Wood County, Texas Genealogy

United States

Texas

Wood County

Guide to Wood 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: Quitman Organized: 5 August, 1850 Parent County(s): Original county Neighboring Counties Camp • Franklin • Hopkins • Rains • Smith • Upshur • Van Zandt See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for George T. Wood, governor of Texas from 1847 to 1849. A western section of Wood County was used to form the new Rains County in 1870. The area was originally Caddo Indian country. The first settler arrived in 1824. The first school opened in 1852 and the first newspaper was published in 1845. The county is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Wood County Courthouse
100 S. Main St
Quitman, TX 75783
Phone: 903-763-1236
Wood County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records Clerk has birth and death records from 1903, marriage, land and probate records from 1879, cemetery and court records, military records from 1918.
District Clerk has divorce records.

Wood 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	1879	1903	1918	1879	1879	1829
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1903. General compliance by the 1930s.

Record Loss

1878--Courthouse and all county records were destroyed by fire in December 1878. 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 as an original county, on 5 February 1850. County Seat: Quitman 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 Mineola Quitman Winnsboro

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
Hawkins Mineola	Quitman	Winnsboro‡
Towns
Alba‡	Yantis
Unincorporated communities
Crow	Golden	Hainesville
Census-designated places
Holly Lake Ranch

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

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Wood 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 Texas Cemeteries 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.	%±
1860	4,968	—
1870	6,894	38.8%
1880	11,212	62.6%
1890	13,932	24.3%
1900	21,048	51.1%
1910	23,417	11.3%
1920	27,707	18.3%
1930	24,183	−12.7%
1940	24,360	0.7%
1950	21,308	−12.5%
1960	17,653	−17.2%
1970	18,589	5.3%
1980	24,697	32.9%
1990	29,380	19.0%
2000	36,752	25.1%
2010	41,964	14.2%
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

Funeral Homes

Beaty Funeral Home in Mineola Beaty Funeral Home in Winnsboro Croley Funeral Home in Hawkins Lowe-Gardner Funerals & Cremations in Quitman

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

• See Texas Local Histories for more information.

• Wood County, 1850–1900, 1976, by the Wood County Historical Society.An overview of Wood County, Texas from roughly 1850 to 1900, includes historical sketches of various aspects of life in the county as well as anecdotes. Genealogical information and documentation are also included for pioneer families in the area.Read the book on line from The Portal to Texas History.
  
• History of Mineola, Texas; "Gateway to the Pines", 1973 by Lucille Jones. Read the book online from The Portal to Texas History.
• Wood County History from The Handbook of Texas Online.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Texas Land Survey Maps for Wood County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• 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 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

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 ($)

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 ($)
• 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 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 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 ($)
• 1814-2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1837-1965 Texas Marriages, 1837-1965 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1973 Texas Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
• 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
• 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 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 ($)
• 1964-1998 Texas Death Index, 1964-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index

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 ($)
• 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)

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

• Gilmer Texas FamilySearch Center
• Tyler Texas FamilySearch Center
• Wills Point Texas FamilySearch Center
• Quitman Texas Public Library - an affiliate library
• Tyler Public Library - an affiliate library
• Van Zandt County Library of Genealogy and Local History - an affiliate library

Societies

• Wood County Genealogical Society
  PO Box 832
  Quitman 75783
  Website

Websites

• Wood TX GenWeb part of TXGenWeb
• Wood 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.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

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

“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.