Rockwall County, Texas Genealogy
Guide to Rockwall County Texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Rockwall County, Texas | |||||||
| Map | |||||||
 Location in the state of Texas, United States Genealogy | |||||||
 Location of Texas in the U.S. | |||||||
| Facts | |||||||
| Founded | 1 March, 1873 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Rockwall | ||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||
| Address | Rockwall County Courthouse 1101 Ridge Road Ste 101 Rockwall, TX 75087 | ||||||
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Contents
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for a wall-like subterranean rock formation that runs throughout the county. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Rockwall County Courthouse
1101 Ridge Road Ste 101
Rockwall, TX 75087
Phone: 972.882.0240
County Clerk has birth, marriage, and death records from 1875,
land records from 1890, probate records from 1877 and court records[2]
County Clerk
1111 E. Yellowjacket Ln. Ste. 100
Rockwall 75087
Phone: 972-204-6300
Fax: 972-204-6319
District Clerk
1111 E. Yellowjacket Ln. Ste. 200
Rockwall 75087
Phone: 972-204-6500
Fax: 972-204-6509
Rockwall County, Texas Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1875 | 1875 | 1875 | 1875 | 1873 | 1877 | 1829 |
General compliance by the 1930s. | ||||||
History[edit | edit source]
1846-- Settlement by Anglo-Americans commenced in 1846.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1873--Rockwall County was created 1 March 1873 from Kaufman County.
- County seat: Rockwall [4]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1875 - Courthouse and most, if not all, county records were destroyed by fire in March 1875.
1892 - Rockwall County Courthouse caught fire on January 27, 1892. All records were saved. [5]
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]
| Cities | ||
|
||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Collin • Dallas • Hunt • Kaufman
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| FindAGrave | Family History Library | FindAGrave |
| Linkpendium | WorldCat | Tombstone Project |
| BillionGraves (name) | Cemeteries of TX | |
| GenWeb Archives | Texas Cemeteries | |
| BillionGraves | TX Gravestones | |
| TXGenWeb | FamilySearch Places | |
| Names in Stone | ||
| See Texas Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 2,984 | — |
| 1890 | 5,972 | 100.1% |
| 1900 | 8,531 | 42.8% |
| 1910 | 8,072 | −5.4% |
| 1920 | 8,591 | 6.4% |
| 1930 | 7,658 | −10.9% |
| 1940 | 7,051 | −7.9% |
| 1950 | 6,156 | −12.7% |
| 1960 | 5,878 | −4.5% |
| 1970 | 7,046 | 19.9% |
| 1980 | 14,528 | 106.2% |
| 1990 | 25,604 | 76.2% |
| 2000 | 43,080 | 68.3% |
| 2010 | 78,337 | 81.8% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death/burial date and place. For general information about Texas denominations, view the Texas Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[edit | edit source]
After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions, including deeds and mortgages, have been recorded by the county. You can obtain copies of these land records by writing to the county clerk at the county courthouse. For more information, see Texas Land and Property.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists microfilm copies of deeds, trust deeds, and mortgages of many counties.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Rockwall County, Texas Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Texas Local Histories.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Texas Counties Map. Click on the county to go to the TXGenWeb site
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1838 - 1900 - Texas Muster Roll Index Cards 1838-1900 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Mexican-American War[edit | edit source]
- 1845 - 1848 - US American Volunteer Soldiers Mexican War 1845-1848 at Ancestry.com — index $
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861 - 1865 - Texas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861 - 1865 - Texas, Civil War Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917 - 1920 - Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Rockwall County, Texas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- TX Newspaper Abstracts (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Census Diggins 1830-1930
- Do a Rockwall County, Texas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Probate[edit | edit source]
Probate records of Texas, United States Genealogy have been kept by the probate clerk in each county courthouse. You can obtain copies of the records from the clerk's office. In most counties, all information pertaining to a probate case is recorded in the "probate minutes."
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records.
See the Wiki page Texas Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Records
- 1800 – 1990 Texas Probate Records 1800-1990 at FamilySearch — images
- 1800 – 2000 Texas Wills and Probate Records 1800-2000 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Texas tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Texas Taxation.
- 1846-1910 Texas, County Tax Rolls 1846-1910 at findmypast ($) — index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.
Certified birth and death certificates or birth and death verifications can be ordered online or by mail at the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health. Copies can also be obtained from the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred and are often less expensive. You can also order them online through a third party company.
Marriages records can be obtained from the county the marriage occurred. Only marriage verifications can be obtained from the Texas Vital Records State Department of Health.
See Texas Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Texas.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1840-1981 Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981 - FamilySearch
- 1903-1935 Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1935 (images and index) - FamilySearch
- 1903-1997 Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (index)- FamilySearch
- 1926-1995 Texas Births, 1926 - 1995 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1802-2010 Texas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1814-1909 and 1966 - 2011 Texas Marriage Collection 1814-1909 and 1966-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1837-1965 Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1837-1973 Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837-1977 Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977 at FamilySearch — index
- 1837-1977 Texas Select County Marriage Index 1837-1977 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2010 Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010 - FamilySearch record collection
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1890-1976 Texas Death Records 1890 – 1976 [with images]
Name index and images of statewide death certificates, 1890-1976. The name index has been created by Family Search and is tied to images of the Texas death certificates. Few certificates are available prior to 1903. - 1903-1973 Texas Deaths and Burials 1903-1973 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1903-1982 Texas Death Certificates 1903-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1964-1998 Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 [no images] Name index to Texas Statewide Death Certificates or four million people who have died since 1964.
- 1977-1986 Texas Deaths 1977-1986 at FamilySearch.org — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1968-2005 Texas Divorce Records 1968 - 2005 (index) - Hidden Ancestors
- 1968-2010 Texas Divorce Index 1968-2010 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1968-2011 Texas Divorces 1968-2011 at Ancestry.com — index $
- 1966-2016 Texas Marriages and Divorces at MyHeritage ($) — index
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Rockwall County Genealogical Society
PO Box 471
Rockwall 75087
Rockwall County Historical Foundation
PO Box 916
Rockwall, Texas 75087
this is a paid membership site
Family History Centers
[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Rockwall County TXGenWeb
- TXGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog — The catalog is genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) This catalog is different than the indexed Historical Records.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Rockwall, Texas" in "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwall_County,_Texas. accessed 11/25/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Rockwall County, Texas. Page 672 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Rockwall County, Texas . Page 658-677 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 655-665.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ GenDisasters.com - Rockwall, TX Courthouse Fire, Jan 1892 http://www.gendisasters.com/texas/7338/rockwall-tx-rockwall-county-courthouse-fire-jan-1892
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Rockwall County, Texas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwall_County,_Texas, Last accessed 19 August 2019.
