Rains County, Texas Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Emory
Organized: December 1, 1870
Parent County(s): Hopkins, Hunt, Wood, Van Zandt
Neighboring Counties
HopkinsHuntVan ZandtWood
See County Maps
Courthouse
Texas, Rains County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Tx-rains.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for Emory Rains, a Texas state legislator. The county is located in the northeast area of the state.[1] Rains County's first courthouse was a log building. It was used until a two-room courthouse was built in 1871; this second courthouse burned in 1879. The log building was again used as a temporary courthouse until two-story building could be built in 1884. The 1884 courthouse burned in 1908. Rains County's current courthouse is the county's fourth Courthouse. It was built in 1908. The first Anglo-American arrived in the 1840's.

County Courthouse

Rains County Courthouse
220 W Quitman St
Emory, TX 75440
Phone: 903-473-5000
Rains County Website

County Clerk has birth records from 1902, divorce records from 1903, marriage, divorce and land records from 1880 and probate records from 1894.[2]

Rains 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[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1902 1880 1902 1880 1880 1894 1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

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:[5]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Ginger
  • Bright Star
  • Flats

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

History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Rains County, Texas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Texas Cemeteries for more information.


Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1880 3,035
1890 3,909 28.8%
1900 6,127 56.7%
1910 6,787 10.8%
1920 8,099 19.3%
1930 7,114 −12.2%
1940 7,334 3.1%
1950 4,266 −41.8%
1960 2,993 −29.8%
1970 3,752 25.4%
1980 4,839 29.0%
1990 6,715 38.8%
2000 9,139 36.1%
2010 10,914 19.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Local Histories

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

  • Early Days in Texas and Rains County, 1917 by William Oscar Hebison and Ambrose Fitzgerald.
  • 100th Anniversary of Rains County, 1970
  • Rains County History from the Handbook of Texas Online

Maps and Gazetteers

Hunt CountyHopkins CountyWood CountyVan Zandt CountyTX RAINS.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Mexican-American War

Civil War

World War I

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

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

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Libraries

Museums

Societies

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Wikipedia contributors, "Rains, Texas" in "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rains_County,_Texas. accessed 11/25/2019
  2. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Rains County, Texas. Page 672 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Rains County, Texas . Page 658-677 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 655-665.
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. Wikipedia contributors, "Rains County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rains_County,_Texas, Last accessed 19 August 2019.