Washington County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Washington County

Guide to Washington 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: Brenham Organized: 17 March 1836 Parent County(s): Austin, Liberty Neighboring Counties Austin • Brazos • Burleson • Fayette • Grimes • Lee • Waller See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for George Washington. The county is located in the southeast area of the state. The town of Washington-on-the Brazos was founded in 1830. The creation of Brazos, Burleson and Lee counties led to the relocation of the county seat to Brenham in 1844. The land that became Washington County was part of Stephen F. Austin's Colony.

County Courthouse

Washington County Courthouse
100 E Main St
Brenham, TX 77383
Phone: 979-277-6200
Washington County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1903 marriage records from 1833, probate and land records.
District Clerk has divorce records.

Washington 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	1837	1903	1840	1832	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 from Austin, and Liberty Counties on July 18, 1835. County Seat: Brenham 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 Berlin Brenham Burton Latium Wesley Wiedeville

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
Brenham (county seat)	Burton
Unincorporated communities
Berlin Chappell Hill Greenvine Independence Latium	Muellersville Phillipsburg‡ Prairie Hill Quarry	Rehburg Salem Washington-on-the-Brazos Zionville
Historic communities
Cedar Creek
Ghost towns
Gay Hill Goodwill Graball	La Bahia Rock Island	Tigertown William Penn

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

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Washington 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.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	5,983		—
1860	15,215		154.3%
1870	23,104		51.9%
1880	27,565		19.3%
1890	29,161		5.8%
1900	32,931		12.9%
1910	25,561		−22.4%
1920	26,624		4.2%
1930	25,394		−4.6%
1940	25,387		0%
1950	20,542		−19.1%
1960	19,145		−6.8%
1970	18,842		−1.6%
1980	21,998		16.7%
1990	26,154		18.9%
2000	30,373		16.1%
2010	33,718		11.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

Church Records

• See Texas Church Records for more information.

• Catholic Parishes in Texas
• Washington County Church Information~Listing of churches in the area
• Christian Church Directory for Texas at ChurchFinder

Catholic

• Catholic Parishes in Texas
• Catholic Parishes in Texas

Lutheran

• Catholic Parishes in Texas
• Martin Lutheran Church, Carmine -Records of Martin Lutheran Church, Carmine, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
• Phillipsburg - Records of the American Lutheran Church, Phillipsburg, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
• St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Brenham - Records of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Brenham, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
• Records of Salem Lutheran Church, Brenham, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

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

Funeral Homes

Allen Dave Funeral Home & Cremation in Brenham Brenham Memorial Chapel in Brenham Hogan Funeral Home in Brenham Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham

Land and Property Records

• See Texas Land and Property for more information.

• Record Book of Conditional Land Grants for Washington County, 1841, from the Portal to Texas History.
  
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

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

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

• Austin Colony Pioneers: Including History of Bastrop, Fayette, Grimes, Montgomery and Washington Counties, Texas. 1949. By Worth S. Ray. Austin, Texas : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Brenham and Washington County. 1915. By May Amanda (Mrs. R. E.) Pennington. Houston, Texas : Standard Printing & Lithographing Company. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Washington County. 1949. By Charles F. Schmidt. San Antonio, Tex.: Naylor Co. Online at: Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• A brief Washington County history at Texas State Historical Association
• History of the Jews in Brenham at Wikipedia

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 Washington County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• 1920 Washington County Landowners Map from Historic Map Works

Map

• 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 1838-1900 at Ancestry ($) — index & images

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
• Confederate Pension Applications at Texas State Library and Archives Commission

World War I

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

Newspapers

• The Portal to Texas History includes a Texas Newspaper collection here: Texas Digital Newspaper Program
• w3newspapers Texas Newspaper Index with links
• NewslinkTexas Newspaper List (sorted by publication frequency)
• The Olden Times Historic Texas News Online
• 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 including interactive search function at Ancestry ($).

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

• 1903-1991 Texas, Washington County, Birth Records, 1903-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 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 ($) — index
• 1814-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry ($) — index
• 1836-1965 Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry ($) — index & images
• 1837-1965 Texas Marriages, 1837-1965 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 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
• 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 ($) — index
• 1850-1930 USGenWeb Census Project Texas1850 - 1930
• 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — 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

• College Station Texas FamilySearch Center
• Waller County Library System - an affiliate library

Libraries

Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library
100 Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy
Brenham, TX 77833
Phone: 979-337-7201
Website

Societies

Washington County Genealogical Society
211 South Day St., Suite 105
Brenham, TX 77833
Website

Websites

• Washington TX GenWeb part of TXGenWeb
• Washington 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.

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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.