Dallas County was created in March 30, 1846 and formed from Nacogdoches and Robertson Counties. Dallas County was named for George Mifflin Dallas, the eleventh vice president of the United States. The County Seat is Dallas. The Official County website is located at http://www.dallascounty.org. See also Extended History for more historical details.
The Dallas County courthouse was built in 1966 in Contemporary style of concrete and steel at a cost of over $12 million. The old courthouse, which sits across the street, is of Romanesque Revival design, built of Pecos Red Sandstone and blue granite. This courthouse is well known as "Old Red".
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.
Dallas County Clerk has Court Records from 1846, Land Records from 1846, Probate Records from 1846 , Marriage Records from 1846 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at Records Building. 2nd Floor. Dallas, Texas 75202 Main Telephone 214.653.7099. Fax 214.653.7176 . 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 Dallas County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 Dallas 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 Dallas 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 Dallas County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 Dallas County Maps. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 Dallas County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 Dallas County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 Dallas County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Dallas County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Dallas County East Genealogical Society,
7637 Mary Dan Drive,
Dallas 75217-4603
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 Dallas County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 Dallas County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Dallas 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 primary Indians in the region were the Anadarkos, a Caddoan group, who settled in villages along the Trinity River. Probably the first European contact with the area occurred when the Moscoso expedition entered the northeastern corner of the future Dallas County in 1542. In the eighteenth century French explorers and traders were in the vicinity. In 1760 a missionary from Nacogdoches, José Francisco Calahorra y Saenz, made treaties with the Indians throughout the area. In 1819 or 1820 sixty Cherokee warriors and their families arrived from Arkansas under the leadership of Chief Bowl, a Scots-Indian. After a three-year battle with prairie tribes, during which the Cherokees lost a third of their warriors, the Cherokees withdrew. In 1837 rangers from an expedition under the command of Lt. A. B. Van Benthuysen camped on Turtle Creek after an engagement with Indians fifty miles to the north. By 1840 American explorers had begun to enter the area. The first to remain was John Neely Bryan, who arrived in November 1841 with his dog and a Cherokee friend, Ned.
The future Dallas County east of the Trinity was then part of Nacogdoches County, and the part west of the Trinity belonged to Robertson County. The area was an ideal place to settle because of its rich soil and ample water. The Republic of Texas was planning to build the Military Road from Austin through the site of future Dallas to the Red River. Other roads leading to Jefferson, Houston, and the Gulf Coast soon crossed at Dallas. The underlying Austin chalk made a firm foundation for roadways. The location on the Trinity was even more valuable because at the time it was thought that the river was navigable from the Gulf of Mexico (see also RIVER NAVIGATION). Settlers found useful trees, including post oak, bois d'arc, pecan, and mesquite. The available game included deer, buffalo, bear, and jackrabbits. Settlers in the area had difficulties with Indians, however, and many had settled for protection at Fort Bird or Bird's Fort, located near the site of present-day Euless. In 1841 the Republic of Texas had authorized the Texas Emigration and Land Company, also known as W. S. Peters and Associates or the Peters colony to recruit settlers for a 1,300-square-mile area. The land claims of the Bird's Fort settlers were blocked by the Peters colony grant, and in the spring of 1842 Bryan invited several families to join him at his dugout site. Deed records referred to this site as the new town of Dallas by August 1842. Indians continued to attack outlying settlements in the vicinity, and in 1843 Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, went to Grapevine Springs, later called Coppell, to meet with Indian leaders. When the chiefs failed to show up, the meeting was rescheduled at Fort Bird, and in 1843 a treaty was signed that kept the Indians west of the site of present-day Fort Worth. By the mid-1840s there were several other communities in the area in addition to Dallas. Farmers Branch, near the Peters colony field office in Stewartsville, had more residents than Dallas at the time. Cedar Springs, 3½ miles northwest of Dallas, and Hord's Ridge, the predecessor of Oak Cliff, were competing with Dallas for settlers.
