Comanche County, Texas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |
Comanche County Facts

Comanche County was created in 1856 and formed from Coryell and Bosque Counties. Comanche County was named for the Comanche Native American tribe. The County Seat is Comanche. The Official County website is located at ?.

Areas adjacent to Comanche County are Erath County (northeast), Hamilton County (southeast), Mills County (south), Brown County (southwest), Eastland County (northwest)

See also Extended History for more historical details.

  • Comanche County, Texas History Books at Amazon.com
  • Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
  • Search Historical Newspapers from Texas (1802 - 1993) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 450 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in over 2,800 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!
  • Stories, Memories & Histories - Stories and histories compiled by others researching a person or area can be an amazing source of information about your ancestors. Not only do they generally contain dates and places of vital events like birth, marriage, and death, but they often relate stories and memories that help you really get to know the character of your ancestors.
  • Search Texas Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Back to top

Comanche County Court Records

See Also Texas Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Comanche County Clerk has Court Records from 1858, Land Records from 1856, Probate Records from 1856 , Marriage Records from 1856 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at County Courthouse, Comanche, TX 76442-3264; (325) 356-2655 .

The County Clerk's Office is the record keeper of the county. The county records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, brand registrations, DD214s (military discharges), land / real estate / property records, probate and civil filings.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, Texas Deaths, 1964-98, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 & 1966-2002, and Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2002. You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which does cover Texas. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
  • Comanche County, Texas Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which covers the State of Texas. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
  • Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
  • Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
Back to top

Comanche County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Texas

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756; (888) 963-7111 or (512) 458-7111; Fax: (512) 458-7711. Please allow up to approximately 6-8 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail, or 2-5 Days when you order through VitalChek Express Certificate Services. The Vital Records Department has the following records:

  • Birth Certificates: Birth records maintained by Bureau of Vital Statistics, Dept. of Health since 1903 through the present. For births that occurred within the past 75 years, copies can be requested only by the immediate family of the person whose name is on the birth certificate. Cost: The cost of a birth record is $22.00. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $22.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Death Certificates: Death records maintained by Bureau of Vital Statistics, Dept. of Health since 1903 through the present. For deaths that occurred in the past 25 years, copies can be requested only by immediate family members of the deceased. Cost: The cost of a certified death certificate is $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy issued at the same time for the same certificate. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $20.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Marriage Verifications from Jan 1966 and Divorce Verifications from Jan 1968. Certified copies of marriage licenses or divorce decrees are only available from the county clerk (marriage) or district clerk (divorce) in the county or district in which the event occurred. Marriage verification or divorce verification letters can now be ordered Online. Cost is $20 - Fee is for verification only.

ORDERING

  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
  • Order In Person: The certificates may be ordered by coming into this office.   If you want the copy the same day, our hours for same day service are 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Monday – Friday. The Texas Vital Statistics Office in Austin is located at 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756.
  • Order By Mail: Mail a check or money order (no cash) payable to the "Texas Vital Records " along with the necessary information to the following address: Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, PO Box 12040. Print Aplication for Birth Certificates, Death Certificates and Marriage & Divorce Certificates.

There are a few online marriage databases which include: Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, Texas Deaths, 1964-98, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 & 1966-2002, and Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2002. Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Texas newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29icon - Browse by county, then year, then surname, beginning with the first letters of the last name of the person you seek. If you're unsure of the year or location, use the search box under the browse menu. These records can be searched by father's first and last names, mother's first and maiden names, year, county, and city. The certificates include the child and parents' full names, residence, occupations, age, time and date of the birth, and the name of the physician attending the birth.
  • Texas Death Certificates, 1890-1976icon - These records are searchable by first and last name of the deceased, year, county, and city. A certificate may include the decedent's date, place, and cause of death; age; date of birth; last residence; and marital status. If known, it will also include occupation, birth place, parents' names, and place of burial. Browse by county, then year, then surname, beginning with the first letters of the last name of the person you seek. If unsure of the year or location, use the search box under the browse menu.
  • Comanche County, Texas Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
Back to top

Comanche County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Texas

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Comanche County, Texas are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

The Texas State Library holds microfilm editions for all of Texas' federal censuses. Although the 1850, 1860, and part of the 1870 mortality schedules have been published, all the original mortality schedules are at the Texas State Library and on microfilm The 1830 territorial census of Miller County, Arkansas, enumerates an area that is in today's Texas boundaries. The remaining 1890 population schedules which exist for Texas include: Ellis County (Justice Precinct 6, Mountain Peak, and Ovilla Precinct); Hood County (Precinct 5); Rusk County (No. 6 and Justice Precinct No. 7); Trinity County (town of Trinity and Justice Precinct 2); and Kaufman County (Kaufman). Although Greer County in present-day Oklahoma functioned as part of Texas between 1886 and 1896, the 1890 census for this county was enumerated under Oklahoma Territory.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Comanche County, Texas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Comanche County, Texas Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
Back to top

