457	3.8%
1930	30,290	6.4%
1940	35,392	16.8%
1950	30,326	−14.3%
1960	28,046	−7.5%
1970	36,362	29.7%
1980	46,786	28.7%
1990	54,753	17.0%
2000	59,203	8.1%
2010	64,524	9.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

• See Texas Church Records for more information.

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

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
• When the South was threatened with the abolition of slavery, many people moved to the Nacogdoches area to continue the practice of slavery on cotton plantations. In 1860, slaves composed 28.4 percent of the population.
• African Americans in Nacogdoches County contains information about the churches and leaders, which formed the basis of African American society after the Civil War.

Funeral Homes

Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors in Nacogdoches Garrison Funeral Home in Nacogdoches Laird Funeral Home in Nacogdoches

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

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

The Book of Nacogdoches County 1 July, 1927 compiled by Nugent E. Brown is a compilation of brief histories of specific aspects of Nacogdoches County, including agriculture and other businesses.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
• Texas Land Survey Maps for Nacogdoches County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• 1914 Map of Angelina, Gregg, Harrison, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith & Trinity at www.rootsweb.com
• The East Texas Forest Industry, map demonstrating the prominence of the lumber industry in East Texas. This is part of the Perry-Castañeda Map Collection.
• 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

World War I

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

Newspapers

• 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 ($)

Other Records

Occupations Nacogdoches & Southeastern Railroad Company: These records are housed at the Stephen F. Austin State University 'Ralph W. Steen Library'. This railroad company was incorporated in 1903 surrendered it charted in 1955.

Probate Records

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

• See Texas Probate Records for more information.

• 1800-2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1800-1990 Texas Probate Records, 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
• 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 - FamilySearch
• 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
• 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 ($)
• 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 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 ($)
• 1962-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 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 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates
• 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 ($)
• 1968-2010 Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2010 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry — index ($)

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

• Lufkin Texas FamilySearch Center

Societies

• Nacogdoches Genealogical Society
  PO Box 4634
  Nacogdoches, TX 75962
  Website
  
  

Websites

• Nacogdoches TX GenWeb part of TXGenWeb
• Nacogdoches 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.