I will do my best to build this page with information that will make your journey into your ancestors past a pleasant one. I have tried to not only put names and dates of people who lived in Wharton County, but I have tried to bring out the personalities of our early pioneers and show the way that they lived and their trials and tribulations though the years.
Items without a link are things I am working on to put on the page, so check back often.

If there is a broken link, please contact me and I will repair it as soon as possible.

If you would like to donate information to this web page all donations are welcome.

Private deed/genealogy/historical research services are available. Contact me through the e-mail address below and state subject in the subject line. Thank you.

Contact me at

Janet Hobizal

WHARTON COUNTY MAPS

Sanborn Map Images of Wharton County
The city maps are Sandborn-Perris maps. The County maps are from General Land Office

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Map Key	Description Key to City Maps Pg1
Map Key	Description Key to City Maps Pg2
Feb 1894	Wharton City
Sept 1900,Pg2	Wharton City
Oct 1906,Pg2,Pg3,Pg4	Wharton City
Mar 1912,Pg2,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6	Wharton City
July 1929,Pg2,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6,Pg7,Pg8,Pg9,Pg10	Wharton City
Mar 1942,Pg2,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6,Pg7,Pg8,Pg9,Pg10	Wharton City
July1957,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6,Pg7Pg8,Pg9,Pg10,Pg11	Wharton City Revised
Oct 1907,Pg2	El Campo City
Oct1922,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6,Pg7,Pg8Pg9,Pg10,Pg11,Pg12,Pg13	El Campo City
Jan1931,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6,Pg7Pg8,Pg9,Pg10,Pg11,Pg12,Pg13	El Campo City
Jan1961,Pg3,Pg4,Pg5,Pg6,Pg7Pg8,Pg9,Pg10,Pg11,Pg12,Pg13,Pg13	El Campo City
1880	Wharton County/A.W. Swartz
1880	Wharton County General Land Office
1906	Wharton County General Land Office
1936	Wharton County General Hwy Map
1965	Wharton County General Hwy Map

List of Resources at Historical MuseumPage

WHARTON COUNTY NEWSPAPERS

The above link is to a page I am working on with the images of newspapers starting in 1913 of Wharton Spectator and other newspapers.If the link is not highlighted I have not gotten the image uploaded yet. These newspapers are available at the Wharton County Junior College in the library and the Wharton Journal Spectator office on microfilm.These images were taken from the original newspaper pages.

WHARTON COUNTY ORAL HISTORIES

From 1980 to 2000 the Wharton County Historical Commission and Wharton County Junior College made a joint effort and recorded almost 40 oral histories. They interviewed long time residents and families, as well as business leaders and leaders of the community. The link below will take you to an index of the histories and you will find a link there to order any that you choose.

Oral History Index

WHARTON COUNTY JOURNALS

Here are a few journals written by citizens of Wharton County.

LINK	DESCRIPTION
W.F.S. Alexander Journal 1872-1876	Plantation Journal of William F.S. Alexander
Henry Shrock 1860 - 1863	Plantation Journal of Henry Shrock
John C. Habermachers Journal	Plantation Journal of John C. Haberbermacher

ORIGINAL COLONIST IN WHARTON COUNTY

Original Landowner Index 1824 -1827

ORIGINAL COURT DOCUMENTS IN WHARTON COUNTY

List of Court Record Books

WHARTON COUNTY DEATH RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Cemeteries	Photos of about 65 cemeteries with transcriptions. Also cemetery listings from cemeteries not listed any where else found in old death record books. We are working on getting the transcriptions done with links to the photo of that persons headstone, be patient and check back often.This is the most up to date Wharton County Cemetery listing on the internet
Wharton County Obituaries	Obituaries donated and transcribed by Many Volunteers
Funeral Homes In Wharton County	Funeral Homes In Wharton County List with addresses and phone numbers (Note:Look in Census records section for Mortality Schedules)
Family Search Website	This is a link to access Texas Death Certificates from 1890 to 1976, that you can print out. A great site! You will have to hit your back button to come back here.
Wharton County Inquest Book I 1888 to 1938	Inquests records copies from Court Books
Wharton County Inquest Book II 1838 to 1949	Inquests records copies from Court Books
Wharton County Inquest Book III 1949 to 1950	Inquests records copies from Court Books
1903 Wharton County Death Certificates	All state of Texas registered death certificates for Wharton County, includes date, name, age, race, place of death, cause of death and certificate number.
1904 Wharton County Death Certificates	All state of Texas registered death certificates for Wharton County, includes date, name, age, race, place of death, cause of death and certificate number.
1905 Wharton County Death Certificates	All state of Texas registered death certificates for Wharton County, includes date, name, age, race, place of death, cause of death and certificate number.
1906 to 1908 Wharton County Death Certificates

