US, Texas, Harrison County–Delayed Birth Records, 1860-1933

Today’s featured FamilySearch collection is US, Texas, Harrison County–Delayed Birth Records, 1860-1933. This collection contains delayed birth records for Harrison County, Texas for the years 1860-1933. Some of the pages are damaged and some of the title boards are incorrectly labeled. The original records are housed at the Harrison County Courthouse in Marshall, Texas.

What’s in This Collection

A delayed birth certificate is especially useful if your ancestor was born before births were recorded in the state where your ancestor was born. Information in the records includes:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Race
• Gender
• Residence
• Father’s Name and State of Birth
• Mother’s Name and State of Birth
• Signature of Applicant
• Evidence Offered for Proof of Birth Date

For more information about this record set and how to use it in your research, please see the collection’s Learn More page.

Researching From This Collection

If you find an ancestor in this collection, you can use the information in the delayed birth record to search for other documents. Especially if your ancestor has a common name, having the exact birthdate will help you determine whether or not additional records you find are for your ancestor.

Example: George Jones, b. 23 Apr 1911

Let’s look at an example. In November of 1968, George Jones of Marshalll, Texas applied for a delayed birth certificate in Harrison County, Texas. He listed his date of birth as 23 Apr 1911. His parents were listed as Albert Jones and Ader Stepherson, both born in Harrison County, Texas. He produced, as proof of his birth date, birth certificates for two of his children, an insurance policy, and testimony of his aunt, Mrs. Lucy Thomas. 

Name: George Jones
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 23 Apr 1911
Event Place: Marshall, Harrison, Texas, United States
Event Place (Original): Marshall, Harrison, Texas
Gender: Male
Father’s Name: Albert Jones
Father’s Birthplace: Harrison, Texas
Mother’s Name: Ader Stepherson
Mother’s Birthplace: Harrison, Texas
Certificate Number: 172253

Digital Folder Number: 007622322
Image Number: 01350

“Texas, Harrison County Delayed Birth Records, 1860-1933,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4VX2-5L6Z : 6 December 2019), Ader Stepherson in entry for George Jones, 23 Apr 1911; citing Birth, Marshall, Harrison, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, Austin; FHL microfilm 01350.

George Jones in Find A Grave Index

Let’s use that information to search for more records for George Jones in death and burial records. A search in the database Find A Grave Index produces several records for men named George Jones buried in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas. Having the exact date of birth helps us choose the correct record:

George Jones, World War II Draft Registrations

Search results for the database Texas, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947 reveal that there were several men living in Harrison County, Texas named George Jones who registered for the World War II draft. Having an exact birthdate helps us pinpoint the record for the George Jones we are looking for. From this record, we learn that he listed Eula May Jones as the contact person. This gives us another name to search for.

George Jones and Eula Mae Brooks, Marriage

We see from the document image above that Eula Mae Jones was George Jones’ wife. Let’s see if we can find a marriage record for George and Eula Mae. We searched the database Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965. We see that George Jones married Eula Mae Brooks in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas on 5 Jun 1931:

George and Eula Mae Jones, 1940 U.S. Census

Let’s see if we can find a census record for George and Eula Mae Jones. We do find them listed in the 1940 U.S. Census.

From this record we learn the names of their children Lorenza and Lorraine:

Name: George Jones
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1940
Event Place: Woodlawn, Justice Precinct 5, Harrison, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Marital Status: Married
Race: Negro
Race (Original): Negro
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Birthplace: Texas
Birth Year (Estimated): 1912
Last Place of Residence: Same House

District: 102-24
Family Number: 325
Sheet Number and Letter: 18A
Line Number: 6
Affiliate Publication Number: T627
Affiliate Film Number: 4058
Digital Folder Number: 005456978
Image Number: 00228

“United States Census, 1940,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWK8-ZKW : 29 July 2019), Loraine Jones in household of George Jones, Woodlawn, Justice Precinct 5, Harrison, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 102-24, sheet 18A, line 9, family 325, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4058.

George Jones, 1930 U.S. Census

George and Eula Mae married in 1931. Let’s see if we can find George in the census in his parents’ household. There were several males named George Jones listed in the 1930 U.S. Census for Harrison County, Texas. We see two results that could be for the George Jones we are looking for, one born in 1911 and one born in 1912. We know that census birth years are approximate and can vary, so which is a record for the George Jones we are seeking? In this instance, having his parents’ names helps us distinguish between the two:

George Jones, 1920 U.S. Census

There are several men named George Jones living in Harrison, Texas listed in the 1920 U.S. Census. Here again, having the parents’ names helps us choose the correct record:

Related Resources

The FamilySearch Wiki page United States Birth Records provides an overview of birth records and how to use them in your research.

The Wiki page Harrison County, Texas Genealogy provides an overview of resources for researching in Harrison County, Texas, including record start dates and contact information for record repositories in Harrison County, Texas.

The page African American Resources for Texas will help you learn about Texas records that are especially helpful for African American genealogy research in Texas.

For an in-depth look at researching in Texas records, you can view BlackProGen LIVE! Ep 62: People of Color Genealogy Research in Texas.

More FamilySearch Wiki Resources for African American Genealogy

Researching African American Genealogy provides step-by-step guidance for beginning your ancestor search, as well as links to online resources.

Quick Guide to African American Records contains information on beginning research tips, links to suggested guides for beginning your search for African American ancestors, overviews of major record sets, tips for finding the slaveholder, links to tutorials for African American genealogy in the FamilySearch Learning Center, and links to other online and offline resources.

Southern States Slavery and Bondage Collections will help you locate digitized searchable collections as well as digitized microfilms in the FamilySearch catalog related to slavery and bondage. The page is arranged by state. 

African American Genealogy provides links to Wiki pages for researching African Americans in each U.S. state.