Comanche County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Arkansas and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Texas showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Texas showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Maps. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Maps by clicking the link below:

  • Texas General Land Office Map Collection
  • Comanche County, Texas Map Books at Amazon.com
  • Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
Back to top

Comanche County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Texas

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Military Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Comanche County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Texas tax records constitute one of the most complete sets of available records generated at the county level (by the Commissioners Court) because these documents are maintained by the state. These lists may only include approximately sixty percent of eligible males over the age of twenty-one. Persons exempted from taxes included native Americans, "idiots," "incompetents," and those exempted because of age. This final category of exemptions varied over time. Years without an older age exemption were 1840 and 1862-70. Between 1841-44 exemptions began at forty-five years; in 1845 and from 1850-61 the upward age was set at fifty years. In 1837, 1848, and 1849 the limit was established as fifty-five, and in 1846-7, and 1871 the upward limit was set at sixty years.

Texas Ad Valorem (poll, personal, and real property) tax records for 1836 through 1976 are available in microfilm at the Texas State Library from the date of respective county organization; these are arranged by county and date and are somewhat alphabetized within each division. Microfilm copies are housed in the Genealogy Section. Tax lists for the various counties from creation to 1901 may be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Tax records through 1901-1947 are readily accessible, but not on interlibrary loan. Those for 1948 through 1976 can be obtained upon request. 

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Comanche County, Texas Tax Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Comanche County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Texas Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Comanche County Genealogical Society, Meetings are held 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at Comanche County Historical Museum, 402 Moorman Road, Comanche, TX
  • Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P.O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927
    Holdings under the auspices of the Texas State Library are divided. Most important for genealogical research are the Texas State Archives with its Local Records Department, the Records Management Division, and the Information Services Division, which includes a Genealogy Section and a Reference Department.
    The Genealogy Section maintains vertical ties that contain notes, clippings, pamphlets, and correspondence on Texas families. These files may be accessed in person, by phone (512-463-5463, forty-five minute limit), or through correspondence.
  • Texas Genealogical Society, 2505 Beluche Drive, Galveston 77551
  • Texas Historical Commision
    The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is the state agency for historic preservation. THC staff consults with citizens and organizations to preserve Texas' architectural, archeological and cultural landmarks. The agency is recognized nationally for its preservation programs.
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Texas Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Comanche County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Texas

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Comanche County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Comanche County Tombstone Transcription Project.

During Texas's colonization period Roman Catholics were the most numerous, but early citizens included those representing other religious faiths such as Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Christian or Disciples of Christ.

Many cemetery records have been collected and transcribed, including the largest of which is multi-volumes compilation by the DAR and two volumes for Peters Colonists and descendants. The DAR collection, also microfilmed, is available at the Texas State Library and through the FHL.

Some Texas county historical and genealogical societies have published local cemetery and/funeral home records. These are normally available for purchase through the respective society. Two references can help determine which cemeteries have been recorded: Kim Parsons', A Reference to Texas Cemetery Records (Humble, Tex.: by author, 1988), arranged by county; and Sharry Crofford-Gould's, Texas Cemetery Inscriptions: A Source Index (San Antonio, Tex.: Limited Editions, 1977).

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Extended History

 

The area that is now Comanche County was dominated from the eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries by the Comanche Indians. The Comanches' culture was well adapted to their life on the plains. Unlike some Indian tribes they organized raids and buffalo hunts without a tribal military society, but with a responsible hunt leader chosen as coordinator. Their prey included buffalo, elk, mustangs, longhorn cattle, and black bears of the Cross Timbers region; the last they used for their oil. They did not eat fish, wildfowl, dogs, or coyotes unless they were severely pressed for food. Comanches sheltered in the common plains type of tepee, made of tanned buffalo hides, standing twelve to fourteen feet high and resting on a framework of sixteen to eighteen poles. The entry was usually covered with a bearskin, and a flap at the peak vented smoke from winter fires.

White settlement in the area began with a colony organized by Jesse Mercer and others in 1854 on lands earlier granted by Mexico to Stephen F. Austin and Samuel May Williams.q F. M. Collier built the first log house in the county in 1855, and in 1856 the Texas legislature formed Comanche County from Coryell and Bosque counties; Cora was designated as the county seat. In 1859 the more centrally located town of Comanche became county seat. By 1860 the United States census counted 709 people living in the county; farming and ranching occupied 24,730 acres, about 1,880 acres of which was classified as "improved." Twenty-five residents owned slaves, but there were no large-scale plantations in the area. The population included only sixty-one slaves, and only two of the county residents owned as many as eight bondsmen; most of the slaveholders owned only one. Cattle ranching was by far the most important economic activity in Comanche County at that time, and over 14,700 head of cattle were counted in the area that year. Wheat and corn were the county's most important crops on the eve of the Civil War; only one bale of cotton was produced in the county in 1860.

