Records that survive
These are the record series from Shackelford 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
- Birth Record · County Clerk1903–1931
- Death Record · County Clerk1903–1981
- Marriage Record · County Clerk1931–1950
- Birth Record, Delayed · County Clerk1939–1957
Deeds and land
- Deed of Trust · County Clerk1881–1924
Wills and estates
- Probate Case Papers · County Clerk1875–1937
- Probate Minutes · County Clerk1875–1938
Naturalization
- (Naturalization) Declaration of Intention · County Clerk1912–1919
Court records
- Commissioners Court Minutes · County Clerk1874–1920
- District Court Minutes · District Clerk1875–1931
- County Court Minutes · County Clerk1876–1885
Schools
- Scholastic Census · Superintendent of Schools1926–1939
Other records
- Cemetery Record, (Breckenridge Cemetery) · County Clerk1870–2005
- Marks and Brands Record · County Clerk1874–1908
- Patent Record · County Clerk1880–1892
- (Marks and Brands Record) Bill of Sale Record (Livestock) · County Clerk1883–1885
- Bill of Sale · County Clerk1883–1929
- Assumed Name Record · County Clerk1921–1929
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 Shackelford 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: Shackelford 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, Shackelford" 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 Shackelford County: Borden County, Dawson County, Gaines County, Scurry County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1858, 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.