Records that survive
These are the record series from Johnson 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
- Death Certificates (Cleburne) · County Clerk1884–1950
- Divorce Minutes · District Clerk1893–1936
- Birth Record (County Only) · County Clerk1903–1909
- Birth Certificates (Cleburne Only) · County Clerk1906–1928
- Birth and Death Record (County Only) · County Clerk1910–1917
- Birth Record (Cleburne Only) · County Clerk1917–1929
Deeds and land
- Deed Record · County Clerk1853–1911
Wills and estates
- Probate Case Papers · County Clerk1854–1880
- Probate Minutes · County Clerk1854–1934
Naturalization
- (Naturalization) Declarations of Intention · County Clerk1898–1904
- Naturalization Record · County Clerk1904
Tax records
- Tax Rolls · Tax Assessor-Collector1855–1910
Court records
- District Court Civil Case Papers · District Clerk1852–1930
- District Court Minutes · District Clerk1856–1934
- County Court Minutes · County Clerk1867–1907
Schools
- Scholastic Census · Superintendent of Schools1937–1946
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
- Find Johnson County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county clerk, the district clerk and the Texas General Land Office.
- 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: Johnson 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, Johnson" 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: Land not yet in any county
Later formed partly from Johnson County: Hood County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1854, 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.