In 1845 voters in the future Dallas County approved the annexation of Texas to the United States by a vote of 29 to 3. On March 30, 1846, Dallas County was officially formed by order of the state legislature from portions of Nacogdoches and Robertson counties, and named probably for George Mifflin Dallas, vice president of the United States under James K. Polk (see DALLAS, TEXAS). At Dallas, the temporary county seat, a log cabin was built to serve as a courthouse. In 1850 an election was held to find a permanent county seat. A runoff election was held after the first vote yielded 191 votes for Dallas, 178 for Hord's Ridge, and 101 for Cedar Springs. Dallas beat Hord's Ridge 244 to 216 in the runoff. By 1850 Dallas County had a population of 2,743, and by 1860 the number of residents had almost tripled to 8,665. Though the slave population rose faster than the white population, Dallas County had fewer slaves than some other Texas counties. In 1850 the 207 slaves were 8 percent of the population, but by 1860 slaves constituted 12 percent of the population. These 1,074 slaves were owned by 228 slaveholders. In 1850 the county had two churches and ten one-teacher public schools with a total of 170 pupils. The population resided on 278 farms with a value of $175,502. The largest crop was corn, with 94,870 bushels, and cotton was a minor crop with only 44 bales. Cotton was originally grown primarily for home use, but by 1849 Farmers Branch had the first cotton gin in the county. By 1860 wheat was a major Dallas County crop, and many gristmills had been constructed to grind the grain. In 1850 stockmen raised more hogs (6,089) than cattle, but by 1860 cattle numbered 35,431 and sheep 20,974, while hogs numbered only 16,113.
In 1861, Dallas County's citizens voted overwhelmingly for secession. The area was not invaded during the Civil War, but ten companies were mustered in the county and 1,300 Dallas County men fought for the Confederacy. The county population rose during the war, however, in spite of the exodus of soldiers. In 1861, since Dallas County was the food-producing center for North Texas, the Confederate government established a general quartermaster's and commissary headquarters for the army of the Trans-Mississippi Department there. Officers and their families moved to the county. Slaveholders from other areas of the South moved into Dallas County with their slaves in order to avoid attack by Union troops. Lancaster, in southern Dallas County, was the site of a pistol factory. After the war came a prosperous era. The population rose from 8,665 in 1860 to 13,414 in 1870, with the black population growing more rapidly than the white. Dallas residents were urged by newspapers to comply with their conquerors as the best way to recover from the loss of the war. People from other areas of the South, primarily Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi, moved to Dallas, for they saw North Texas as a new land with plenty of opportunity to grow wheat, which did not require slave labor as cotton did.
After Reconstruction Dallas County voted Democratic until 1928, when it voted overwhelmingly for Herbert Hoover, the Republican candidate, who faced the "wet" Catholic Alfred E. Smith in the election. Subsequently, Dallas County voters maintained their Democratic voting habits until 1952, when they voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower. Afterwards, until the 1990s the county voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate, including Richard Nixon in 1960. The exception was the 1964 election, when Texan Lyndon B. Johnson won the county.
Between 1880 and 1920, Dallas County remained primarily rural and agricultural, although manufacturing was growing. Cotton peaked in 1900, when the county produced 41,012 bales. After 1900 the cotton crop declined every year. Hogs, horses, and cattle other than dairy cattle were also at their peak in 1900. Wheat and oats had their largest crops in 1920—584,399 and 1,448,541 bushels, respectively. In 1920 the county had its largest number of farms, 5,379. After that year, farms became less numerous every decade as farming became less important in Dallas County and manufacturing became increasingly significant. In 1860 the county had fifteen manufacturers that produced $341,239 worth of products; in 1920 the 492 manufacturers produced more than $116 million worth of products and employed 8,708 people. The population kept pace with the rapid expansion of manufacturing. It rose sixfold, from 33,477 in 1880 to 210,551 in 1920. By 1900, 70 percent of the population resided in Dallas, Oak Cliff, Carrollton, Lancaster, Garland, Grand Prairie, Mesquite, and Richardson. The proportion of black to white residents remained stable at around 15 percent black and 85 percent white.
