Callahan County was created in 1858
(Organized in 1877)
and formed from Travis, Bexar and Bosque Counties. Callahan County was named for James Hughes Callahan, a soldier during the Texas Revolution. The County Seat is Baird. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.callahan.tx.us/.
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.
Callahan County Clerk has Court Records from 1879, Land Records from 1878, Probate Records from 1879 , Marriage Records from 1878 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at 100
W. Fourth St., Suite 104,
Baird, TX 79504-5300; Telephone:
(915) 854-1217 . 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 Callahan County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan 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 Callahan 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 Callahan County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan County Maps. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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 Callahan County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Callahan 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.
Until the 1870s the county was dominated by Comanche Indians. The area was first explored and described by Dr. Henry C. Connelly of the Chihuahua expedition in 1839-40. Callahan County was formed by the Texas legislature in 1858 from Bexar, Bosque, and Travis counties and named for James Hughes Callahan, a survivor of the Goliad Massacre and leader of the Callahan expedition. Because of the threat of Comanche attack, little permanent settlement took place in the area until after the Civil War. The first white settler to reside in the county was probably James Dulan, a native of Georgia, who built a shelter on Hubbard Creek in 1859 and tended a small herd of cattle. Sometime before November 1863 the Whitten family moved in and established a camp on Deep Creek in the northeastern part of the county. They were followed by the Hittsons and Eubankses, who ranched in both Callahan and Shackelford counties just after the Civil War. The first permanent residence in the county was built by A. A. and Caroline Hart and their four sons, John, Jim, Early, and Jesse, who settled on the South Prong of Pecan Bayou in 1868. They moved to Coleman County shortly thereafter, but returned to Callahan County in 1872 and constructed a double log cabin that for many years was a county landmark.
During the early 1870s a number of other settlers arrived. Most were ranchers, drawn to the area by abundant grazing land. In 1873 John Hittson established the headquarters of his Three Circle Ranch in Callahan County, and in 1874 Jasper McCoy established a ranch on Pecan Bayou. Other early settlers included the Merchant brothers and Dr. J. D. Windham, a physician, who also started a ranch operated by his sons in the southwestern part of the county. Despite the growing population, the threat of attack from hostile Comanches continued during the early 1870s. In 1874 United States troops under Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie defeated the Comanches at Palo Duro Canyon, and the same year Company E of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers, under the command of William J. Maltby, was sent to the area to drive the remaining Indians away. With the danger of Indian attacks over, large numbers of settlers began moving in. By 1875 land promoter Nelson A. Smith established the first town, Belle Plain, near the center of the county. During the mid-1870s Callahan County became a transit area for cattlemen driving their herds to Kansas. On the way to Dodge City the Western Trail ran up the Pecan Bayou valley, passed near Belle Plain, and extended northward by way of the Bar-be-cue Ranch, just east of the site of present-day Baird. The Jacksboro Echo of July 21, 1876, estimated that some 73,000 cattle were driven up the trail in the first part of that year alone, and by 1880 the annual figure surpassed 260,000. The drives ended in the mid-1880s with the coming of the railroads, but they played an important role in drawing settlers to the area (see CATTLE TRAILING).
Between 1858 and 1877, Callahan County was attached successively to Bexar County, Travis County, and Eastland County for administrative and judicial purposes. In 1877 the residents, more than 150 strong, signed a petition requesting the organization of Callahan County. At the election of July 3, 1877, Callahan City became the first county seat, a position the town retained only until the election of October 13, 1877, when Belle Plain was voted in as the new county seat. Belle Plain showed signs of rapid growth, and a number of settlers moved there in anticipation of the railroad; by 1878 it had a population of more than 100, and by 1880 the number of residents had grown to nearly 300. In 1880-81 the Texas and Pacific Railway was constructed from Fort Worth to El Paso. Stations for the railroad were located at Putnam, Baird, and Clyde, all of which soon developed into towns, but bypassed Belle Plain six miles to the north. An election on January 16, 1883, made Baird the new county seat. Belle Plain soon declined; the stone jail and many of residences were moved to Baird, and by 1897 only four families remained. The construction of the railroad also opened the way for numerous new settlers. During the 1870s and 1880s several communities formed, including Cottonwood, Atwell, Cross Plains, Caddo Peak, Eagle Cove, and Eula. More settlers continued to arrive during the 1890s, and by the turn of the century there were post offices in Oplin, Tecumseh, Denton, Dressy, Admiral, and Dudley. In 1880 the county population was 3,419; by 1890 it had grown to 5,274.
During the 1880s extensive farming was introduced. Settlers from East Texas began farming in the area around Cottonwood in the mid-1880s, raising cotton, oats, and various varieties of fruit. A severe drought in 1886-87 ruined crops and caused some to wonder if the region was suited to agriculture, but by the late 1880s the farming economy had recovered and was rapidly expanding. Between 1880 and 1890 the number of farms in the county grew from 346 to 518, and by 1900 it had increased to 1,176. During the late nineteenth century corn was the largest crop; by 1900 Callahan County farmers were producing more than 300,000 bushels a year. Wheat and oats were the other main crops; in 1900, 13,450 bushels of wheat and 44,560 bushels oats were harvested. In the early 1890s large-scale cotton production was also introduced, and during the first two decades of the twentieth century cotton became one of the county's leading crops. In 1890, 7,640 bales were ginned; by 1910 that figure had jumped to 52,467, placing Callahan County among the leaders in cotton culture in the state.
