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After 1903 births were required to be recorded by the counties. However, many births were not recorded in the early years. For birth certificates after 1903, write to Department of Health - Vital Records or Colorado County Clerk.
The Texas State Library and Archives has indexes for birth records by year.
Check the Rootsweb Online Index for Texas Births from 1926 through 1995.
You may also check Texas State Portals for births from 1926 through 1995.
The Colorado County Archives of the USGenWeb Archives Project contain indexes of general birth records from 1926 through 1995.
Church records are an excellent resource for determining dates of birth, death and marriage. Dates of birth can be estimated based on dates of baptism, and death dates can be estimated from burial records.
Early church records, if they survived through the ages, are generally found at the local church or at the denominational archives.
In addition, photocopies and/or microfilm of the early records of select churches may be found at Nesbitt Memorial Library in Columbus:
Transcriptions of many of these church records are online. Check here for Colorado County church records available online. Also see the Colorado County Online Data page
Naturalization records frequently contain the petitioner's exact date of birth, sometimes just the year, but at least their age. An immigrant could apply for naturalization at any state supreme, superior, district, or circuit court, or at any federal circuit or district court. Contact the Colorado County District Clerk for naturalization records. A few of the records are in the county clerk's office.
Military and Pension records are a possible source of birth and death information. For more information see the military page. Discharge records are on file in the County Clerk's office.
Bible records are considered a valuable, credible genealogical resource. There are two reasons for this. First, the records are usually recorded at the time of the event. That means that the accuracy of the recording, whether it is a date or name or a place, is not faded by memory. Second, the person doing the recording is usually someone to whom the event is important and therefore is more apt to be accurate, as in the case of a mother recording the birth or death of her child.
The information kept in bible records varies according to the custom of the family keeping them, but often includes birth, death, and marriage dates.
You may want to check out Colorado County Bible Records.
Texas became the 28th state in 1845. The first Federal Census for Texas was taken in 1850. Census records are available for each decade (except for 1890 where the majority of records were destroyed).
Starting in 1850, the Federal Census recorded the name and gender of each family member, as well as the year and place (state or country) of their birth. Starting in 1880, the birthplace of each individual's parents was recorded. The 1900 Census provide both the month and year of birth.
From 1850 to the present, the marital status of each person is listed. This helps to narrow down dates of marriage. Beginning in 1900, the census notes the number of years of the present marriage.
Check Colorado County Census Records for a complete listing of what is available on the Colorado County TXGenWeb site.
The Nesbitt Memorial Library has census microfilm for Colorado and surrounding counties.
The Texas State Library and Archives has census microfilm, indexes and soundex microfilm for the entire state.
The National Archives and Records Administration has its census microfilm catalogs on-line. Their worldwide web page has a section tailored specifically for the genealogist. NARA also has a very reasonable microfilm rental program where genealogists may rent films through the mail and view them at their local libraries for a period of time. Contact the reference librarian at your local library for more information about that program.
Early marriage records usually contained the name of the couple, witnesses, and the person who performed the ceremony. However, the format and information provided on the license depends on the date. Marriages are not necessarily performed in the county in which the license is obtained.
Check the Online Index for Texas Marriages from 1966 through 1999.and the early Marriage Records that the Nesbitt Memorial Library has on line.
The Colorado County Archives of the USGenWeb Archives Project contain indexes of marriage records from 1966 through 1999, as well as a few very early marriage records.
Thanks to David Strickland Colorado County Online database contains indexes for marrriage reords from 1966 to 2001 alphabetized for both brides and grooms.
The Texas State Library and Archives also has indexes of marriage records.
For the actual marriage certificate, contact the Colorado County Clerk.
For very recent marriage certificates, you can also write to Department of Health - Vital Records.
Divorce records from the mid nineteenth century can be found in the District Clerk's office.
The Texas State Library and Archives has indexes of divorce records.
Check the Online Index for Texas Divorces from 1968 through 1997. Marriage dates are included, as well as the number of children under 18 years old.
Thanks to David Strickland Colorado County Divorces 1968-2001 an index which includes marriage dates and the number of children under 18 years of age.
The Colorado Archives of the USGenWeb Archives Project contain indexes of divorce records from 1968 through 1999.
Beginning in 1903 deaths were required to be reported by the County to the State. However, this requirement was not enforced very well the first few years.
For death certificates after 1903, write to the County Clerk or Department of Health - Vital Records. Include name at death and as much of the following information as possible: Date of Death, City and County of Death.
Modern death certificates contain:
The Texas State Library and Archives has indexes for death certificates by year.
Check the Rootsweb Online Index for Texas Deaths from 1964 through 1998.
The Colorado County Archives of the USGenWeb Archives Project contain indexes of death records from 1964 through 1999.
Locating the cemetery where your ancestor was buried is an easy process in Colorado County if there is still a grave marker. Keep in mind that in older cemeteries, the stones may be broken or worn away by the weather.
The Nesbitt Memorial Library has a very extensive database of burials in the county. You do not need the name of the cemetery in order to search for your ancestor.
The Colorado County TXGenWeb has each cemetery listed with the names of those known to be buried there.
Obviously, wills and the many records generated during disposition of an estate, often point to a date of death. But you will also find key information within wills such as family relationships, birth order, which children are minors at the time, and the married names of daughters.
Probate records are available from the Colorado County Clerk.
When a person dies leaving an estate, the county government is responsible for seeing that it is distributed according to law. How that is done depends on whether or not the deceased left a will. If the deceased leaves a will, it will be recorded and filed with the local court This process is called probate. The executor named in the will is charged with carrying out the distribution of the estate under the supervision of the court.
If, on the other hand, the deceased dies without leaving a will, then he or she has died intestate, and the government must appoint an administrator to distribute the estate according the law. In either case, several types of records are generated through the court and may be of interest to the genealogist.
Obituaries are good places to find vital statistic information and to uncover family relationships. Modern day obituaries are usually submitted to local newspapers, or newspapers covering the general area where a person spent a significant part of their life, by the funeral director handling the funeral and burial. The information is collected by them from the family member arranging the funeral.
Of course, the key information in an obituary are the name of the deceased, their death date and place, often their spouse's name, frequently their birth date and place, and commonly their place of burial.
A second bit of key data obtained from obituaries is the place of residence of surviving family members, and, in the case of women, their married names. Third, you can find the name of the cemetery a person is buried in from his or her obituary. This can often lead to the discovery of unknown family members who were buried in the same lot.
Check Obituaries to determine which obituraries are available on this site.
Because much of the information in obituaries is reported secondhand, you should always try to corroborate it with other sources.
The Online Social Security Death Index can be used to determine the month and year of death and a probable location.
These indexes contain the following:
Funeral home and mortuary records often contain at least the date of burial, but often the date of death, age at death, and family relationships. These records are kept at the funeral home, and frequently pass to the descendants when a funeral home ceases business. If the business is sold to another owner, the records are frequently passed on to the new owners.
Click here for a list of Colorado County funeral homes.
Also see church registers above.
Please notify the volunteer county coordinator if you find a bad link.