Jasper County was created in 1836
(Organized in 1837) and formed as an Original
County. Jasper County was named for William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero who was killed at Savannah, Georgia in 1779. The County Seat is Jasper. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.jasper.tx.us/. See also Extended History for more historical details.
Jasper was selected as the county seat in 1838, and by 1857 it had a population of 400. The first courthouse, a two room log cabin, was destroyed by fire in 1849 and replaced by a two-story frame structure designed and built by L.O. Mattingly. Forty years later, work began on the original section of the present courthouse, with the design being prepared by the architect E.T. Heiner.
When the functions of county government dictated the need for additional office space, the decision was made in 1934 simply to add more space to the existing structure, and not demolish the outdated building and start over with an entirely new edifice. Thus the political activities long associated with the structure designed by Heiner were allowed to continue in their original building. The county courtroom, located on the second floor of the 1889-90 building, is perhaps the building's most important space in terms of its political associations with past county judges
The Jasper County Courthouse is the product of three separate building campaigns which reflect the enlargement of the original masonry structure to meet increased demands for county office space. The original structure, which is Italianate in character, is flanked to the east and west by additions made in 1934, while a further addition was made to the east in 1960. The original structure was stuccoed in 1934, and its roof was simplified.
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.
Jasper County Clerk has Court Records from 1850, Land Records from 1849 , Probate Records from 1849, Marriage Records from 1849 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at P.O.
Box 2070, Main & Lamar St., Room 103, Jasper, TX 75951-2070;(409) 384-2632 . 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 Jasper County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper 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 Jasper 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 Jasper County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper County Maps. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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 Jasper County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Jasper 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.
Early inhabitants of the area that is now Jasper County were prehistoric hunters who camped near streams and rivers and moved about frequently in search of game. By the sixteenth century, when Spanish travelers first entered the region, Atakapa Indians lived in the southern sections of what later became Jasper County, and Indians of the Caddo confederacy dominated the northern sections. The area was also a home and hunting ground of the Ais Indians, who lived between the Sabine and Neches rivers. An early settler, William McFarland, noted in his diary in 1844 that the Ais Indians were an older group incorporated in the Caddo confederacy. Another tribe, the Biloxi Indians, established three villages east of the Neches River in Jasper County before 1846. They were never large in number and were considered peaceful.
The first white man in the area was probably Spanish, but Frenchmen and Englishmen also traveled through the region. Early records and maps indicate that the Moscoso expedition may have crossed Jasper County on the return trip to the Mississippi River in 1542. In 1754 several French trappers under the leadership of Joseph Blancpain were arrested by Spanish authorities wanted to fend off French occupation of East Texas. English explorers entered Sabine Lake and traveled up the Neches by boat in 1774. They remained along the banks of the Neches long enough to sow a crop.
One of the earliest white settlers was John R. Bevil, who moved to Texas before 1829 and received a first-class land grant on the Angelina River near the site of present Jasper. Bevil's settlement became known as Bevilport and was an important river-navigation point from 1830 until 1860. In 1829 Lorenzo de Zavala obtained a Mexican empresarial grant covering most of what is now Jasper County. During the Texas Revolution volunteers from Bevilport joined other Texans in confrontations with Mexican troops at Anahuac, Bexar, and Nacogdoches.
Jasper County was established when the Convention of 1836 converted old municipalities into counties, but it was not until 1837 that an act was passed defining the county boundaries. The town of Jasper was named county seat by the county commissioners in 1836 and grew around a log courthouse and jail built on the main square. In 1846 the original Jasper County was split into two parts; the eastern portion became Newton County. In 1847 Andrew Smyth built a sawmill near Bevilport, using the swift current of Indian Creek for power. After a fire destroyed the Jasper County Courthouse and all county records in 1849, a new two-story structure was quickly constructed.
River transportation facilitated trade and helped to encourage growth in the area, though riverboats came to Bevilport only when the water of the Angelina River was high enough to permit navigation. By 1850 there were 123 farms in Jasper County. County farmers harvested more than 16,500 bushels of corn that year, along with 3,750 pounds of tobacco, 3,565 bushels of rice, and other crops such as sweet potatoes and wheat. According to the United States census, 1,767 people were living in the county that year; 30 percent of them were slaves. The county's lumber industry got its start in 1852, when a steam sawmill was built at Ford's Bluff (later named Evadale).
By 1860, just before the Civil War, the county had grown to include 250 farms encompassing more than 275,000 acres, including 19,000 acres classified as "improved." Most of the county's farms and plantations were smaller than 100 acres. Only three holdings were larger than 500 acres, and none was larger than 1,000 acres. The census reported 2,426 whites and 1,611 slaves (39 percent of the total population) in the county that year. There were no free blacks. According to the census there were 170 slaveholders in the county, but only three of them owned more than fifty slaves, and most owned fewer than five. The county harvest that year amounted to 112,400 bushels of corn, 14,500 pounds of tobacco, and 3,792 bales of cotton. Almost 5,400 cattle and 1,549 sheep were also reported in the county.
