Milam County, Texas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

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 not cover Arkansas but does cover surrounding states. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.

Located in the center of the public square the Milam County Courthouse is a monumental edifice on a cruciform plan. As was typical in Texas, offices for county officials were located on the ground floor and were accessible from corridors passing through the building on both axes. A spacious district courtroom occupied a large volume in the second and third stories. Additional offices also were provided on these levels in the area not occuped by the courtroom. Stairs at the east and west entrance provided access to the upper stories.

To meet changing needs, the interior has been somewhat remodeled. The north entrance has been closed and the hallway made into office space. Other changes include the modification of upper floor areas to develop more office space.

The Milam County Courthouse is an outstanding example of Renaissance Revival design. The identical north and south facades are five-part compositions while the east and west fronts are three-part designs. Each of the four fonts has a projecting center pavilion emphasized by a portico and triangular pediment. The entire massing was originally dominated by a central tower, clad with a decorative sheet metal skin rising above a Mansard roof with convex curvatures. Four clock faces projecting from the convex- curved roof covering this tower regulated community activities. Perched on a cupola above all was a statue of the Goddess of Justice serving as an ever-present reminder of one of the primary functions of the edifice.

A three-part vertical composition conforms to typical Renaissance tradition: the base was emphasized by quarry- faced ashlar masonry; the center section, encompassing two stories, was tied together with pilasters of cut stone in colossal order with Corinthian capitals and smooth shafts supported upon pedestals; the terminal section of the composition was formed by a wide entablature originally formed with sheet metal.

The details elaborate on the Renaissance theme. A cut- stone water table forms a base for the ground-story masonry while a strongly profiled cut-stone string course terminates this section. Above this course appears another cut-stone stringcourse which is more subtle in scale and which follows the window spandrels and walls in and out.

The development of the designs for the openings provides variety. On the ground floor double window openings are contained within panels formed by pilasters; on the upper two floors triple openings also spanned by lintels are contained within panels defined by pilasters at both salient and reentrant angles. Below each window is a spandrel of cut stone. Paired windows spanned with Roman arches with pronounced sculptured keystones appear in the third story of the entrance pavilions as well as over the paired windows flanking the north and south facades; these arches have cutstone voussoirs with pronounced archivolts. The single third-story windows between the salient and reentrant angles are spanned by Roman arches with quarry-faced voussoirs.

On the second story, below the Roman-arched openings the paired windows are flanked by pilasters with capitals incorporating bead work and supporting an entablature, all of cut-stone. Above the entablature triangular pediments appear over each opening.

The four entrances are announced by porticos surmounted by non-functional balconies. Paired stone columns support an entablature of stone, above which was originally a balustrade. This has now been replaced by a simple parapet.

The exterior has been modified but still retains much of its original character. During the 1930s many details were removed. The Goddess of Justice, which has been the target of at least one sharpshooter, was taken down. Then the exterior sheetmetal work, which evidently had deteriorated, was removed. Included in this was the tower which had been considered a problem because of visitations by "young, indiscreet, and often times imprudent and irresponsible parties". In addition, the entablatures and roof balustrade were replaced by a new cut-stone parapet which now conceals the roof. Much of this work was financed by Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works Funds, with J.E. Johnson as architect and McClellan, Brown and McClellan, as contractors. More recent alterations include installation of new glass and aluminum doors and window sashes.

The Milam County Courthouse and Jail possess both architectural and historical significance. The Courthouse is an outstanding example of Renaissance Revival design and the Jail embodies a design theme inspired by Medieval military architecture which was intended to symbolize strength. These two buildings have been the center of activities involving law and order throughout the twentieth century; the courthouse continues in use while the jail is now a museum.

The present courthouse is the fourth temple of justice to serve the county. As was common, the first was a small unsubstantial work which was used only temporarily. In 1874, a fire burned the second, and along with it the county records. Pending the construction of a new building, the Phillips Hotel was rented as a courthouse. Following a dispute over the permanent location of the county seat, the county contracted for a new brick courthouse with a "cupola and weather vane" in 1875. However, within a few years this building was continuously presenting maintenance problems: the fireplace in the county judges' office smoked, offices required repairs, the roof leaked, and the cistern was too small. Finally, in 1889, a grand jury reported that this building was unsafe and recommended that the county build a new temple.

