Research Guide
Defunct Texas Counties
Texas records were created under changing borders, short-lived county names, judicial counties, and counties that were authorized but never fully organized. TXGenWeb does not adopt out defunct counties as separate county projects, but this page will help visitors decide where to look when an ancestor appears in one of these former jurisdictions.
Important: Most defunct county records, if any were created, are now searched through the county that absorbed the territory or through state-level repositories. For genealogy purposes, always identify the county name at the time the record was created, then check the modern successor county for preserved records.
How to Research an Ancestor in a Defunct Texas County
- Start with the date. A county name may have existed only for a few years, or only as a judicial county. The same place may have belonged to a different county before or after the event you are researching.
- Identify the successor county. If the county was renamed, search under the current county name. If it was abolished or absorbed, search the county or counties that received the territory.
- Check neighboring counties. Boundary changes often moved families across county lines without the family moving at all.
- Use state-level records. Land grants, Republic of Texas records, legislative acts, court cases, military files, tax lists, and maps may be held at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the Texas General Land Office, or other statewide repositories.
- Use historical boundary tools. Compare the event date with historical county boundary maps before deciding where to search deeds, probate, court, marriage, tax, cemetery, newspaper, and church records.
Defunct and Former Texas Counties
This guide groups former counties by the kind of jurisdiction they represent. Some were renamed, some were attempted or never organized, some were judicial counties later declared unconstitutional, and a few were outside present-day Texas boundaries.
| Former County | Dates / Status | Where to Look Now | Research Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan | Created 1858; renamed 1861 | Stephens County | Search Stephens County records after the name change. Earlier records may appear under Buchanan or Bosque-area records depending on date and record type. |
| Buchel | Created 1887; never fully organized; abolished 1897 | Brewster County | Created from Presidio County territory. Look for land, tax, and local records in Presidio and Brewster contexts. |
| Cibolo / Cibilo | Wilson County renamed Cibolo in 1869; changed back to Wilson in 1874 | Wilson County | Search Wilson County records; watch for spelling variations Cibolo and Cibilo. |
| Davis | Cass County renamed Davis in 1861; became Cass again in 1871 | Cass County | Records during the Civil War and Reconstruction period may use Davis County. |
| Dawson (original) | Created 1858; abolished 1866 | Kinney and Uvalde counties | This was not the present Dawson County created later on the Llano Estacado. Match the place and date carefully. |
| Encinal | Created 1856; never organized; absorbed 1899 | Webb County | Search Webb County and nearby South Texas records; also check land records and state-level materials. |
| Foley | Created 1887; abolished 1897 | Brewster County | Part of the Big Bend region. Search Presidio, Brewster, and mining/community records for Study Butte and Terlingua-area families. |
| Greer | Claimed by Texas 1860; assigned to Oklahoma by U.S. Supreme Court in 1896 | Present Oklahoma counties | Search Oklahoma records, especially Beckham, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, and parts of surrounding counties, depending on location. |
| Harrisburg | Created 1836; renamed 1839 | Harris County | Early Republic-era records may use Harrisburg; later records will generally be Harris County. |
| La Baca | Judicial county, 1842 | Lavaca County and surrounding parent counties | Use Lavaca County for later records and check Colorado, Fayette, Gonzales, and Jackson depending on exact location and date. |
| Miller | Arkansas Territory county, 1820-1836 | Arkansas and Northeast Texas counties | Included land now in Arkansas and Northeast Texas. Search Arkansas records and Texas counties such as Bowie, Cass, Red River, Lamar, and neighboring areas. |
| Navasota / Navasoto | Created 1841; renamed 1842 | Brazos County | Search Brazos County records after the change; also check Washington and Robertson for earlier records. |
| Neches | Judicial county, 1841-1842 | Jasper, Newton, Orange, and Jefferson-area records | Because judicial counties were short-lived, most surviving records will be in parent or successor counties. |
| Paschal | Judicial county, 1841-1842 | Cass, Franklin, Hopkins, Marion, Morris, Titus, and surrounding counties | Search Red River, Bowie, and Lamar parent areas for earlier records. |
| Spring Creek | Judicial county, 1841-1842 | Grimes, Harris, Montgomery, and nearby counties | Check county records by date, especially Montgomery and Harris-area materials. |
| Waco | Judicial county, 1842 | Falls, McLennan, Milam, and Robertson-area records | Search parent/successor counties and Republic-era land and court materials. |
| Wegefarth | Created 1873; never organized; abolished 1876 | Collingsworth, Donley, Briscoe, Childress, Gray, Hall, Wheeler, and nearby Panhandle counties | Use Panhandle successor counties, land records, and state boundary resources. |
| Burleson, Burnet, DeWitt, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Madison, Menard, Panola, Smith, Trinity, Ward | Judicial counties, 1841-1842 | Modern successor and parent counties vary by location | These short-lived judicial counties were later declared unconstitutional. Use historical maps and check parent/successor county records rather than expecting separate county websites. |
| Delta, Richland, Webster, Latimer | Attempted counties from the Constitutional Convention of 1868-69 | Modern counties covering the same territory | These were not organized in the usual county-record sense. Delta was later established as a county in 1870; the others should be researched through the counties that actually governed the area. |
| Santa Fe and Worth | Outside present Texas boundaries | New Mexico and Oklahoma-area records | Research these through the modern state and county jurisdictions covering the place in question. |
Where Visitors Can Continue Their Search
Modern TXGenWeb County Pages
Use the county that inherited the territory. If you are unsure, compare historical maps before choosing a county page.
Historical County Boundary Maps
The Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries is especially useful for matching a date to the correct county.
Texas State-Level Records
Use the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and Texas General Land Office for land, Republic, legislative, and statewide records.
County Courthouses
For deeds, probate, court, marriage, and tax records, contact the successor county clerk, district clerk, or archives.
Neighboring Counties
Families may appear in adjoining counties because boundaries changed, travel routes crossed borders, or records were filed where business was conducted.
Libraries, Newspapers, and Societies
Local history books, newspaper items, cemetery readings, and genealogical society publications may mention former county names.