Bosque County Heritage Program

The Bosque County Historical Commission has implemented the Bosque County Heritage Program to identify and honor the memory of the settlers of Bosque County, showing the proven pioneer's lasting mark on the land and honoring their descendants. The research necessary to prove descent is intended to stimulate increasing interest in the early inhabitants of this county, their genealogy and history and to awaken the descendant to the contributions of his/her ancestor(s). 

Any person who is a direct descendant of any individual who resided in Bosque County, Texas prior to December 31, 1905 is eligible to apply for a certificate. The ancestor must have actually resided in Bosque County, not just owned land. It is not required that the applicant them self has ever lived in Bosque County.

Applicants must obtain an application from from the Bosque County Collection (or download it using the link at the bottom of this page) and submit it with the appropriate fee for each person proven to be living in Bosque County in the specified time period: 

Founder [1854-1861]  (Gold Seal with Purple Ribbon) - $25 
Pioneer [1861-1880]  (Gold Seal with Blue Ribbon) -  $20 
Early Settler [1881-1900]  (Gold Seal with Red Ribbon) -  $15 
Century Family [1901-1910]  (Silver Seal with Green Ribbon) - $10  

The fees above are diverse because more time and effort will be required to validate descendancy from settlers that were in Bosque County at the earlier dates. The cutoff date of 1910 for the Centennial Family category will increase by one year in each future year). 

To Be Eligible:

1. The applicant must be a direct descendant of the pioneer settling in what is now Bosque County during one of the designated periods above, but the applicant does not have to be a current or past resident of this county or a member of the Bosque County Collection. However, the applicant's ancestor which is being honored must have been a resident of Bosque County (whether they owned land or not). Simply owning land in Bosque County does not qualify the ancestor for eligibility.

2. Verification of eligibility will be done by the Bosque County Historical Commission. Your submitted paperwork will be returned to you if you are not eligible.

The following are links to PDF documents containing the application and guidance for filling out the application. Please download both documents and read the guidance before beginning to fill out the application. Failure to follow the instructions in the guidance will delay processing of your application.

Heritage Program Application (PDF)
Heritage Program Guidance (PDF)

We are receiving many applications, and we review them very carefully.  Do not expect to receive your certificate within just a few weeks of submitting the application. Processing of the applications may take up to three months.