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Tarrant County History and Information

Tarrant County Facts

Tarrant County was created in December 20, 1849 (Organized in 1850) and formed from Navarro County. Tarrant County was named for Edward H. Tarrant, who drove the Native Americans out of the future county, opening it up for settlement (his middle initial may stand for "Hampton"). The County Seat is Fort Worth. The Official County website is located at http://www.tarrantcounty.com/. See also Extended History for more historical details.

Areas adjacent to Tarrant County are Denton County (north), Dallas County (east), Ellis County (southeast), Johnson County (south), Parker County (west), Wise County (northwest)

Tarrant County's roots lie in the 'Old West' and much of our heritage can be traced to the era of the cowboy and the cattle drives that passed through Tarrant County. Tarrant County is one of 254 counties in Texas which were originally set up by the State to serve as decentralized administrative divisions providing state services and collecting state taxes.

From its humble beginnings as the site of an army outpost assigned to protect the settlers, Tarrant County has, and continues to be, at the leading edge of the frontier. Tarrant County's first County Seat was Birdville - today a part of Haltom City. The Birdville Courthouse was little more than a log cabin and was in use from 1850 to 1856. Birdville was larger than Fort Worth in 1850, but Fort Worth was growing and saw a chance to wrestle away the Courthouse from Birdville. In 1856, Fort Worth forced an election to decide the issue. Supporters of both communities campaigned hard. In those days, voters expected a little something for going to all the trouble of getting into town to vote. The ride in was long and dusty and something to quench the thirst was particularly appreciated. In order not to disappoint these farmers and ranchers, civic leaders of Fort Worth and Birdville each prepared and carefully hid a keg of whisky hoping that the refreshment would attract voters from the outlying districts to their town and convince them - based on the hospitality provided - to cast their ballots for their community as County Seat. The night before the election, however, a band of Fort Worth supporters stole into Birdville and siphoned off the town's whisky. On election day, Fort Worth had two kegs to dispense, Birdville none.

In the end, Fort Worth won by seven votes. Birdville cried foul and, four years later, another election was held. But, by then, Fort Worth's population had moved far ahead of Birdville's and Fort Worth won the rematch handily. Fort Worth has been the County Seat ever since.

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Tarrant County Court Records

Tarrant County Vital Records

Tarrant County Census Records

Tarrant County Maps & Atlases

Tarrant County Military Records

Tarrant County Tax Records

Tarrant County Genealogical Addresses

Tarrant County Church & Cemeteries

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

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Extended History

Groups thought to have been in the area were the Tonkawas and the Hasinai Caddos. By the late 1700s the Comanches, Kiowas, and Wichitas had also moved into the region. When white settlers came they clashed with the native population. The battle of Village Creek occurred in 1841. A seventy-man force, led by Gen. Edward H. Tarrant, seized and destroyed three Indian villages. Although this expedition and others like it cleared permanent Indian settlements from the area, trouble with the Comanches and Kiowas continued into the 1870s. In August 1841 General Tarrant ordered a military outpost built near Village Creek. The post, named Fort Bird after Capt. Jonathan Bird, was abandoned in less than a year because of a threatened Comanche attack. The spot was reoccupied later and in 1843 was the site of a treaty negotiation dividing the area between the Anglo settlers and the Indians. After the treaty was signed immigrants from Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky settled in the region. They found abundant water and good farmland. The Texas Congress encouraged settlement by offering large grants to companies such as the Peters Land Company, which eventually obtained the land that would become Tarrant County. In 1845 a group from Missouri settled to the south of the present northern Tarrant County line, and another group founded Birdville on the banks of Big Fossil Creek. Settlement began in the vicinity of present day Azle in 1846. In the late 1840s Middleton Tate Johnson founded Johnson's Station thirteen miles southeast of the site of the present Tarrant County Courthouse. These settlements pushed the frontier westward, and the need for a military post was recognized. In 1849 Bvt. Maj. Ripley Arnold chose a site at the confluence of the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River. He named the post Camp Worth in honor of Gen. William Jenkins Worth, who had won fame in the Mexican War, and the camp was officially named Fort Worth. The Texas legislature recognized the importance of the area. On December 20, 1849, the county was founded and named after Tarrant, who had been instrumental in driving out the Indians. It was formally organized in August 1850, when the first elections were held.

