Texas Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Texas online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
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For more information on census records, see Texas Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Texas statewide beginning in 1903, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1840-1981: Texas Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
- 1903-1935: Texas Birth Certificates at FamilySearch; index & images; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1903-1997: Texas Birth Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1926-1995: Texas Births at MyHeritage - index only ($)
Marriages
- 1802-2010: US Marriages – Texas at Findmypast - index & images ($)
- 1824-2017: Texas Marriage Index at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1837-1977: Texas County Marriage Records at FamilySearch; index & images; Also at MyHeritage ($), Ancestry ($)
- 1837-1973: Texas Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1837-1965: Texas Select County Marriage Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1966-2010: Texas Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage - index only ($)
Deaths
- 1890-1976: Texas Deaths at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1903-1973: Texas Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only
- 1903–1982: Texas Death Certificates at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1903-2000: Texas Death Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1964-1998: Texas Death Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at MyHeritage ($)
- 1977-1986: Texas Deaths at FamilySearch; index & images
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Texas, see How to Find Texas Birth Records, How to Find Texas Marriage Records, and How to Find Texas Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1903. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- 1980-2014: US GenealogyBank Obituaries at FamilySearch; index & images
- Index Online for 1870-1990’s North Central Texas
- Online Texas Death Records & Indexes. Links to multiple sites for Texas deaths, including sites with obituaries.
- 1930 forward: US Obituary Collection at Ancestry - index only ($)
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- Texas Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Texas Cemetery Records at Interment
- Texas Gravestone Photo Project at Texas Gravestones
- Texas Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Texas Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Texas African American Cemeteries at AccessGenealogy
- Jewish Cemeteries in Texas at Find-A-Grave
- Hebrew Cemeteries in Texas at Find-A-Grave
- Texas Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Texas Obituaries and Texas Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Texas, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Texas, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Texas Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Texas Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.