Records that survive
These are the record series from Colorado County that were microfilmed for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps. Not every county, or every record in a county, was filmed.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Record · County Clerk1837–1958
- Marriage Affidavits · County Clerk1891–1904
- Divorce Record · District Clerk1906–1951
- Death Record · County Clerk1914–1969
- Divorce Minutes · District Clerk1916–1956
- (Marriage) Notice of Intention to Marry · County Clerk1928–1933
Deeds and land
- (Deed) Preemption Claims · County Clerk1824–1860
- Deed Record (Spanish) · County Clerk1832–1893
- Survey Record · County Surveyor1835–1946
- Deed Record · County Clerk1836–1901
- (Deed) Land Certificates · County Clerk1838–1855
Wills and estates
- Probate Minutes · County Clerk1837–1940
- Probate Record · County Clerk1841–1878
Naturalization
- (Naturalization) Declaration of Intention · County Clerk1856–1906
- (Naturalization) Petition and Record · District Clerk1890–1935
- (Naturalization) Declarations of Intention · District Clerk1891–1934
- Naturalization Record · County Clerk1892–1906
Military and pensions
- Discharge Record · County Clerk1918–1946
Tax records
- Tax Rolls · Tax Assessor-Collector1838–1910
Court records
- District Court Civil Minutes · District Clerk1837–1944
- District Court Final Record · District Clerk1839–1876
- District Court Case Papers · District Clerk1840–1930
- County Court Minutes · County Clerk1867–1908
Schools
- Scholastic Record · Superintendent of Schools1925–1946
See every reel at the Texas State Library
Source: Texas State Library and Archives Commission, County Records on Microfilm. Texas began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1903, though many went unrecorded until the 1920s.
Where to find the records
- Colorado County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk, the district clerk and the Texas General Land Office, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county clerk
Deeds, marriage licenses and probate records (wills and estates), plus copies of births and deaths for many counties.
- The district clerk
District court cases, including divorces, and in many counties naturalizations.
- The Texas General Land Office
In Austin: the original files for nearly all land granted from the public domain, from Spanish and Mexican grants through the Republic and the state, since Texas kept its public land.
- Texas State Library: Colorado County records on microfilmfree
Every filmed series with its reel numbers. The film can be used in Austin or borrowed through interlibrary loan at many libraries.
- Texas General Land Office: Search Our Collectionsfree
The Land Grant Database and surname index: search original Texas land grants by name and county.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Texas, Colorado" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Austin County, Mina County (now BASTROP)
Check the parent county for earlier records: Austin County
Later formed partly from Colorado County: Fayette County, Lavaca County, Wharton County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1836, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Texas land was granted by the state, not the federal government, so an ancestor who received land directly from the government will usually have a file at the General Land Office as well as deeds in the county.