In the 1860 presidential election a substantial majority of Jasper County voters chose John Breckinridge, a Southern Democrat, over Constitutional Unionist John Bell. Meetings to discuss secession were held throughout the county, and in early 1861 the county's voters chose secession by a margin of 318 to 25. A Jasper County resident, Dr. William Neyland, was appointed brigadier general of the Second Brigade of Texas State Troops and placed in charge of recruiting for the Confederacy in Jefferson, Orange, Newton, Tyler, Liberty, Hardin, Polk, Chambers, and Jasper counties. One of the first companies to be organized in Jasper County was Company C of the Twenty-fifth Texas Dismounted Cavalry. In 1862 Company E of the Lone Star Rifles was mustered into service in Jasper. The Confederate government in Texas collapsed in the summer of 1865, and Union troops arrived in Jasper County the following year.
The county's economy and population grew slowly between 1860 and 1880, then contracted slightly between 1880 and 1890. In 1870 the census counted 4,218 people living in the area, including 1,759 blacks. By that year the county had 411 farms, but only 21,600 improved acres; all but two holdings were smaller than 500 acres. Cotton remained an important crop during this period, though acreage declined during the 1880s, from 4,500 acres in 1880 to 3,800 in 1890. Meanwhile, cattle were increasingly important for the local economy; almost 6,800 cattle were reported in Jasper in 1880 and almost 9,400 in 1890. The number of farms in the county increased to 606 by 1880 but decreased slightly during the 1880s to stand at 603 in 1890. The population mirrored the county's fluctuating economy during these years. In 1880 5,779 people lived in Jasper County, but in 1890, only 5,592.
Between 1890 and 1910 the county grew steadily, despite the decline of cotton farming. There were 849 farms in Jasper County by 1900 and 864 by 1910. Though the number of acres cultivated in the county remained around 20,000 throughout this period, the farm economy diversified. In 1900 county farmers produced 27,000 chickens, for example, and 10,000 sheep were reported in 1910. The number of cattle in the county increased to more than 14,000 by 1910. Meanwhile, cotton was planted on only 1,571 acres. During the 1880s and into the twentieth century the timber industry steadily grew into an integral part of the local economy. In 1882 the Texas Tram and Lumber Company moved its logging camp to Magnolia Springs and floated logs down Wright Creek into the Neches River. In 1894, Kirbyville began to grow when the company moved a logging camp there. At about the same time, railroads built into the county and linked it directly with outside markets. In 1895 the Gulf, Beaumont and Kansas City Railway completed its track from Kirbyville to Roganville, in Newton County. Shortly after 1900 the line reached Jasper, greatly increasing shipping capability for the growing timber industry, which was previously dependent on river transportation. The county's agricultural economy grew steadily but slowly during this period, while the rise of the timber industry helped to increase the population of the county to 7,138 by 1900 and 14,000 by 1910.
The economy continued to fluctuate between 1910 and 1929, partly because of a brief revival of cotton production in the area. About 2,250 acres was planted in cotton in Jasper County in 1920, and more than 9,203 in 1929, when 878 farms were reported. Meanwhile, the number of manufacturing workers, most of whom worked in the lumber mills, rose from 1,229 in 1919 to 1,748 by 1929. The population of the county increased to 15,569 by 1920 and to 17,408 by 1930.
The effects of the Great Depression in Jasper County are illustrated in the 1940 census. Unemployment was high, with 1,054 jobless workers out of a total workforce of 5,875. The number of industrial establishments, primarily related to the timber industry, declined from twenty-two in 1929 to fifteen in 1940. Federal projects helped to stabilize the economy somewhat. During the late 1930s, for example, the Jasper-Newton Electrical Cooperative was formed, with headquarters in Kirbyville, to bring electricity to rural areas, and Jasper became the headquarters for the Lower Neches Valley Authority. The number of farms in the county increased from 878 in 1930 to 1,201 in 1940.
The county ceased to be a cotton producer during the 1940s, as farmers increasingly turned to truck farming and raising poultry. The logging industry revived during that time, and highway construction also helped to invigorate the economy; by 1945 U.S. highways 96 and 190 were both paved. The population of the county grew to 20,049 by 1950 and to 22,100 by 1960.
Oil was first discovered in Jasper County in 1928, but production was minimal until the 1950s; subsequently, petroleum helped to stabilize the economy and provided the area with welcome additional revenue, though not great wealth. Production was 4,560 barrels in 1948, more than 202,600 in 1956, almost 770,300 in 1960, 486,400 in 1965, about 220,480 in 1974, and almost 591,000 in 1982. In 1990 the county produced 835,816 barrels of crude, and by January 1991 almost 20,856,590 barrels had been produced in the county since discovery in 1928.
Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29