The lack of transportation in Dallas County during the antebellum period slowed the county's growth. From 1843 to 1850 Houston, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana, were the nearest markets, and goods had to be shipped by oxen. By the 1860s Jefferson, Texas, was the nearest market and port. In spite of its great distance from markets, Dallas County had the advantage of being at the crossroads of two Republic of Texas roads, the Military Road from Austin to the Red River, completed in 1842, which crossed the Trinity at Dallas, and Preston Road. In 1846 Dallas County Commissioners approved the building of roads to contiguous counties. The easy fordability of the Trinity River in Dallas County increased the trade traffic. Optimistic attempts to make the river navigable failed, however. The Trinity had seven or eight crossings in the antebellum period, including Dawdy's Ferry, Record Crossing, California Crossing (used by Forty-niners on their way to California), and Eagle Ford, where a community was founded. But later, even the fords could not prevent the river from becoming a barrier to growth of the Dallas County economy. The first bridge across the river in Dallas County was built by Alexander Cockrell in 1855, but it survived only a few years before it was washed away in one of the Trinity's frequent floods. In 1872 a toll bridge was built. When purchased by the county in 1878 it became a free bridge. Dallas County also needed a railroad to ship its agricultural goods to market and continue its growth. In 1872 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad built through Dallas County from south to north, and such communities as Hutchins, Oasis, Wilmer, and Richardson were founded on the line. In 1873 the Texas and Pacific Railroad ran through Dallas from east to west and gave rise to many other communities, including Grand Prairie and Mesquite. By 1885 Dallas County had five railroads. Two of them, the Dallas and Wichita, which had become part of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line in 1881, and the Dallas, Cleburne and Rio Grande, originated in Dallas. Dallas had tracks running in every direction, and they changed hands and names frequently. Other communities—Rowlett, Carrollton, Irving, Rylie, Simonds, Seagoville, Sachse—were founded on the railroad lines. Farmers Branch and Kleberg grew as a result of their contact with the railroads, and other communities disappeared as the tracks bypassed them. By 1910, Dallas County had ample transportation, with 1,200 miles of public roads and 295.36 miles of railroads. Four years later fourteen railroads served the county, including ten steam and four electric. Two of the steam lines, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Texas and Pacific, had their general offices at Dallas. Four electric interurban railways provided transportation between Dallas County communities and other nearby towns, such as Fort Worth and Sherman, beginning in 1902. Only one interurban remained by 1935, as automobiles increased in number.
Throughout its history Dallas County had a vigorous Hispanic population, but it was difficult to detect in official records because until the 1960s Mexican Americans were listed as white in the census and were not enumerated as a separate group. In 1839 Mexican traders were in the Dallas area, and in 1850 Dallas County had its first Hispanic resident listed in the census. Downtown Dallas had Hispanic businesses by 1875. The arrival of the railroad attracted Mexican settlers both as railroad workers and as passengers on their way to agricultural jobs. The Mexican-American population increased from 2,838 in 1920 to 5,901 in 1930.
The years of the Great Depression and World War IIq accelerated changes in Dallas County that had actually begun in the 1920s. After 1920 the county became less rural and more urban, as manufacturing became the primary source of employment. The number of Dallas County farms sharply declined, from 5,379 to 4,830, between its peak in 1920 and 1930. The depression hastened the decline; by 1940 the number of farms had declined 35 percent from its 1920 high, and their value had dropped 61 percent. Agricultural production had declined drastically as well, though cotton declined less than other crops. Between 1940 and 1950 agriculture remained primarily stable. Livestock became much less significant. Between 1920 and 1950, however, cattle raised for nondairy uses more than tripled in number. While agriculture was declining, manufacturing was seeing rapid development. People were leaving farms in rural Dallas County and surrounding counties to move to Dallas and other Dallas County communities. During the Great Depression unemployment became a problem in the county, and the city and county government applied to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for relief. In 1933 the County Board of Welfare and Employment reported fewer cases than before. Manufacturing became increasingly important from 1920 to 1947. The number of manufacturers more than doubled to 1,068 by 1947, with 38,936 employees—more than four times the number of 1920—and products valued at almost $2.5 million. World War II brought defense factories to Dallas County that supplied jobs for young people from rural areas. Communities such as Grand Prairie, grew up around these plants. The county had two airports in 1931 and twenty-one by the late 1940s. The population almost tripled between 1920 and 1950, when it reached 614,799. The percentage of African Americans dropped only slightly, from 15 percent to 13 percent. Dallas remained the largest community, with a population of 432,927, but other communities were expanding rapidly. In 1950, Dallas County was 89.8 percent urban.
