Birth Records

Birth Records Start in Texas in 1903, many counties however did not keep them until a little later. The majority of the birth records in Grayson County start in 1909. The state vitals office receives these and you can get them from that office also. (see notes below about online sources for birth datesand probate births  )

You can write either the Grayson County Clerk for official document copies or the State Health Dept. Denison keeps it's own records for birth and death and they started back in the 1880's. The ones before 1903 will have to come from the Denison office, the state offices did not receive any until the 1903 law.

Denison City Hall
 500 W Chestnut St., Denison, TX 75020
 Phone: (903)465-2720
This applies only to people living inside the 
city limits, not just the post office addressing.

Online Sources To find out if you can find a birth certificate in Grayson County 

Early birth certificates (on file at the state vitals office) are listed at Footnote.com  you will be able to view a small sized version for free and you can purchase a full size copy for a very small fee immediately. Most of the time you can read the small image clearly.

 

Rootsweb offers a free online index 1926 - 1995 -

Or you can search these also through the archives search engine
 

The Texas State Library will do a lookup in their birth/death/probate birth Index. It is free and will give the name, date of birth and certificate no. and county the death occurred in,

Go about 3/4ths the way down on the state web page and email the name and any pertinent info to them. 
 
 

Also check the Social Security Death Index, this will give birth dates and death dates

Social Security Death Index Search Engine This index is a great place to find birth and death dates online for free.
If you opt to send for a copy of the orginal Social Security Application -  it will give you the birth and the death date, as well as location of birth and also the parents names and birth places.
Not everyone is in the SSDI, many women did not have SS cards as they were stay at home moms and railroad workers did not get SS death benefits. In order to be in this index at all- someone must have made out a form to claim the SS death benefit)

Texas Delayed or Probate Birth Certificates

Probate or Delayed birth records are available from the State Vitals office.
The majority of the people who received delayed birth certificates are males who signed into the Social Security in the mid 1930's and the workers who needed a certificate to work for the government during W.W.II. The majority of these were born from late 1870's through 1910.
People born in other states, who moved here as adults often applied to the State of Texas for a certificate, therefore it contains birth data here that is not filed in the state of birth of the individual.

The State Library will do a free lookup in their probate birth Index.( It is free,Go about 3/4ths the way down on the state web page and email the name and any pertinent info to them. 
The lookup will tell you what county has the certificate, what date of the birth and the name and number of the certificate. Then you can write the county for a copy or the State Vitals office.

You also can send for Micofilm

Didn't have any luck or no records cover the time period you need?

Birth dates can be found in other records; School Records, newspapers (articles and obituaries), Church Session or Record books. Tombstones, some census records include the month and year of birth, job records, draft board records and WWI Registration records and biographical materials all hold clues to date of birth.

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Death Records

Texas Death Records are online for 1903 - 1976 mand free at FamilySearch .org

Death records start officially in Texas in 1903. However many people do not have a death record at all. 

(Again, just like the early birth certificates the City of Denison kept earlier records than the state, but they are only for people living inside the Denison city limits.
Denison City Hall
 500 W Chestnut St., Denison, TX 75020
 Phone: (903)465-2720
This applies only to people living inside the city limits, not just the post office addressing.
 

The County Clerk's office will have all other county death certificates. 

Will's and Probates are in the county clerks office and often mention the death dates.

The City of Sherman kept their own records but they are kept in the county clerks office. Not all deaths were reported in the county books. I have found people listed in the Sherman books that were overlooked and not in tbe county records, therefore they would not be found in the state records.

Please be advised that libraries in Austin, Dallas and Houston,Texas have  Death Certificates for printout. It is the least expensive way to obtain a death certificate and they are found in their genealogy section of the main library building.  Other Places to find Death dates online:

Check cemetery listings - Grayson County

Check the Rootsweb Grayson County Texas Death files, covers only 1964 -1999

Check the Social Security Death Index, this will give birth dates and death dates.

Social Security Death Index Search Engine This index is a great place to find birth and death dates online for free.
If you opt to send for a copy of the orginal Social Security Application -  it will give you the birth and the death date, as well as location of birth and also the parents names and birth places.
Not everyone is in the SSDI, many women did not have SS cards as they were stay at home moms and railroad workers did not get SS death benefits. In order to be in this index at all- someone must have made out a form to claim the SS death benefit)

The Texas State Library will do a lookup in their birth/death/probate birth Index. It is free and will give the name, date of birth and certificate no. and county the death occurred in,

Go about 3/4ths the way down on the state web page and email the name and any pertinent info to them. 

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Also deaths were collected for the four Mortality Schedules kept from 1840 through 1880 for all states.
Go to the Grayson County Mortality Schedules
1850 Mortality Census 

1860 Mortality Census

1870 Mortality Census

1880 has not been transcribed yet -  Volunteer today

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Grayson County Marriage Records Grayson County marrage records are complete and start in 1845. Some earlier marriages are found in the Fannin County, Texas records and in the State archives Republic of Texas records.
Marriage records are kept in the County Clerks office. 
Throughout all of Grayson County history many people here went to Bryan County Oklahoma, just north of the border. In the early days of the Choctaw Nation ~ Indian Territory ~ Oklahoma, ministers sought employment in the Indian Academys and in missions. Down here in Grayson county the preachers were mostly circuit riders and church buildings scarce. Later the fact that Oklahoma doesn't require any waiting period influenced a steady stream, plus it stayed some kind of 'fad' even through the 1960's! Couples even went in buggys and wagons and married on the bridges between Oklahoma and Texas (they are under the state of Ok. law). So be sure to check in Bryan county and in other nearby counties across the river.
Bryan County  ~   Choctaw County ~  Marshall County

Here are some Choctaw Nation marrage records - Grooms    |    Brides

Grayson County Marriage Book J, May 1889 - July 1891    Brides        |         Grooms

Grayson County Marriage Book K  Jun 1891 - Jan 1893    Brides        |         Grooms

Grayson  County, Texas Marriages:1966 - 1999

Misc. Divorces of Grayson Co., abstracted from newpapers.

A partial index is available online ~ Grayson  County, Texas Divorces: 1968 - 1999

Civil Court Records - A few misc. entries; B and C names only- Book F.

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Land Records are in the County Clerks Office.