Through an advertisement in the Galveston Daily News the county judge invited architects to submit plans and specifications for a new building. The firm of Larmour and Watson of Austin were the successful competitors and early in 1890, invitations to bid on construction were published in both the Galveston Daily News and the Fort Worth Daily Gazetter. Irregularities in bidding resulted in a rejection of all bidders; then following a second competition a contract was awarded to Lee and Plummer for $82,385. The bid included removal of the old courthouse. However, William Plummer's bond was decared insufficient, resulting in a delay in construction for nearly a year. In addition, the county apparently had insufficient funds to proceed. Meanwhile, loss on money cuased by the delay prompted the architects and contracotr to make a claim against the county. To help settle the dispute, Jacob Larmour and A.O. Watson revised plans to reduce the cost. Construction then proceeded and on April 20, 1892, the building was officially accepted. After the Commissioners visited the courthouses in both LaGrange and Caldwell to inspect interior furnishings, the Burbrook School Furnishing Company of Dallas was awarded the contract to supply the courthouse furniture and venetian blinds.

The construction of jails paralleled these last two courthouses. In 1874, the firm of Larmour and Klerke were employed as architects and the following year work was contracted and completed on a brick jail with iron cages shipped from St. Louis, Missouri. However, on at least one occasion the jail was broken into, indicating a need for a more secure work, although a substantial wooden fence had been erected and steel installed on the cell floors. In 1884, additional work was done on the jail by P. J. Pauly and Brothers of St. Louis.

Finally, in 1893, it was determined that this jail was too small and a new building was needed. Two years later commissioners ordered the construction of a new calaboose. The Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company was awarded the contract for $18,883. This new building was built on the site of the structure it replaced. During construction, a house was rented as a temporary jail. The jail is now the Milam County Museum.

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

• Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
• Milam 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.

Milam 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 Milam County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Milam 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 FREE - 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, 1926-29 - 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, 1890-1976 - 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.
• Milam 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.

Milam 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 Milam 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 Milam 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 Milam County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Milam County Census Records by clicking the link below:

• Milam 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.

Milam 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 Milam County Maps. Email us with websites containing Milam County Maps by clicking the link below:

• Texas General Land Office Map Collection
• Milam 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.

Milam 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 Milam County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Milam County Military Records by clicking the link below:

• Texas Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
• National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
• Texas Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
• National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
• Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804
• Southern Claims Commission from the State of Texas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Texas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Texas units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
• Case Files of Applications from Former Confederates for Presidential Pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-67 from the State of Texas (The National Archives): NARA M1003. View, Print Copy & Save Original Applications for pardon submitted to President Andrew Johnson, 1865-67, by former Confederates excluded from earlier amnesty proclamations.
• Milam County, Texas Military Books at Amazon.com
• Military - The men and women called to serve their country in military duty are a source of pride to their families and to their nation. Now, with databases containing more than 16 million names and thousands of government records available to search, researching your veteran ancestors has become easier than ever before.

Milam 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 Milam County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Milam County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

• Milam County, Texas Tax Books at Amazon.com

Milam 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 Milam County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Milam County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

• Milam County Genealogical Society, 210 Ackerman St., Rockdale 78567
  Meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the NBC Bank Community Room
  across the street from the Library, at the corner of Ackerman & Cameron Rockdale, TX
  "The Legacy" newsletter published monthly
• 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

Milam 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 Milam County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Milam 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 Milam County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Milam County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

• Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Texas obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Texas newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Texas.
• Milam County, Texas Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
• Milam County, Texas Church Books at Amazon.com

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 Milam County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Milam County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

• Search for Local Texas Researchers or Earn Money by becoming a Local Texas Researcher!
• Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
• Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
• Sites on USGenweb: [ Milam County ] [ Texas ] [ Main Page ]
• [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
• Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
• Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
• The Texas Family Group Sheet Project
• Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
• Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
• Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
• Milam County, Texas Family Books at Amazon.com