As Dallas County became more urban and industrialized the education of its residents improved. In 1940, 34 percent had received at least a high school education, but by 1990, 77 percent had completed high school. The number of high school graduates continued to rise until the 1980s, when it began to level off. Although the number of schools and students increased, the number of school districts dropped from thirty-five in 1948 to fifteen in the 1980s. These comprised 284 elementary, 69 middle, and 62 high schools, as well as special-education and vocational schools. In the 1990s the Dallas County Community College District operated seven campuses. By 1949 public and private colleges in the county included Southern Methodist University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Baylor College of Dentistry. Others, such as the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, the University of Dallas in Irving, and Amber University in Garland were founded later. Besides the colleges there were a variety of technical and vocational schools teaching almost every conceivable skill.
Farming became insignificant in Dallas County compared to manufacturing. The number of farms declined from 3,519 in 1950 to 927 in 1987, though the average value of each farm rose more than twentyfold. Wheat production increased through the mid-1980s and began to fall again, but still remained above the 1950s level. Other crops dropped dramatically, especially cotton, which declined to its lowest level since 1850. The number of horses remained stable, at around 3,000 from 1950 to the 1980s, but all other livestock decreased dramatically. Manufacturing, in contrast, grew rapidly. The number of manufacturers in Dallas County more than tripled between 1947 and 1987, from 1,068 to 3,616. The number of employees in manufacturing grew even more rapidly, from 38,996 to 182,500. In addition to manufacturing, other businesses were burgeoning as well. Every major industry at least tripled its number of employees between 1953 and 1989. The three largest employers in 1953 were manufacturing, retail trade, and wholesale trade. By 1989 jobs in the service industry, primarily hotels, were employing the most people—314,777. Retail trade followed with 189,678, and manufacturing employed 184,698. This boom time lasted into the early 1980s for all types of employers. Subsequently, between 1980 and 1989, construction fell off by 33 percent and manufacturing declined.
The population increased rapidly from 1950 to the 1990s, as it had throughout the county's history. By 1950, 89.8 percent of Dallas County was considered urban. In 1950 the whole county was officially classified as the Dallas Metropolitan Statistical Area by the census bureau. The population tripled between 1950 and 1990, from 614,799 to 1,852,810. While both the black and white populations increased, the percentage of blacks in the population grew from 13 percent in 1950 to 20 percent in 1990. In 1980 the Hispanic population made up 9 percent of the population, but by 1990 it was 17 percent. In the 1980s the county had thirty-one district courts, twenty-one county courts, and twelve justices of the peace, as well as twenty-five fire departments, twenty-four police departments, and four jails. Thirty-five hospitals were in operation. A number of lakes provided recreation or supplied water within the county, including Bachman, Ray Hubbard, Mountain Creek, Texaco, Vilbig, and White Rock. The county had more than 28,000 acres in parks—one county park and 572 municipal parks. A number of museums were located in Dallas County, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Science Place,q and the Mexican American Cultural Heritage Center. The county had a plethora of special events, including the State Fair of Texas, the Dallas Grand Prix, the Cotton Bowl Classic football game, and the Byron Nelson Golf Classic. Interstate highways 20, 30, 35E, and 635 and U.S. highways 67, 75, 80, and 175 crossed the county, in addition to other prominent roads.
Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29