10/21/2026
If you have Texas ancestors who seem to "disappear" from the records, maybe they lived in a "ghost county."
From the Texas General Land Office:
GIS Educational Map Reveals Texas Ghost Counties
Texas Ghost Counties
The GLO’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Educational Map initiative uses original maps and documents from our archival collections to create historically accurate and effective maps for Texas social studies classrooms.
Over thirty Texas counties since the 1830s have seen their names changed or had their territory absorbed by other counties (or even states). These “ghost counties” were first mapped in 1939 by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and are a rich if often overlooked part of Texas’ development.
Using the 1939 Map of Defunct and Ghost Counties in Texas as a basis, the GLO created an updated GIS map, Texas Ghost Counties, 1836-1913. It highlights the locations of 37 Texas counties that have not survived, as well as provides the reasons for their demise and a county lifespan timeline.
Click here to explore the map in more detail:
GIS Educational Maps - This free downloadable PDF contains both a 17" x 11" (ledger) and 11" x 8.5" (letter) sized version of this map.
