Tarrant County, County Clerk Collection

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The collection consists of records concerning marriage, property, business, probate, court cases, livestock, finances, elections, taxes, and general county government administration. The records were created by various individuals, businesses, and county departments. They are arranged in seven series based on the type of record or the department that created the record. The records are dated 1874 to 2021, with the majority of them dated 1874 to 1966.

In addition to the materials organized into the seven series, the collection contains 528 volumes of historic ledgers. The ledgers were originally created by Tarrant County government offices and later transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) for long-term storage. UTA serves as one of the state’s Regional Historical Resource Depositories (RHRD) overseen by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). A RHRD collects, preserves, and makes available for public use historical records of local governments. In 2011, the Tarrant County Archives worked with TSLAC to have the historic ledgers moved from UTA to the Archives.

In dedication to the preservation of Tarrant County history, the ledgers were professionally bound and digitized as part of a project funded by the Tarrant County Clerk. The digital versions of the ledgers can be found on the Tarrant County Historic Ledgers page. The Tarrant County Archives holds the physical versions of the ledgers.

The following is a list of subjects within the collection, segmented according to the defined series. View a PDF of the Tarrant County Clerk finding aid for a detailed list of materials in each series.

Series I: Tarrant County Administration, 1878-1975

The Tarrant County Administration series contains records dated 1878 to 1975, with most of the records dated 1889 to 1915. The materials consist of administrative records, financial reports from various County offices, Oaths of Office, smallpox records, committee reports filed with the County, and County invoices for bills paid.

Series II: Tarrant County Clerk, 1874-2021

The Tarrant County Clerk series contains records dated 1874 to 1958, photographs of the County Clerks from 1994 and 2021, and two publications. One publication is an inventory of all county records compiled in 1977 with descriptions of the records. The other publication is a book published by the County Clerk in 2021 describing the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on Tarrant County. The materials are divided into three subseries: business records, property records, and public school records.

The business record subseries is dated 1888 to 1937 and consists of materials associated with the office of the County Clerk, including publications, photographs, reports, and stationery, as well as the records filed with the County Clerk, including oil and gas company records, stockholder reports, company incorporations, club/association records, and pawn broker records.

The property record subseries is dated 1874 to 1958 and consists of bills of sale, bond assignments, mortgage records, deeds, liens, and land dedications.

The public school record subseries is dated 1893 to 1923 and consists of annual reports, incorporation of school districts, school trustee election records, petitions to redefine district boundaries, and student vouchers.        

Series III: Tarrant County Commissioners Court, 1890-1948

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court series contains records dated 1890 to 1948, with some undated materials. Most of the records are dated 1890 to 1914. The materials consist of applications for County employment, resignations from County offices, certificates to practice law, records from County charity homes and hospitals, vendor bids for County projects, infrastructure improvement records, and a variety of petitions to the Commissioners Court.

Series IV: Tarrant County Courts and District Attorney, 1877-1974

The Tarrant County Courts and District Attorney series contains records dated 1877 to 1974, with most of the records dated 1877 to 1957. The materials consist of court case records, petitions for pardons and bond releases, petit juror lists, court finances, and legal forms filed with the county and district courts. Some files are restricted from copying and reproduction because they contain sensitive identification information and fingerprints.

Series V: Tarrant County Elections, 1877-1980

The Tarrant County Election series contains records dated 1877 to 1980, with most of the records dated 1890 to 1966. The materials consist of reports, publications, correspondence, candidate lists, ballots, election returns, legal disputes, newspapers, and petitions to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court associated with elections held in Tarrant County. The elections include those held for national, state, and local offices, constitutional amendments, bonds, city incorporations, prohibition, taxes, and stock laws.

Series VI: Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, 1881-1968

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office series contains records dated 1881 to 1968. The materials consist of Convict Camp records, reports of animals killed on right of ways, and records concerning impounded livestock.

Series VII: Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector, 1884-1926

The Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector series contains records dated 1884 to 1926. The materials consist of administrative records and correspondence, monthly and annual reports, delinquent tax records, tax assessments, and tax rolls.