CRIMINAL RECORDS OF WHARTON COUNTY

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Witness Account Book #5	The Witness Account Books have people from surrounding counties and how long they have lived there. The books are being transcribed by Volunteer Frank Graves
Transcription of Criminal File Docket Book I 1847 thru 1960	(working on this now, this is a very large book and we do a little at a time: Added Data: 08/8/07)Transcribed by Lauren Gansky
THE MURDER OF THE CROCKER FAMILY	described as most gruesome murder in Wharton County Hisotry
THE MURDER OF MARY AND HIME BROWN	the writer includes many towns peoples and teachers names, three unknown burial sites, names of areas in Wharton County that no longer exist, and gives a wonderful description of how people in 1895 lived in Wharton County as well as describing a settlers home in that era. Written by: Elo J. Shilling

CENSUS RECORDS OF WHARTON COUNTY

(Links marker with an (*) are links that take you to another site, click your back button to come back here.)

LINK	DESCRIPTION
First Texas Census Wharton County Citizens	Noting Wharton County Area residents only
*1850 Wharton County Census	The museum has this census but it needs to be transcribed for this website. Must hit back button to come back to this site.
1850 Slave Property Census	Lists who were slave owners and how many owned
1850 Wharton County Mortality Census	List some of those who died in 1850
1860 Wharton County Census	-
1860 Slave Holder Census	Lists who were slave holders and how many owned
1860 Agricultural Schedule	Lists real estate,crops,farm equip.,and livestock values.
*1880 Wharton County Census	Museum has this census, needs a volunteer to transcribe it for this site. Takes you off this site, hit back button to come back
Extract of Declarations of Intentions	Immigrant registrations
Linkpendium	This link is to a site that has a lot of Wharton County links, click back button to come back here.

(The Museum has the microfilm copy's of the Wharton County 1850 census, Slave Property in Wharton County List 1850,and the 1860 Census of Slave Holders in Wharton County as well as a transcribed copy of the 1860 Slave census in it's files. I will get them transcribed for the page soon, so you won't have to leave this site.)

WHARTON COUNTY VITAL RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Early Marriages	The Earliest marriages recorded in Wharton County
Wharton County Birth Records 1926 to 1995	The Vital Records links belong to a usgenweb ftp site and you will have to click your back button to come back here.
Wharton County Death Records 1964 to 1999	The Vital Records links belong to a usgenweb ftp site and you will have to click your back button to come back here.
Wharton County Marriage Records 1966 to 2000	The Vital Records links belong to a usgenweb ftp site and you will have to click your back button to come back here.
Wharton County Divorce Records 1968 to 2000	The Vital Records links belong to a usgenweb ftp site and you will have to click your back button to come back here.

To Order Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates please contact

Vital Statistics Dept.
Agnes Zahn or
Tracy Klimple
P.O. Box 69
Wharton, Texas 77488
Phone: 979-532-2381
Fax: 979-532-8426
Office Hours 8:00am - 5:00pm Mon.-Fri.

WHARTON COUNTY MILITARY RECORDS

TEXAS INDEPENDENCE WAR RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Letters of Texas Independence War	-
Index to Military Rolls of The Republic of Texas 1835 - 1845	This link will take you away , hit your back button to return here.