Extended History

The Central Texas region, including Milam County, has supported human habitation for at least 10,000 years. The hunting and gathering peoples who had established themselves along the San Gabriel River by 4500 B.C. were probably ancestors of the Tonkawa Indians. The Lipan Apaches became neighbors of the Tonkawas sometime after 1300. By the eighteenth century the Caddo, the Tehuacana, and the Waco Indians and a composite group, which the Spanish called the Ranchería Grande, also frequented the area. European exploration of what would become Milam County began in the early eighteenth century. Fr. Isidro Felix de Espinosa and Domingo Ramón crossed the San Gabriel and Little rivers in 1716, when the Spanish sent expeditions to hold Texas against the possibility of French settlement. The Spanish also established several missions along the San Gabriel River, in an effort to Christianize the Indians in the region: San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas, which was built in 1746, and San Ildefonso and Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, which were built in 1749. Disease and unfriendly Indians caused the Spanish to abandon the sites in the mid-1750s. The Tonkawa Indians were generally friendly toward missionaries in the eighteenth and settlers in the early nineteenth centuries, but the nearby Apaches and Comanches presented a constant threat.

Robert Leftwich, a representative for the Texas Association of Nashville, Tennessee, obtained a colonization grant from Mexico in 1825 that included the Milam County area. The grant's boundaries followed the Navasota River, turned southwest along the San Antonio road to the divide between the Brazos and the Colorado rivers, then northwest to the Comanche Trail, and east back to the Navasota. Sterling Robertson assumed leadership of the colonization effort in 1827, but in 1830, because the company had made no progress in settling the area, the contract was suspended. The following year Stephen F. Austin and his partner, Samuel May Williams, persuaded the Mexican government to transfer the grant to them. In 1834, with Austin out of favor with the Mexican government, Robertson regained control of the grant, and actual settlement of the region began. The colony was known to the Mexican government as the Municipality of Viesca, but in 1835 the legislative body of the Provisional Government of Texas renamed it the Municipality of Milam, in honor of Benjamin Rush Milam. It was during the first Congress of the Republic of Texas that the municipality came to be called Milam County. At that time the boundaries of the county were roughly the same as those of the colony granted to Leftwich, comprising one-sixth of the land area of Texas. In addition to the present Milam County, the counties of Bell, Bosque, Burleson, Coryell, Erath, Falls, Hamilton, Hood, Jones, McLennan, Robertson, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, and Williamson were eventually carved out of the original Milam County. Brazos, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Comanche, Eastland, Haskell, Hill, Johnson, Lampasas, Lee, Limestone, Mills, Palo Pinto, Parker, Stonewall, Throckmorton, and Young counties also received land from Milam County. By 1850, with the exception of a small area between Williamson and Bell counties, Milam County had been reduced to its present size.

By the time of the Texas Revolution, the only settlements in present-day Milam County were the very thinly populated community of Nashville-on-the-Brazos at the eastern edge of the county and a few families scattered along the upper Brazos and the Little River. The families above Nashville were forced to leave their homes during the revolution, and when they returned after the battle of San Jacinto, their hold on the area was tenuous at best. Families continued to trickle into the area, but roaming bands of Kickapoo, Lipan, Kiowa, and other Indians forced them to flee the area frequently. A fort was established in Milam County at Bryant's Station in 1840 to help protect settlers from Indian raids. Gradually, the frontier was pushed to the north and west of Milam County, and no Indian raids occurred within the present limits of the county after 1846. From 1836 to 1846 Nashville, and briefly Caldwell in present Burleson County, served as the temporary location of the Milam county government. In 1846 the site for a permanent county seat was selected, and Cameron was established. Milam County had a total population of 2,907 in 1850.

Agriculture formed the basis of the county's economy in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1850 farmers engaged mostly in subsistence agriculture, raising cattle and hogs and growing corn as a food crop. By 1860 they had begun to raise livestock and crops for sale; the number of cattle and hogs more than tripled, and the amount of improved land had increased from 3,146 acres to 19,512 acres. In 1860 alone farmers produced 112,430 bushels of corn and 2,238 bales of cotton. Many of the people who settled Milam County were southerners who brought slaves with them to their new homes. In 1847 154, or about 14 percent of the people listed on the state census, were slaves. By 1850 the number of slaves had grown, but the proportion was about the same; the 436 slaves made up 15 percent of the total population. As farmers began growing more cotton, however, the number of slaves began to rise at a faster rate than the number of free inhabitants. By 1860 the free population had increased by 47 percent to 3,633, and the slave population had more than tripled to 1,542. Thus, by the time of the Civil War slaves comprised 30 percent of Milam County's total population, equaling the percentage for the state as a whole. Milam County voters enthusiastically supported the secession movement in 1861. The vote, while not unanimous, was lopsided, with 468 of the county's voters approving secession and only 135 opposing. Once the war began support of the Confederacy was nearly unanimous, and a large majority of the county's males volunteered for active duty. Precise participation figures are not available, but one Confederate officer estimated that 700 men from Milam County served in Confederate military units. The Milam County Grays became Company G, Fifth Texas Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade, and saw action in Tennessee and Virginia. Two other Milam County companies fought in the New Mexico campaign.

