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Henderson County Historical Commission

Henderson County, Texas
Historical Commission
PO Box 1412
Athens, Texas 75751
903-677-7269
Email

Current Hours:  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

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Welcome to the HCHC website - A place to learn, research, and get involved

Henderson County Historical Commission Monthly Meeting
May 4, 2016, 1:00 p.m.
201 East Larkin Street (Old Jail)
Athens, Texas

Our current office and research facility is located in the old Henderson County jail, 201 E. Larkin Street, one block north of the courthouse in Athens. We have a wealth of information that can be found here, including, but not limited to, obituaries; antique photographs; CSA pension files; family, community, and club histories.

We are open for research Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. We are closed on all county holidays. For your convenience, call before coming to make sure we are open.

New!  Genealogical Papers of Bill Randolph

The genealogical research done by Mr. Randolph was been donated to the commission. This collection consists of seven boxes of records that include not only Henderson County but other Texas and Louisiana locations. Scroll through the list of surnames and subjects here.

The orphaned marriage licenses are now available for adoption through HCHC!

There are nearly 7200 original marriage licenses never picked up at the Henderson County courthouse. They begin in 1893 and end with the one in 1985. In the early years, it was necessary for the couple to retrieve their license from the county clerk and these make up the bulk of the licenses. The ones after the late 1940s were mostly returned by the post office for incorrect address or address not found. There are couples from the surrounding counties: Van Zandt, Smith, Anderson, Navarro and Kaufman.  There is even one where the couple married in Tarrant County and one couple who changed their names and then had their license reissued. Several of these licenses were issued but never used for various reasons, some stated the reason, some simply returned the license and we can only guess as to the reason.

When requesting a license, please respect the guidelines set forth by the county clerk's office.  A signed request stating relationship must be in our files before we can release a license.

Original Marriage License Index
 

 
Our Mission:
In accordance with the State Historical Commission, our mission is to protect and preserve Henderson County's historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education, enjoyment and economic benefit of present and future generations. Members are appointed by the Henderson County Commissioners Court to serve two year terms.

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