The withdrawal of the United States Army during the Civil War left the settlers without protection and even without livestock after Indian raids. Home-guard companies were organized for defense, but many settlers fled and the white population shrank to about sixty by 1866.

With the war's end, military protection returned, and settlers were once more attracted to the county, many to participate in a range cattle boom. By 1870 the county had 126 farms and ranches, encompassing about 17,500 acres, and the population had increased to 1,001. By the 1870s the town of Comanche had become the political center for some fifty counties, both organized and unorganized, to the west and northwest. The Comanche Chief, which began to be published in 1873, was for some years the only newspaper in this part of Texas.

The people worked for economic and social stability and were impatient with outlaws. When the notorious John Wesley Hardin killed Brown County deputy sheriff Charlie Webb in Comanche in 1874 many local citizens resented Hardin's escape. In misguided retaliation, a mob of 300 residents of Brown and Comanche counties stormed the county jail where Joe Hardin (brother of the outlaw) and two of the outlaw's associates were being held. The three prisoners were lynched. Some months later John Hardin was arrested in Florida, tried for murder in Comanche, and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.

By 1880 Comanche County had 1,985 farms and ranches that encompassed 190,482 acres. Ranching had expanded since the Civil War, and over 21,000 cattle, and 2,925 sheep were counted in Comanche that year. Farming had also markedly increased; the county's farms included 48,550 acres of improved land on which grains and cotton were produced. Over 14,200 acres were devoted to corn, the county's most important crop at that time, while cotton was grown on 9,301 acres that produced 2,098 bales.

As the economy of the area rapidly developed in the 1870s, its population increased almost eightfold, and by 1880, 8,608 people lived in Comanche county, including seventy-nine blacks. Agriculture was further encouraged in 1881 when the Texas Central Railroad began service in Comanche County and started carrying cattle and cotton to market. That many of the county's settlers came from Southern states may have been a contributory factor to racial tensions that emerged in the 1880s. Amid economically desperate times and political unrest in 1886, the second occasion on which a black murdered whites resulted in all the black people being driven from the county by vigilantes, They have not returned in any number.

Between 1880 and 1900 the county's economy continued to grow rapidly despite periodic droughts, the savage winter of 1885-86, and the nationwide economic crisis that began in 1893. The number of farms and ranches in the area rose to 1,985 by 1890; by 1900 the 3,548 farms and ranches encompassed 522,273 acres. Almost 167,500 acres of farmland was classified as improved; on it farmers grew mostly cereals and cotton. Cotton had come to be the single most important crop in the county by 1890, when almost 35,000 acres of Comanche County land was devoted to the fiber. In 1900 the county planted more than 88,700 acres in cotton and produced 24,224 commercial bales.

Meanwhile, ranching continued to be crucial to the local economy, as more than 47,000 cattle were counted in 1890 and about 43,000 in 1900. More than 15,000 sheep were also found in the county in 1890, though the number of herds declined to only about 3,800 by 1900. Population growth during the last two decades of the nineteenth century reflected the economic development that took place during that period. The census enumerated 15,679 people in Comanche County in 1890 and 23,009 in 1900. The county's continued economic growth did not by any means inoculate local farmers against the many problems afflicting American farmers during the late nineteenth century, however, and in fact the People's (or Populist) party grew powerful in Comanche County politics during the 1890s; in the 1898 election, the Populist slate won a number of county offices.

Expansion of cotton farming had been responsible for much of the county's growth during the late nineteenth century. But the local economy was severely damaged between 1900 and 1930, after the boll weevil plague entered the area in the early twentieth century and killed the cotton boom. The infestation devastated cotton crops and helped to drive a third of Comanche County farmers out of business between 1910 and 1925. Land devoted to cotton production in the county dropped from almost 89,000 acres in 1900 to only 39,000 acres in 1910, and never again came near the peak production of earlier years. Meanwhile, the number of farms in the county dropped from 4,372 in 1910 to 3,015 in 1920 and to only 2,746 in 1925. The population of the county dropped accordingly from 27,186 in 1910 to 25,748 in 1920 and to 18,748 in 1930.

Back to top
Texas Site Map | | Real Time Web Analytics by Clicky | Copyright © 2009 Genealogy Inc,