Milam County suffered a severe economic decline immediately following the Civil War and throughout the Reconstruction period. Although the number of residents and farms increased sharply during this period, the total value of farms in the county fell by more than 50 percent, from $1,142,767 in 1860 to $505,584 ten years later. Recovery was slow because transportation was poor and the economy was so dependent on agriculture. At that time the county had no industrial resources on which to draw, and the majority of Milam County residents made their living from the land. Complete economic recovery was not achieved until the railroads came in the 1870s. When the Civil War was over, Milam County residents elected new county officials in accordance with Presidential reconstruction, but when the Congressional plan went into effect in 1868, several of the new officials were disqualified and removed from office. The county was returned to conservative rule by 1869, and several of the men who had taken part in the interim government stayed in the county when the Reconstruction process was over, becoming respected members of their communities. With two exceptions, Milam County residents voted Democratic in presidential elections from the end of Reconstruction through 1992. A majority of them voted Republican in 1972 and in 1984, preferring Richard Nixon to George McGovern and Ronald Reagan to Walter Mondale. Occasionally, third parties, such as Greenbacks, Populists, Prohibitionists, Progressives, or Independents, drew off a sizable portion of the vote, but never enough to swing the county's overall results. Transportation and commerce developed slowly in Milam County. Among the early business and supply centers were Bryant's Station, which was located on the Marlin-to-Austin stage line, and Nashville and Port Sullivan, which were located on the Brazos River. Until the first railroad arrived in the 1870s, the county was without a cheap and reliable way to ship or receive products. With the railroads came a tremendous increase in the number of people moving to Milam County. The International and Great Northern Railroad was built from the Brazos River to Rockdale in 1874 and from Rockdale to Austin in 1876; the towns of Gause, Milano, Rockdale, and Thorndale were soon thriving communities. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe arrived in 1881, serving the towns of Buckholts, Cameron, and Milano. The San Antonio and Aransas Pass followed in 1891, linking Burlington, Ben Arnold, Cameron, Minerva, and Rockdale. The number of residents in the county more than doubled between 1870 and 1880, rising from 8,984 to 18,659. By 1900 the population had more than doubled again, reaching a peak of 39,666 residents. Milam County's population remained overwhelmingly rural in spite of the growth of such vibrant commercial centers as Rockdale, Thorndale, Gause, and Cameron. In the mid-1880s 85 percent of the county's residents lived outside these towns; by the 1930s the proportion had decreased only slightly-rural areas still accounted for 77 percent of the population.

Cotton and corn were the dominant cash crops as the county recovered from the Civil War and Reconstruction. The 1870 harvest yielded 5,143 bales of cotton and 201,117 bushels of corn. In 1880 farmers planted 37,473 acres in cotton and 32,725 acres in corn, devoting nearly 65 percent of the county's improved acreage to the two crops. In 1900 farmers planted 147,683 acres in cotton and 71,151 acres in corn, totalling 75 percent of the improved land. Cotton production rose from 10,844 bales in 1880 to 66,555 bales in 1900. Soil in marginal areas quickly became depleted, however, resulting in fewer bales per acre. By 1930 213,257 acres yielded only 43,037 bales. The low yields combined with the onset of the Great Depression encouraged farmers to plant more corn or to devote more of their resource to livestock. The cattle industry more than doubled in size between 1930 and 1950 and continued to grow through the 1980s. When the slaves were freed, landowners lost their primary labor force. As cotton production increased in importance, tenant farming and sharecropping became the alternate method of working large tracts of land. In 1880 tenants accounted for the operation of nearly a third of the county's 2,219 farms; by the turn of the century they were working 60 percent of the 5,337 farms in the county. The percentage of tenants in Milam County peaked at 73 percent in 1930, representing 3,996 of the 5,469 farm operators. The depression and the lure of more profitable employment in industrial centers led to a steady decline in the number of tenant farmers from the 1930s to the 1980s. By 1982 only 180 of the 1,583 farm operators in Milam County were tenants. Many former slaves remained in the county and established the communities of Liberty Hill, Lick Skillet, Oklahoma, and Sneed Chapel. The number of black residents in the county increased steadily, rising from 2,977 in 1870 to a high of 10,473 in 1900; however, because the volume of white immigrants was so great, the percentage of blacks with respect to the total population fell from 33 percent to 25 percent in 1890. After the turn of the century the county's total population began to decline. The number of blacks fell steadily, but at a faster rate than the population of the county as a whole; by 1980 blacks numbered 3,061, or less than 14 percent of the population. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, several hundred people of German, Austrian, Bohemian, Mexican, and other nationalities immigrated to the county, bringing their own customs and languages and making the county more ethnically diverse. Lutheran, Catholic, Moravian, and Jewish congregations were established, joining the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches already in the county. In the 1980s Milam County had seventy-five churches with an estimated combined membership of 14,295; Southern Baptist, Catholic, and United Methodist were the largest denominations.

