Martin County Genealogy Records
Martin County genealogy records are held at the County Clerk's office in Stanton, Texas, and include birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, land deeds, probate files, and court documents dating back to the county's organization in 1884. Researchers tracing families who settled in the Permian Basin region of West Texas will find the county clerk to be the primary source for official records. This page covers what records exist, where they are kept, and how to access them through local, state, and online channels.
Martin County Overview
Martin County Clerk Records Office
The Martin County Clerk is the official keeper of genealogy records in the county. The office maintains vital records, land deeds, probate files, and court documents. Martin County was formed in 1876 from Bexar Territory and organized in 1884, with Stanton as the county seat. Records generally begin from the time of organization, though some early filings may be incomplete. The county clerk office is the first stop for anyone researching family history in this part of West Texas.
To access records in person, visit the Martin County Courthouse in Stanton. The county clerk handles walk-in requests and can assist with locating older records. For genealogy research, land deeds and marriage records tend to be the earliest available documents and can point researchers toward family connections across multiple generations. Martin County was shaped by ranching and later by oil production, and many family records reflect that history.
Martin County records are available only through in-person visits or written requests. No online portal is currently available for public record searches at the county level. Researchers should call ahead to confirm hours and to ask which indexes are available for self-service searching.
Note: Contact the Martin County Clerk at the courthouse in Stanton before traveling to confirm current office hours and available record types.
Vital Records in Martin County
Birth and death records in Texas became a state requirement in 1903. Before that date, coverage was limited and patchy. Martin County organized in 1884, so there is a window of about two decades where vital events may only appear in church registers, family bibles, or cemetery records rather than official county files. From 1903 onward, birth and death certificates were filed with both the county and the state health department.
The Texas Department of State Health Services holds certified copies of statewide vital records. For older records that have passed their access restriction period, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin maintains microfilmed and digitized collections. Texas birth records are restricted for 75 years and death records for 25 years from the date of filing.
Marriage records in Martin County date from the county's organization. The county clerk holds marriage license applications and returns, which often list ages and sometimes the names of parents or witnesses. These details make marriage records useful for tracing generations beyond the couple named in the license.
Land and Probate Records for Family Research
Land records are often the most durable genealogy source in Texas counties. They predate formal vital records by years and sometimes decades. Martin County deed books document property transfers and often include the names of grantors, grantees, and witnesses. Over time, land records can show a family's movements across the county and help establish timelines that other records cannot.
Probate files held by the county clerk include wills, estate inventories, guardian appointments, and letters testamentary. These records can be especially rich for genealogy. A will may list all children by name, including those who married and moved away. An estate inventory can describe a household in detail that brings family life into focus. If an ancestor died in Martin County, the probate file may be the single best source of genealogical data available.
The Portal to Texas History, maintained by the University of North Texas, has digitized many historical Texas newspapers and county records. Searching for Martin County in their collections may surface obituaries, legal notices, and land sale records that fill in gaps left by official county files.
State Resources for Martin County Genealogy
Several statewide resources support Martin County research. The Texas State Archives digital collections include historical county records that have been microfilmed. The TXGenWeb Project maintains a county-level page for Martin County with contributed transcriptions and research tips from volunteers who know the area.
The National Archives at Fort Worth holds federal census records, land entry files, and military pension records relevant to Martin County families. U.S. Census records from 1880 onward include Martin County once it was organized. These records can be searched by name and linked to land and probate records for a fuller picture of a family's history in West Texas.
The Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS) offers research guides and county-level information for West Texas counties including Martin County. Their publications and seminars cover methods for researching families in counties where records may be sparse or harder to access.
The Texas General Land Office holds Spanish and Mexican land grants along with early land patents. If your ancestors were among the earliest settlers in Martin County or the surrounding Bexar Territory, the GLO archives may hold records that predate the county itself.
Church and Cemetery Records in Martin County
Churches in Stanton and other communities in Martin County were recording baptisms, marriages, and burials long before state requirements took effect. Catholic, Baptist, and other denominations kept registers that can fill in gaps from the early years. Some of these records survive at local congregations or have been deposited with archives and historical collections.
Cemetery records are a key source for Martin County genealogy. Volunteer transcriptions of local cemeteries have been contributed to online databases including Find A Grave and BillionGraves. The Texas Historical Commission maintains a Texas Historic Sites Atlas that includes registered historic cemeteries across the state. Searching this tool can help identify family burial grounds in Martin County that may not appear in other sources.
The Martin County Historical Society and local volunteers have worked to document county history and family records. Contacting them can be a good way to access contributed genealogy files, family histories, and local records that are not held at the courthouse or available through state databases.