During the decade of the 1850s the population of Tarrant County rose dramatically. The 1850 census showed 599 whites and sixty-five slaves. By 1860 the number of whites had grown to 5,170, and the number of slaves had increased to 850. Even though Fort Worth was abandoned as a military outpost in 1853, the settlers who had made their homes near the fort remained. Old fort buildings were turned into a hotel, a general store, and a doctor's office. In the western part of the county White Settlement was formed by people from Tennessee. In the southeast settlers of predominantly Scotch-Irish background founded Gipson. The fastest growing area was in the northeast, near Grapevine Prairie. When Tarrant County was organized, Birdville was designated the county seat. That decision was soon questioned by influential citizens of Fort Worth such as Middleton Tate Johnson, who lobbied vigorously to have Fort Worth made the county seat. These efforts resulted in a special election in 1856 in which Fort Worth won by a narrow margin. The election and the tactics employed by both towns caused much ill will. Several acts of violence followed the election, and the results were declared invalid. When another election was scheduled for April 1860, Fort Worth aided its cause by promising to build a permanent courthouse. The election results showed Fort Worth the clear winner, and the issue was finally settled. The 1860s brought the effects of Civil War and Reconstruction to Tarrant County. That decade was the only one in which the county population declined, from 6,020 to 5,788. The number of slaves in the county was relatively small, and opinions concerning secession were varied. Many of the county's settlers had spent some time in free states before arriving in Texas. The vote on secession favored disunion, but only by a margin of twenty-seven out of a total of 800 ballots. Tensions in the divided community led to the lynching of two suspected abolitionists, William H. Crawford and Anthony Bewley, in Fort Worth. With the advent of war came economic decline and shortages. The price of flour rose to fifteen dollars for 100 pounds, and calico was four dollars per yard. Other scarce items were coffee, sugar, and salt. Construction on the proposed courthouse came to a halt. During Reconstruction the county government elected in 1866 was removed in 1867, and men whom the federal government considered loyal to the United States were appointed. A federal military force occupied Fort Worth under this government, which functioned until 1869, when new elections were held.

In the 1870s Tarrant County experienced periods of prosperity and economic depression. During that decade two major factors played a part: cattle and railroads. Cattle were being driven through the county on the way north, and this provided opportunities for area merchants. The trail drivers needed supplies and entertainment, and Tarrant County was willing and able to provide both. Because it was the terminus of the drives the county also needed a railroad connection to ship its beef directly to available markets. The Texas and Pacific Railway designated Fort Worth as its eastern terminus for the route to San Diego, California, in the early 1870s, with the proposed track to Fort Worth to be finished by 1874. The news of the coming railroad caused a boom in the city and the county. Although delayed several years by the Panic of 1873, the railroad arrived in 1876. Other lines moved into the county during later years, including the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, the Santa Fe, the Fort Worth and New Orleans, the St. Louis Southwestern, and the Fort Worth and Rio Grande. For many towns in the county, the coming of the railroad meant growth. Places such as Hayterville (later renamed Arlington), Athol (later renamed Keller), and Mansfield prospered. Other communities such as Azle and Colleyville continued to grow without the railroad. By 1881 Euless had a new cotton gin, and nearby Bedford had become the second largest community in the county. The years between 1890 and 1917 found Tarrant County in transition. The era of the long cattle drives ended, and with development of innovations such as the windmill more farmers moved into the area. Between 1890 and 1900 almost 1,000 new farms were reported in the county. The number of farms remained around 3,500 until the 1950s; the principal crops were cotton, corn, and wheat. The population of the county rose from 41,142 in 1890 to 152,800 in 1920.

The spirit of reform evident in the county after 1900 was exemplified by such projects as the impoundment of Lake Worth in 1911 to provide better fire-fighting capabilities in Fort Worth. Medical facilities and services became more readily available; several hospitals were built in the county during that period. By 1903 packing houses in Niles City owned by Swift and Armour were doing a strong business. In 1909 the daily slaughter count was 5,000 hogs and 3,000 cattle. Also, by 1920 oil refineries had been built in the county to handle oil being pumped in other parts of the state. Several oil corporation headquarters were located in the county as well. When America entered World War I in 1917 the war effort brought more growth to Tarrant County. In Arlington Heights the army established a training camp named Camp Bowie in honor of James Bowie. The camp was responsible for training 100,000 men during the war. The Army Air Corps operated three airfields in the county: Hicks, nine miles north of Fort Worth; Benbrook, nine miles west of Fort Worth; and Barron, near Everman. After the war aviation remained important to the county, and in 1927 Meacham Field officially began operation. In the 1920s there were more than 250 commercial establishments in Tarrant County. Large quantities of bread and bakery products were produced. Printing and publishing also flourished. There were 3,300 farms in the county, valued at $40 million. During the decade the population of the county grew by 45,000. However, the stock market collapse of 1929 put a damper on the county's growing prosperity. The Great Depression affected Tarrant County as it did all areas of the nation, but it was not until late 1932 that the full impact was felt. Until that time a spurt of construction kept employment relatively high; the rate of unemployment was 2.3 percent in 1930. Activity slumped, however, and by November 1932 county road funds were exhausted, and "Hoovervilles" had appeared in Benbrook. When the New Deal began, Tarrant County was eager to participate. By 1941 the federal government had spent $15 million locally. Even so, in 1940 there were 15,848 people, more than 16 percent of the workforce, either doing public emergency work or seeking employment.

