Texas Research Tips and Strategies

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Research Tips and Strategies

Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page The Texas Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for Texas. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

Texas Research Strategies

Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Texas

• Texas Online Genealogy Records
• How to find Texas Birth Records
• How to find Texas Marriage Records
• How to find Texas Death Records

Texas Research Tips

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Texas:

Birth and Death information:

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• Statewide registration: The statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1908 and was generally complied with by 1930.
• local registration: As early as 1873 some cities and towns had authorized the registration of births and deaths.
• Access to records: See Oklahoma Vital Records for more information about birth, marriages, and deaths in Oklahoma.

Substitute Records:

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• Secondary source: Substitute records are used when primary sources do not exist for an event, such as birth, marriage, and deaths. Secondary sources list information about the event but they were not recorded at the time of the event and they are not an official record of the event.
• Accuracy: Because the information about an event in substitute records was not the official recording of the event (such as, cemetery or obituary records) inaccuracy may occur. Use other substitute records to help verify information.
• List of substitute records: See Oklahoma Substitute Records for more information.

Finding Parents:

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• Death records: In 1903, the state required recording the deceased's birth and parent information. Information was not always provided and the accuracy of the information was limited by the grieving relatives' memory.
• Obituaries: Official obituaries can also include the names of parents and other family members. See Oklahoma Newspapers and Oklahoma Obituaries for more information.
• Church records: Knowing the denomination of the church the family belonged to helps in locating information about the parents. See Oklahoma Church Records for more information.

Census Records:

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• Check all census years: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census to learn more about them and their family members. See Oklahoma Census Records for more information.
• Clues to other records: There are clues in censuses regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records.
• Finding families: Starting in 1850, all members of the household were listed in the census. By 1880, relationship to the head of household was added.

• Birth information: Statewide registration of births began in 1903 in Texas. A helpful substitute record to find birth information is a death record. However, date and place of birth on a death record is considered secondary information, as it was not recorded at the time of the birth event. The birth information should be corroborated with other substitute records to improve accuracy.
• Finding Parents: The State of Texas began recording deaths in 1908. They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search Texas death records
• Look in all censuses: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.

Further Texas Research

• Remember, for a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see Texas Record Finder.
• For online record collections, go to Texas Online Genealogy Records.
• For more research on Texas, including research at the county level, visit the Texas page on the Research Wiki.
• Search all of the Texas record collections at FamilySearch.
  

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