In spite of its continued dependence on agriculture, Milam County began to develop industrial concerns. Among the first of these was lignite mining. Coal deposits had been surveyed in Milam County as early as the 1860s, but the first mine was not established until 1890. By the mid-1890s the county had six mining operations, producing a total of twenty railcars of coal per day. At its peak between 1910 and 1920 the mines shipped as many as forty-five to fifty cars each day. Most of the mine workers were immigrants from Mexico. The discovery of oil in neighboring Williamson County in 1915 encouraged residents in Milam County to look for oil of their own, and the discovery of the Minerva-Rockdale field in 1921 provided new opportunities for investment. As a result, the population rose from 36,780 in 1910 to 38,104 in 1920. The economic boom was short-lived, however, because the rapid growth of the oil and gas industry in Texas undercut lignite in the energy market. Mines in the Milam County were forced to close until lignite became a more viable energy source. Because Milam County was unable to match the job opportunities available in more industrial areas, its population began to decline again, falling from 38,104 in 1920 to 33,120 by 1940. The sharpest drop in population came between 1940 and 1950, when nearly 10,000 people left the county; the growth of war industries offered people the possibility of a better life in other areas. In the early 1950s the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) discovered an inexpensive method of converting lignite into electricity and decided to locate a new aluminum plant near Rockdale and the lignite mine at Sandow. The success of the new industry gave Milam County residents a way to lessen their dependence on agriculture as the mainstay of their economy. The new jobs required a higher level of formal education than did the traditional agricultural work in the county, and as a result, residents began to place more emphasis on their children's schooling. The earliest schools in Milam County had been somewhat primitive, with materials usually consisting only of spelling books, readers, and geographies; very few schools had the luxury of blackboards and libraries, and many had only the Bible to read. Although schools in general were rare during the republic period, Milam County developed a good foundation for public schools in the years between annexation and the Civil War. By the 1870s nearly every community in Milam County either had its own school or was near a community that did. These community schools provided the basic educational structure of the county until a district system was set up in the early 1890s. The consolidation of school districts began in the 1930s. Many children had responsibilities on their families' farms, however; few of them were able to complete their schooling. In 1940 only 6 percent of Milam county residents were high school graduates. As the job market expanded during the next forty years, so did the percentage of residents who finished school. By 1960 15 percent of the population were high school graduates, and by 1980 the number was 45 percent. In the 1980s more than 80 percent of the land in Milam County was used for farming and ranching. Among the primary crops were sorghum, wheat, hay, cotton, oats, and corn; watermelon, peaches, and pecans were also popular. More than 70 percent of the county's agricultural receipts in 1982 came from livestock and livestock products, mainly cattle, hogs, poultry, and milk. Although agriculture continued to be a important aspect of the economy, farm receipts represented less than 19 percent of the county's annual income in 1980. Professional and related services, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade involved more than 50 percent of the work force in the 1980s; an additional 15 percent of the work force was employed outside the county. The population of the county continued to fall throughout the 1970s, but at a considerably slower rate. The downward trend seemed to reverse itself in the 1980s, with the number of residents rising slightly from 22,732 in 1980 to 22,946 in 1990.