Sterling County was created in 1891 and formed from Tom
Green County. Sterling County was named for W. S. Sterling, an early rancher, buffalo hunter, and Native American fighter. The County Seat is Sterling
City. The Official County website is located at http://co.sterling.tx.us/. See also Extended History for more historical details.
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.
Sterling County Clerkhas Court Records from 1891 , Land Records from 1891, Probate Records from 1891, Marriage Records from 1891 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at P.O.
Box 55,
Sterling City, TX 76951-0055; Telephone:
(325) 378-5191. 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 Sterling County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County, Texas are 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.
Below is a list of online resources for Sterling County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County Maps. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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 Sterling County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Sterling 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.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the hunting grounds around the North Concho were used by Comanches, Lipans, Kiowas, and Kickapoos, all of whom maintained the rich material culture of plains tribes. The region was within a land grant made by Sam Houston in 1842 to Henry F. Fisher and Burchard Miller, but apparently no settlement in what is now Sterling County resulted. Fur traders, Texas Rangers, and federal troops passed through the area between 1800 and 1860. As elsewhere in the region settlement began after the Civil War, when the United States Army pushed the Indians to the west, and the buffalo herds were destroyed. Among the earliest settlers in the area were W. S. Sterling and S. J. Wiley, both buffalo hunters. According to legend, Frank and Jesse James hid out on Sterling Creek in the 1870s to raise horses and hunt buffalo. Fort Concho (first called Camp Hatch, then Camp Kelly) was established by the United States Army in 1867. Camp Elizabeth, an outpost of Fort Concho near the site of present Sterling City, protected ranchers who moved into the area during the 1870s. Huge spreads appeared in the area, such as the Half Circle S, established by the Peacock brothers; the MS, set up by Schuster, Henry, and Company; and the U Ranch, established by D. A. Earnest and W. J. Holland. In early days cattle were driven to Colorado City and occasionally as far as Fort Worth. Despite the importance of ranching for the early settlement of the area, the huge ranches lasted in what is now Sterling County only until the mid-1880s. By that time, homesteaders were competing with ranchers for land.
The land use patterns of West Texas were revolutionized by state homestead laws, which helped settlers challenge ranchers use of large spreads of public lands. School and railroad land was available at one to three dollars an acre, and a buyer could acquire as many as seven sections. Some ranchers resisted the movements and claims of homesteaders, but their resistance was short-lived. The drought of 1883 precipitated the fence-cutting wars, a particularly violent phase of this change in land use. Fence cutters sometimes failed to distinguish between ranchers who enclosed their own lands with barbed wire and those who enclosed public lands within their legitimately held lands. Statewide, there were three killings associated with fence cutting; property damages amounted to $20 million in 1883, leading to state legislation the next year prohibiting both fence cutting and the enclosure of public lands. The arrival of homesteaders in Sterling County precipitated the breakup of some of the great free-range ranches; the drought of 1886-87, which bankrupted the Half Circle S, helped to hasten their demise. Camp Elizabeth was abandoned in 1886.
When the county was established and organized in 1891 from Tom Green County, it already included eight or ten small communities, several of which had post offices and schools. A spirited contest between Sterling City and Commins (Cummins) for the county seat was fueled by the local newspapers, the Sterling Courier and the North Concho News. When the county's voters chose Sterling City as the county seat, Cummins did not survive. As the 1890s progressed populism became a contentious issue in county politics; according to one source, the population was almost evenly divided between Populists and Democrats. In spite of their divisions on other issues, however, the voters could agree on the necessity to prohibit the sale of liquor in the area; in 1898 the county was voted dry. By 1900 there were eighty-six farms and ranches, encompassing 425,655 acres, in Sterling County, and 1,127 people lived there. Though small areas in the county were beginning to be cultivated, stock ranching dominated the local economy. Only 3,129 acres in the county was classified as "improved" that year. Meanwhile, 17,000 cattle grazed on county pastures. Sheep, introduced to the area about 1890, numbered 1,400 by 1900. Initial farming efforts were limited to growing sorghums, oats, and cane for livestock feed; there was also a little truck farming to satisfy local needs. Cotton was first planted in 1889, and Sterling City opened its first gin in 1895; others were established later. By 1900, 136 acres was planted in cotton, and by 1910 production of the fiber had expanded to 1,626 acres. When the Santa Fe Railroad reached Sterling City from San Angelo in 1910, there were 135 farms and ranches in the county, and the area's population had increased to 1,403. Hopes that farming in the area might blossom into a cotton boom faded, however, as it became apparent that county lands were most suitable for grazing. The cotton gins eventually failed; by 1920 only 650 acres in Sterling County was planted in cotton. Hundreds of people left the area in the 1910s, so that by 1920 only 1,053 people remained.
Though farmers found the area generally inhospitable to cultivated crops, ranching continued to expand in the county. The number of sheep grew to 59,000 by 1920 and to 118,000 by 1930; the number of cattle also grew, and in 1930 the agricultural census reported 25,000 head in the area. Sterling County experienced a brief boom when the number of farms and ranches in the area increased from 131 in 1920 to 176 by 1925. By 1930 the number had tapered off to 136 farms and ranches, almost exactly the same number as had existed in the county twenty years before. The population of the county nevertheless rose by 30 percent during the 1920s, reaching 1,431 by 1930. By this time, most of the county's early communities were fading away, and the population was increasingly centered in Sterling City. The county's economy declined during the Great Depression of the 1930s. While the number of sheep in the area increased to 147,000 by 1940, the number of cattle declined by 50 percent during the 1930s, dropping to 11,000 by 1940; meanwhile, the number of farms and ranches in the area also declined significantly. By 1940 there were only 117 agricultural holdings in the area, and the population of the county had declined to 1,404.
Oil was discovered in Sterling County in 1947 and helped to bail out the area's declining economy. Petroleum production in the county rose from 17,309 barrels in 1948 to 861,000 barrels in 1956, to 920,00 barrels in 1960, and to 1,946,000 barrels in 1965. Production declined to 937,000 barrels by 1974, but soon revived to 1,965,000 barrels in 1978 and 2,565,000 barrels in 1982. In 1990, 2,455,579 barrels of crude were taken from county lands. Despite the developing oil and gas industry, the population of the county declined from the 1940s to the 1960s, dropping to 1,262 by 1950 to 1,177 by 1960 and to 1,056 by 1970. The number of people living in the county began to increase during the 1970s, however, and rose to 1,206 by 1980 and to 1,438 by 1990. The voters of Sterling County supported the Democratic candidates in virtually every presidential election between 1892 and 1964; the only exception occurred in 1952 and 1956, when a majority of the county's voters backed Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. The county went Republican in every presidential election between 1968 and 1988, however, and in 1992 a plurality of the county's voters supported Republican George Bush over Democrat Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, the independent candidate. By the early 1980s there were only two communities in the county. Sterling City (1990 population: 1,096) is the county's seat of government and the area's trade center; the other community is Broome (21).
Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29