Despite the impressive growth of agriculture, however, ranching continued to form the mainstay of the economy. The total number of cattle in the county during the period from 1890 and 1930 ranged between 25,000 and 35,000. Most were beef cattle, although dairying became more popular after the turn of the century, and for a time the county was a major producer of butter. Some ranchers tried their hands at raising sheep in the 1880s and 1890s-the number of sheep in the county was reported at 6,818 in 1880 and 6,487 in 1890-but by the turn of the century most ranchers had sold their flocks, and in 1910 only fifty-six sheep were recorded. During the first three decades of the twentieth century many farmers raised hogs. After 1900 chickens also were raised in large numbers: 54,246 in 1910 and 73,138 in 1930.
The population grew from 8,768 in 1900 to 12,973 in 1910. After 1910 the pace of growth slowed, and by the mid-teens it had begun to decline. It fell to 11,844 by 1920. Growth in the number of farms was steady at the beginning of the century, as more settlers arrived, lured by the prospect of plentiful land. By 1905 county farms numbered more than 1,600, three times as many as in 1890. Land prices, however, also increased, and many newcomers could not buy land. As a result, the number of tenant farmers grew steadily, until by 1920 nearly half the farmers-823 of 1,649-were tenants. Most were sharecroppers, who farmed the land in exchange for a share of the harvest. In contrast to tenants in many parts of the state, however, virtually all of the Callahan County tenants were white; in 1910 there was only a single black tenant in the county (see FARM TENANCY).
Many of the county's farmers, both tenants and owners, were heavily indebted, and with the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s a large number experienced hard times. Falling agricultural prices, combined with a boll weevil outbreak and the unwillingness of most banks to extend additional credit, forced many farmers off the land. By 1940, 1,200 active farmers were left, down more than 600 from the peak in 1910. The downturn in agriculture was partially offset by the discovery of oil in the county in 1923. A number of promising fields were soon located, including the Cross Plains Townsite, Pioneer, Cross Cut, and Blake fields, and by the late 1920s the oil business was in full bloom. Oil and gas revenues helped some landowners to survive the economic slump of the 1930s and made a few large landowners wealthy.
The period after World War II saw a continuation of the prewar trends. Ranching and farming continued to form the twin pillars of the economy, with the largest proceeds coming from beef and other livestock products. The years after the war saw a trend toward fewer and larger ranches and farms, as well-to-do landowners added to their previous holdings. In 1982, 91 percent of the land in the county was in farms and ranches, with 18 percent of the farmland under cultivation and 4 percent irrigated. That year Callahan County ranked 180th of the 254 Texas counties in agricultural receipts, with 73 percent coming from livestock and livestock products, primarily from cattle. Overgrazing and water problems-erosion, salinity, and a shortage of potable water-had brought about several conservation programs. Principal crops included wheat, oats, hay, sorghums, and peanuts. Other significant agricultural products included watermelons, peaches, and pecans.
Businesses in the county in the early 1980s numbered 174. In 1980, 15 percent of the labor force were self-employed, 18 percent were employed in professional or related services, 13 percent in manufacturing, 21 percent in wholesale and retail trade, and 14 percent in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining; 55 percent were employed in other counties; and 1,401 retired workers lived in the county. Nonfarm earnings in 1981 totaled $97,794,000. The industries with the most employment were agribusiness and the manufacture of fabricated metal products. Oil and gas extraction continued to form an important part of the local economy. In the early 1990s oil production averaged a million barrels annually; between 1923 and 1991 crude production totaled 79,523,155 barrels.
The first schools in Callahan County were opened in the 1870s. Among the earliest ones was a private academy in Belle Plain, established in 1877 by Professor and Mrs. W. J. Westmoreland. Belle Plain was also the site of one of the earliest colleges in West Texas, Belle Plain College, which opened in 1881. Another institution of higher learning, Baird College, operated for a brief time around the turn of the century. The first public schools in the county were opened in the mid-1880s. In the early 1990s Callahan County had four school districts with five elementary, one middle, and four high schools. The average daily attendance in 1981-82 was 2,253, with expenditures per pupil of approximately $2,000. Forty-seven percent of the 141 high school graduates planned to attend college. In 1983, 96 percent of the high school graduates were white, 4 percent Hispanic, and 0.1 percent black. Callahan County has generally been staunchly Democratic, although Republicans made advances in the second half of the twentieth century. Of the nine presidential elections between 1952 and 1988, Callahan County voted six times in support of the Democratic candidate and three times for the Republican candidate. In gubernatorial elections since 1952, county voters supported the Democratic candidate in every election except in 1986, when they supported Republican Bill Clements. Of the senatorial elections between 1952 and 1988, Callahan County voted for Democratic candidates in every instance except 1972 and 1984. Democratic officials also continued to maintain control of most county-wide offices. The first organized church in the county was reportedly the Methodist church in Cross Plains, which was established in the 1880s. Other early churches were located in Belle Plain, Clyde, and Baird. In the mid-1980s Callahan County had thirty-one organized churches, with an estimated aggregate membership of 6,505. The largest communions were Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Church of Christ.
The county's population reached 12,785 in 1960 but fell to 8,205 in 1970. It was 10,992 in 1980 and 11,859 in 1990. That year more than half the residents lived in Baird (1,737), Clyde (3,053), Cross Plains (1,201), and Putnam (131). Whites constituted 96.8 percent of the population, Hispanics 4.1 percent, and American Indians .4 percent. In 1990 only two black people lived in the county. Among the county's attractions are the Callahan County Pioneer Museum and a number of historic houses. Recreational activities include hunting, lake activities, and the old settler reunion, held each July.
Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29