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Oklahoma County Court, Probate, Tax and Other Miscellaneous Records
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See Also Researching Court Records, Researching Probate Records and 
Researching Tax Records
On-Site County Court Records Search - Find nearly any Oklahoma court record online! Many court records are not digitized yet, which signifies the only way to obtain these records is by visiting the actual courthouses. Someone from our network of court-runners will go retrieve the records and then send you the outcomes. Average response time is 38 hours. Oklahoma Civil Records include Lawsuits, Bankruptcies, Liens and judgments, Marriage/divorce judicial proceeding, Child custody, Civil rights violations ands Other. Oklahoma Criminal Records include Violent offenses, Theft and robbery, DUI/DWI's, Drugs and alcohol, Sexual crimes, Some traffic violations, Behavioral.
Definitions of Common Court Terms
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Oklahoma Court Records
See Also Research In State Court Records
The western district of Arkansas at Ft. Smith covered present-day Oklahoma as early as 1844. U.S. Federal District Courts served as the official criminal and civil courts for non-Native Americans until land was opened in 1889. Congress established federal courts at Muskogee in 1889 for crimes except those punishable by death or imprisonment. Cases for felonies were tried at either Ft. Smith, Arkansas; Paris, Texas; or Ft. Scott, Kansas. For nonnatives, the laws of Arkansas were applicable.
Between 1890–95, federal law divided Indian Territory into the three judicial districts of South McAlester (Choctaw Nation), Ardmore (Chickasaw and Seminole nations), and Muskogee (Cherokee and Creek nations and the Quapaw Agency). Judges from these three jurisdictions heard all appellate cases including those from Ft. Smith, Paris, and Ft. Scott. Until 1898, tribal courts continued hearing cases in which both parties were Native Americans. Thereafter, all persons, no matter their race, in Indian Territory were subject to federal laws and the laws of Arkansas.
In 1883 Congress changed the jurisdiction for the northern half of the western section of Indian Territory to that of the U.S. District Court of Kansas. The U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, was authorized to extend its jurisdiction to the southern half of the western part of Indian Territory.
During the first few years, a district court in Oklahoma Territory frequently served more than one county.
Most original, pre-statehood, district court records are in the National Archives-Southwest Region. Some are on microfilm at the Oklahoma Historical Society, Archives and Manuscripts Division.
Civil and criminal court records after statehood are available from the clerk of the court for the respective county. They maintain records such as proceedings, dockets, cases, and indexes to civil court matters. Jurisdiction may include probate, felony, civil, divorce, adoption, naturalization, small claims, licenses, juvenile, notary, minister's credentials, traffic, and misdemeanor cases. The appellate courts for Oklahoma are the state supreme court, court of appeals, and the court of criminal appeals.
Some early court records may include non-court related records. A volume stored in the basement of the Logan County courthouse contains the first court minutes, but the frontispiece lists a few marriages that occurred during that period.
- Submit a website for Oklahoma Court Records
- Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records
- Oklahoma Court Books at Amazon.com
- Search Court Records From All States
- Search County Court Records
- Search County Criminal Records with a Criminal Background Check
- Search for Registered Sex Offenders in your local Area
- Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
- Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
Oklahoma Probate Records
See Also Research In State Probate Records
Probate records filed with the various tribal governments and Indian Agencies for the Five Civilized Tribes and some other Native American tribes in Oklahoma are maintained by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Other tribes' records are in the National Archives-Southwest Region.
Territorial probate records were processed and filed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. district court. Most original federal district court probate records are also in the National Archives-Southwest Region, although the Oklahoma Historical Society has some federal district court probate records on microfilm.
Some probate packets for the northern section of Cherokee Territory were filed in the U.S. district court. These are indexed and identified in the following volume:
- Wever, Orpha Jewell. Probate Records, 1892–1908, Northern District Cherokee Nation. 2 vols. Vinita, Okla.: Northeast Oklahoma Genealogical Society, 1982–83.
Since statehood, the respective county clerk of the court has maintained probate records. County probate records may include some wills recorded during the territorial period.
- Submit a website for Oklahoma Probate Records
- Research In Probate Records - from The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy.
- How to Locate Printed Probate Records
- Advantages of Printed Probate Records
- Limitations of Printed Probate Records
- Oklahoma Probate Books at Amazon.com
Oklahoma Tax Records
See Also Researching in Tax Records
Heavy spring rains with severe flooding in 1902 awakened Oklahoma's citizens to the need for better roads. Territorial laws placed responsibility with townships, and a road overseer was to be elected for each district. General property tax and some funds from liquor licenses collected by counties and townships were used to finance the building of public roads along section lines. A road tax was required, along with the requirement that all males between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five donate four eight-hour days a year to work on highways. Those who did not work or provide a substitute were fined $5 for each absence.
The county treasurer or assessor may have tax or assessment records. Some tax records are stored in museums, historical, and/or genealogical societies' repositories. Published tax records for Oklahoma are almost nonexistent. Some duplicated copies of county tax records are stored in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, State Archives Division for security purposes, but are not available for research. Koplowitz, Guide to the Historical Records of Oklahoma
