Records that survive
These are the record series from Ellis 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 Clerk1850–1934
- Marriage Record (Freedmen) · County Clerk1865–1870
- Divorce Record · District Clerk1899–1936
- Birth Record · County Clerk1907–1920
- Death Record · County Clerk1923–1982
Deeds and land
- Deed Record · County Clerk1845–1901
- Alien-Owned Land Record · County Clerk1922
Wills and estates
- (Probate) Will Record · County Clerk1849–1940
- (Probate) Guardianship Case Papers · County Clerk1850–1930
- Probate Case Papers · County Clerk1850–1930
- Probate Minutes · County Clerk1850–1946
- (Probate) Inventory Record · County Clerk1851–1935
- (Probate) Administration Bond Record · County Clerk1852–1936
- (Probate) Citations and Returns · County Clerk1867–1894
- (Probate) Guardianship Docket · County Clerk1880–1941
- Probate Docket · County Clerk1880–1935
- (Probate) Application Record · County Clerk1904–1923
Naturalization
- Naturalization Record (Transcribed) · Tax Assessor-Collector1878–1926
- Naturalization Record · District Clerk1892–1928
- (Naturalization) Declarations of Intention · District Clerk1907–1929
Military and pensions
- Discharge Record · County Clerk1919–1941
Tax records
- Tax Rolls · Tax Assessor-Collector1850–1910
Court records
- Commissioners Court Minutes · County Clerk1850–1876
- District Court Civil Minutes · District Clerk1850–1931
- District Court Civil Case Papers · District Clerk1853–1930
- District Court Civil Docket and Fee Book · District Clerk1912–1928
- Tuberculosis Case Papers · County Clerk1914–1924
Schools
- Scholastic Census (Alma Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1944
- Scholastic Census (Avalon Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Bardwell Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Common School District) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Ennis Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Ferris Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Forreston Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Garrett Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Italy Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Maypearl Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1943
- Scholastic Census (Midlothian Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Ovilla Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1936
- Scholastic Census (Palmer Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- Scholastic Census (Red Oak Isd) · Superintendent of Schools1933–1947
- and 2 more series in the full listing
Other records
- Tuberculosis Record · County Clerk1923–1936
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
- Ellis 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: Ellis 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, Ellis" 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: Navarro County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Navarro County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1849, 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.