The coming of World War II put an end to the depression in Tarrant County. Many served in the armed forces or worked in factories devoted to war related industries. The county's economy was permanently aided by the growth of the aviation industry. Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation moved to Fort Worth and employed 35,000 workers by the end of the war. County population figures show an increase from 197,553 in 1930 to 361,253 in 1950. The decades of the 1950s and 1960s brought phenomenal growth to Tarrant County. By 1960 the population of the county had soared to 538,495, an increase of 67 percent, and in 1970 the census recorded 716,317 county inhabitants, an increase of 75 percent. There were several reasons for the rapid growth. One, already mentioned, was the aviation industry. From Consolidated Vultee came Convair by a merger in 1943. The name was changed again in later years to General Dynamics. That highly successful organization has employed hundreds of thousands throughout the years. Bell Helicopter moved to the county in the early 1950s and has also been a major employer. Other aviation companies also located in the county. The Strategic Air Command operated out of Carswell Air Force Base from the 1940s into the 1980s. The county transportation network was greatly improved during this period. The Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike (later part of Interstate Highway 30) opened in 1957. In 1960 Fort Worth and Arlington were connected by Spur 303, and Interstate 30 West was functional by 1964. Business continued to be drawn to the county, which had 1,264 establishments in 1972. Manufacturing concerns employed 91,000 in 1970 and 100,000 in 1980. Finally, when the 1970s saw the completion of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Tarrant County was truly linked with the world at large. The 1980s witnessed more growth for Tarrant County. Fort Worth grew from 385,141 inhabitants in 1980 to 447,619 in 1990. In 1990 the largest county communities included Arlington (261,721), Hurst (33,574), Euless (38,149), North Richland Hills (45,895), and Bedford (43,762). The county had 1,170,103 residents in 1990. In the early 1990s the county economy was tremendously diverse, with more than 1,000 factories producing, among other things, aerospace products, mobile homes, foods, and plastics. The county also continued to have a strong agricultural base, producing cattle, hogs, chickens, eggs, and crops, including sorghums, small grains, cotton, and pecans. The Fort Worth-Dallas metropolitan area provided varied cultural and educational opportunities. In spite of its urban growth, Tarrant County still maintained the atmosphere of a frontier county. Opportunities abounded, and people were proud of the advantages that progress had brought, while admiring the people of the past and preserving a western spirit.

In 2000 the census counted 1,446,219 people living in Tarrant County. About 63 percent were Anglos, 20 percent were Hispanic, and 13 percent were black; other minorities comprised almost 5 percent of the area's population. More than 81 percent of residents age twenty-five and older had completed four years of high school, and almost 27 percent had college degrees. In the early twenty-first century the area's many factories continued to turn out a wide variety of products, including airplanes, helicopters, mobile homes, electronics, and plastics, and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport also generated considerable revenue. In 2002 the county had 1,227 farms and ranches covering 173,493 acres, 53 percent of which were devoted to pasture, 33 percent to crops, and 10 percent to woodlands. In that year Tarrant County farmers and ranchers earned $29,081,000, with livestock sales accounting for $7,352,000 of that total. Hay, beef, cattle, wheat, and horticulture were the chief agricultural products. Fort Worth (2000 population, 534,694) continued to be the county's seat of government and largest city; other communities included Arlington (332,969), North Richland Hills (55,635), Bedford (47,152), Euless (46,005), Hurst (36,273), and Colleyville (19,636). The Amon Carter Museum, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Fort Worth Zoo, Texas Rangers baseball games, and many other local attractions draw visitors to Tarrant County.

Tarrant County History and Information

Tarrant County Court Records

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Tarrant County Vital Records

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Tarrant County Census Records

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Tarrant County Maps & Atlases

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Tarrant County Military Records

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Tarrant County Tax Records

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Tarrant County Genealogical Addresses

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Tarrant County Church & Cemeteries

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Extended History