CIVIL WAR

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Civil War Letters Of Miss Celia Ann Shrock	Letters written to Miss Shrocks brother and friends who were serving
Veterans Buried In Lutheran Church Cemetery	-
Home Guards of Wharton County	List of Home Guards units in Wharton County
Record of Graves of Civil War Veterans	Soldiers buried in City Cemetery
Civil War Veterans Listed On Wharton County Court House Monument	-
Matagorda Bay Incident	Lists names of men who were lost
Matagorda Bay Incident Letter by Capt Rugeley's wife	-
Confederate Pension Applications in Wharton County	Pensioners list

UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY RECORDS

J.E. B. Stuart Chapter No. 230

Wharton, Texas

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Membership Cards	-
Meeting Minutes 1916	-
Member Roll and Dues Book 1916 thru 1937	-
1955 Letter listing some members	-

WORLD WAR I RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Honor Roll Call	Lists men who served
Uncle Sams Lottery July 25, 1917	List of men called to duty from all towns in Wharton County in El Campo newspaper
Call to Arms May 24, 1918	Notice in paper of registration for war, listing twenty men to report on May 29th.

WORLD WAR II RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Honor Roll Call	Lists men who served
1943 Wharton County Defense Guards Photo	Photo of men
Wharton County Battalion Photo	(Hit back button to come back to index)
Wharton County Soldier Casualty List	-

KOREAN CONFLICT RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Casualty List	Men we lost

VIETNAM WAR RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Casualty List	Men we lost

LEBANON WAR RECORDS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Wharton County Casualty List	Men we lost

GULF/IRAQ WAR RECORDS

[You will have to hit your back button to come back from these pages.]

LINK	DESCRIPTION
Clint Gertson	San Francisco Chronicle, Portraits of Sacrifice
Iraq/Afganastan War Heroes	Clint Gertson
Tribute to a Friend Clint Gertson	Blog about Clint and his funeral by soldier who was next to him when he died

WHARTON COUNTY SCHOOLS

LINK	DESCRIPTION
School Districts 1905-1906	List of school districts
Disposition of Schools In Wharton County	-
History of Wharton County Schools	Compiled by Janet Hobizal
Mrs. J. F. Estill	Wharton County school teacher
Amanda Watts Obituary, First Wharton County Teacher	Wharton County’s first school teacher

WHARTON COUNTY BLACK COMMUNITY

Many times in researching history of a place we forget the black community and their contribution, their toils and trials when an area is being shaped. These links below are dedicated to them. It contains their stories, so that they won't be forgotten.

Estate Inventories

Before Emancipation the only record of an African American was in the Estate Inventories and church records which would list each slaves name and age. Below is a list each time I come across a list.

LINK	DESCRIPTION
"Steve's Story"	Story written about experiences of black man living in Wharton
Life In A Black School In 1930	Stories about being a black person and going to school in Wharton
Christ Church Baptisms,Confirmations,Marriages,Deaths 1839 - 1875 Matagorda, Texas	Lists names found in church records of slaves
John W. Meyers Estate Inventory	List of names and ages for Meyers Estate
John C. Clark Estate Inventory	List of names and ages where available also includes sibling and child connections on some names

ELECTED OFFICIALS OF WHARTON COUNTY

On the link below you will find list of all of the offices of city and county government from the very beginning of Wharton County to the present. For those who have been here before I have simply moved the following links to it's own page for easier access to the rest of the webpage. WHARTON CITY CONSTABLE,SHERIFF'S OFFICE,CHIEF JUSTICES OF WHARTON COUNTY,WHARTON COUNTY JUDGES 1887-1995,COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF WHARTON COUNTY,ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR OF WHARTON COUNTY,TREASURER OF WHARTON COUNTY, COUNTY AND DISTRICT CLERKS OF WHARTON COUNTY,JUSTICE OF THE PEACE OF WHARTON COUNTY,CORONERS OF WHARTON COUNTY,SURVEYORS OF WHARTON COUNTY, ANIMAL AND HIDE INSPECTOR OF WHARTON COUNTY,PUBLIC WEIGHERS OF WHARTON COUNTY,SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS,ATTORNEYS FOR WHARTON COUNTY,WHARTON COUNTY MAYORS

CITY & COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS PAGE

WHARTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Our Courthouse has come full circle. It is once again what it once was. On this website by A.C. Shelton he has made a pictoral history of the courthouse and has tracked the restoration of the courthouse.

Wharton County Courthouse

WHARTON COUNTY TAX LISTS

1872 Occupation Tax

WHARTON COUNTY MEDICAL COMMUNITY

List of Doctors In Area

Associated Physicans and Surgeons of Wharton County Photo-1899

Associated Physicans and Surgeons of Wharton County Meeting Minutes 1899-1913

Wharton County Hospital History