Bosque County was created in February
1854
and formed from MeLennan and Milam Counties. Bosque County was named for the Bosque River (Bosque is Spanish for "wooded"). The County Seat is Meridian. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.bosque.tx.us. The Bosque County courthouse was built of native limestone in 1886 for $60,000 and designed by J.J. Kane. The courthouse was originally of Romanesque Revival style, but renovation around 1930 called for the removal of the clock tower and other original designs.
PLEASE READ!! 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.
Bosque County Clerk has Court Records from 1858, Land Records from 1850, Probate Records from 1855, Marriage Records from 1860 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at P.O.
Box 617,
Meridian, TX 76665-0617;
(254) 435-2201 . 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Bosque County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Texas Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Texas Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Vital Records,1100 West 49th Street,
Austin, TX 78756, Please allow up to approximately 6-8 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have 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.
Processing Time: 6-8 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
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.
Processing Time: 6-8 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
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 ELECTRONICALLY
Cost: $20 - Fee is for verification only.
Processing Time: 6-8 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
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,
Austin TX 78711-2040. Please include return address on envelope and application form.
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.
Click Here to Search Texas Voter Lists & Census Records! - 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 Bosque County, Texas are 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 Bosque County, Texas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 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 Bosque County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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 Bosque County Maps. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Texas Military Records! - 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 Bosque County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
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 Bosque County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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 Bosque County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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 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.
Texas Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Texas Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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.
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 Bosque County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Bosque 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.
Click Here to Search Texas Family Tree Records! - 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 Bosque County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Bosque County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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.
Texas Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
The first exploring expedition that recorded travel in this area was made in 1721 by the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, a Spaniard who established many missions in Texas. In one trip from San Antonio de Béxar to an East Texas mission, he ventured away from the regular road, the Old San Antonio Road, and wandered north. During this time he camped near the Brazos River and a major tributary. He named this tributary Bosque, Spanish for "woods." The county, therefore, derives its name from the Bosque River.
Settlement of the area began in 1825 when Sterling C. Robertson obtained a grant from the Mexican government in order to colonize the area along the Brazos River. Very few of the homesteaders chose to live within the current boundaries of Bosque County; however, the grant did prompt travel through the area. The land granted was later transformed into districts, one being the Milam District. George B. Erath, a surveyor for both the Republic of Texas and the state of Texas, is credited with naming many of the streams and landmarks in Texas. In the late 1830s he named Meridian Creek and the Meridian Knobs for the fact that they were near the ninety-eighth meridian. In 1841 the botched Texan-Santa Fe expedition passed through the region, and many of the travelers chose to stay. In 1847, a prominent banker from New York, Richard B. Kimball, obtained a grant of land from the state of Texas along the west bank of the Brazos river fourteen miles north of the mouth of the Paluxy River. Soon, Kimball formed a partnership with Jacob De Cordova in order to develop this land. They planned to establish a town so that they could lure prospective settlers to move to the area. A site was chosen along the Brazos River where there was a shallow ford. They named the town after Kimball. Since this was the best spot to cross the river for miles, many east-to-west travelers came through town. At this point the Chisolm Trail crossed the waterway. The location of Kimball, therefore, made it a good stopping place for settlers, ranchers, and cowboys. Following a somewhat prosperous start, however, Kimball was missed by the railroads that were built in the county later in the decade; therefore, the town quickly declined, and only a few people remain there today.
In 1850, McLennan County was carved out of the Milam District. The same year the Universal Immigration Company of England purchased 27,000 acres of land from Richard Kimball and laid out a townsite on the west bank of the Brazos. In the late 185Os, the company sent over thirty families, comprising approximately 120 people. They settled in an area between the present-day towns of Kopperl and Kimball under a massive rock formation called Solomon's Nose. They named their idealistic colony Kent. Unfortunately, the citizens of Kent fell to the same fate that their predecessors did more than a century before in Jamestown, Virginia. The first harsh winter caused many hardships that led to a high number of fatalities. During the following spring, in their last attempts to survive as a community, they bought several cattle and some seed corn; however, they failed to build a fence around the crop and the cows ate all of the corn before it could be harvested. The settlement quickly broke up, and the colonists migrated separately to other areas. Some moved back to England.
Bosque County was officially formed in February 1854 from McLennan County. Soon a site was chosen at which to locate the county seat. Erath laid out the town of Meridian in the center of the county on land donated by Dr. Josephus M. Steiner. Town lots were sold at a public auction on the Fourth of July 1854. Soon thereafter, the first courthouse, a one-story log cabin, was erected in the middle of town. This building served the needs of the residents until 1869, when a larger frame structure was built. In 1871 this second courthouse burned. For four years the business of the county was conducted in a tent. In 1875 the third, and present, courthouse was completed, a three-story structure of native stone.
Also in 1854, Norwegian immigrants began to move to the area. Ole Canuteson, the first, believed that the land was much like that in Norway. The state of Texas offered 320 acres to each family that would settle in the new county, and the Norwegians took advantage of the offer. Cleng Peerson, the "father" of Norwegian immigration to America, led the settlers to the region. The bulk of them settled in a triangular area bound by the present-day towns of Clifton, Norse, and Cranfills Gap. Peerson was sixty-seven years old when he moved to Bosque County, and he lived the remainder of his life in the area. Many descendants of the Canutesons, Ringnesses, Dahls, Questads, and other Norwegian settlers still live in Bosque County.
The first county election took place on August 7, 1854. The turnout was small, but county officials were chosen and the local government began to function. The next significant election took place on February 23, 1861, when secession was the issue. The citizens voted for it by 233 to 81; the Norwegians voted against secession by 52 to 42. Like many other European immigrants in Central Texas, the Norwegians of southern Bosque County maintained Union sentiments throughout the conflict, though they did not join in the fighting.
The history of the Civil War era in Bosque County is sketchy because of skimpy record keeping. Between 1861 and 1865 many men from the county served in the military. The most significant contributions were to the Second Frontier District, the Nineteenth Texas Infantry, and Company H of Col. T. C. Hawpe's regiment. The latter two units saw action in the Louisiana and Arkansas campaigns, and a few of the members fought with the Army of Northern Virginia. The majority of the soldiers, however, guarded the area against Indians. In January 1865 many of them fought in the famed battle of Dove Creek battle against the Kickapoos. Although the battle took place in what it now Tom Green County, many Bosque County fighters participated; about ten of them died. Probably the most significant impact of the Civil War in Bosque County was that it slowed, and in some places halted, development. Few people moved to new counties at the time, and the Norwegians stopped coming.
The county began to make progress in the decades following the Civil War. During Reconstruction the county population grew, from 4,981 in 1870 to 11,216 in 1880. Additionally, the black population increased from 293 in 1860 to 528 in 1870. But lawlessness, including the killing of freedmen, flourished. In early 1870 the situation was so bad that the Austin Daily State Journal reported Bosque County was averaging two killings each week. Bosque County whites blamed the Republican government for these problems; the Democratic party has dominated the county ever since.
Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29