Joseph - Many/most of the county records that you asked about are available on microfilm and could circulate to your home library on loan from the Dick Smith Library. The marriage records, death records (also births), deed indexes, and probate index are all on film. I believe the marriage records are indexed by that period, but if not there is a typed index available. The birth and death registers are indexed. The probate minute book is filmed...but the actual probate folders are (or were...they are undergoing renovation) in the basement. Here in Stephenville you could use the actual documents/ledgers at the court house OR use the film at the Dick Smith Library on Tarleton State University's campus. The courthouse will only issue certified copies of records (making them run about $10 each) ... you can make photocopies at Dick Smith for less than a dime. The courthouse opens at either 8 or 9 and closes at 4. You will need to check with the Dick Smith Library for their schedule...school is out tomorrow and they run a shortened schedule between terms. At Dick Smith you could also use the filmed tax records and original voter registration books. Both the Dick Smith Library and the Stephenville Public Library have the 3 volume set of cemetery books. I believe they cover all or most all of the cemeteries in the county. They were published in the 1970-80s and are high on my "wish list" for my personal library. A few individual cemeteries have newer publications available on either and/or both libraries. Both libraries have photocopy machines that make copies for less than ten cents. Please note the public library is CLOSED on Mondays. Both libraries also have a large collection of microfilm from the local newspaper -- however, I believe the microfilm copy machine is broken at the city library. If you were interested in obits dating from 1985/8 to today, there is a fabulous collection at the city library in binders. There are other record repositories in the county - the Stephenville Museum (open afternoons M-F) has a collection of all kinds of stuff (today I used the I.O.O.F. membership rolls and ledgers housed there) and the Dublin Museum also has a large collection of materials. Also at Dublin is a really good public library with Dublin papers on microfilm and the Dr. Pepper Museum. Up on I-20 at Thurber is the new Gordon Center housing a collection of items from that area (and newly opened.) I have used Eastland and Comanche reference materials here in Erath County, but I'm afraid I could say with certainty which library has what... There is an excellent public library in Comanche and the librarian, Margaret Waring (I hope I have her name correct), published the Comanche cemetery books. On the other hand, Eastland County materials are not readily available at the Eastland library (or weren't when I tried to research there) and their death records are scattered about the county in various repositories. You can contact the Dick Smith Library and the Stephenville museum by email; you'll have to phone the other facilities. I've included those URLs and numbers below -- it's hot as blue-blazes here in Erath County...hope you have a productive visit. Cindy Shipman Huckabay, Texas In Stephenville: Erath County Clerk's Office 254 965 1482 Dick Smith Library http://www.tarleton.edu/~library/ Stephenville City Library 358 N. Belknap 254 965-5665 Stephenville Museum http://www.stephenville.com/museum/welcome.html In Dublin: Dublin Public Library 206 W. Blackjack - Dublin 254 445-4141 Dublin Historical Museum 116 W. Blackjack - Dublin 254 445-4550 Off I-20 (between Dallas & Abilene) Gordon Center http://www.tarleton.edu/~gordoncenter/history.html ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph T. Richardson" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 6:49 PM Subject: [ERATH] Erath County visit > I'm planning a visit to Erath County for some time in the next two weeks. > I'm pretty pressed for time, and I'm wondering about where I should go to > research to get the most out of it. I'll probably be making a trip to the > courthouse (unless the records I need are available elsewhere), and I'd like > to make one other stop at a library, if time allows. Which library has the > most genealogical resources? > > What in particular I'm looking for-- > > * Marriage records, in the period of 1880 to 1920 > * Death records, in the period of 1900 to 1920 > * Land or deed records > * Probate or will records > * Cemetery transcriptions > > Are the marriage, deed, or probate records available at the courthouse indexed? > > I see on the website that there have been some cemetery books published. How > thorough are these books? I.e. do they cover most or all of the cemeteries in > the county? > > Also, do any of the libraries have books on the surrounding counties, in > particular Eastland or Comanche? > > Thanks. > > Joseph T. Richardson > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > >