Fannin County Neighbors
One of the first reasons to visit neighboring counties is to determine when those
counties were formed in terms of the availability of county records. It is especially important to determine if
your county was formed from one of the neighboring counties because your ancestors
records may be back in the "mother" county. If other neighboring counties were broken off from yours (likely in
Fannin county) and your ancestors suddenly disappear from records, you might just look "next door".
For this reason, we have attempted to provide a brief descripition of the formation of each of our surrounding counties along with the links to those counties. Please, utilize the links provided to dig deeper into the formation of our neighboring counties and the availablity of their records.
Oklahoma, Bryan County
Bryan County was created in 1907 from part of the Choctaw Indian Nation and the Chickasaw Indian Nation at the same time Oklahoma became a state. It was named for William Jennings Bryan. The county seat is Durant. For further information on the history of Bryan County, see the Bryan County OKGenWeb site.
Oklahoma, Choctaw County
Choctaw County was created at statehood in 1907 and takes its name from the Indian tribal name, "Chahta." The county seat is Hugo. The Choctaw County OKGenweb Home Page has an excellent description of how the county came to be formed from different sections of the Indian Territory. Any attempt to further summarize the county formation here would be an exercise in futility. Take advantage of their excellent resources.
Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a Sovereign Nation, that maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments. The Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory originally encompassed 12 Oklahoma Counties in the south east corner of the state. Today it still comprised of 10 1/2 Counties. All of Choctaw County and part of Bryan County, OK remain part of the Choctaw Nation today. Since Oklahoma did not become a State until 1907, much of the early history of the area will be found in the records of the Indian Nation. Consequently, the Choctaw Nation OKGenWeb site is a great place to visit in search of your missing Fannin county relations.
Oklahoma, Marshall County
Created at statehood in 1907, Marshall County is located in south central Oklahoma on the Oklahoma/Texas border. Prior to statehood this area was part of the Chickasaw Indian Nation and was at one time part of the area known as Pickens County, Indian Territory. Madill is the county seat of Marshall County. For further information on the history of Marshall County, see the Marshall County OKGenWeb site.
Texas, Collin County
The absence of organized Indian resistance, combined with the county's fertile soil and an offer of land grants by the Peters colony attracted settlers to the area in the early 1840s. Even with the offer of free land, the estimated population of the county was only 150 when it was demarked from Fannin County on April 3, 1846, and named for Collin McKinney, one of the first settlers of the county and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The original county seat was Buckner. Because this town Buckner was not within three miles of the center of the county, however, McKinney became the county seat in 1848. Like the county, McKinney was named for Collin McKinney. For further information on the history of Collin County, see the Handbook of Texas Online and/or the Collin County TXGenWeb site.
Texas, Delta County
In 1840 the Congress of Texas formed Lamar County, which included present-day Delta County, from Red River County. In March 1846 the new state legislature organized Hopkins County, which absorbed the southern two-thirds of Delta County. Delta County was named for its triangular shape. The county seat is Cooper after Leroy Cooper, chairman of the House Committee on Counties and Boundaries. For further information on the history of Delta County, see the Handbook of Texas Online and/or the Delta County TXGenWeb site.
Texas, Grayson County
On March 17, 1846, Grayson County, named for Peter W. Grayson, attorney general of the Republic of Texas, was marked off from Fannin County. The legislative action also specified that the county seat be called Sherman." For further information on the history of Grayson County, see the Handbook of Texas Online and/or the Grayson County TXGenWeb site.
Texas, Hunt County
An estimated 350 people lived in the county when it was formed from Fannin and Nacogdoches counties in 1846 and named for Memucan Hunt, the first Texas minister to Washington. Greenville, established on land donated by McQuinney H. Wright and James G. Bourland, became the county seat. The original county boundaries were reduced by the establishment of Rains County in 1870, but afterward remained unchanged. For further information on the history of Hunt County, see the Handbook of Texas Online and/or the Hunt County TXGenWeb site.
Texas, Lamar County
The area of present Lamar County was within the boundaries of Red River County at the time of the Republic of Texas. Lamar County...was established by act of the Fifth Congress of the republic on December 17, 1840, and organized by election on February 1, 1841. At the time, the county included much of what is now Delta County. In 1870 Delta County was formed, and Lamar County was reduced to its present size. The county was named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the fourth president of the Republic of Texas. For further information on the history of Lamar County, see the Handbook of Texas Online and/or the Lamar County GenWeb site.
