Genealogy record sources?

Question:Can anyone explain the differences in these offices and which records we can get from them?

Clerk of the Court
County Clerk
Vital Records office
Register of Deeds
Assessor's office
Treasurer's office

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Can anyone explain the differences in these offices and which records we can get from them?

Clerk of the Court
County Clerk
Vital Records office
Register of Deeds
Assessor's office
Treasurer's office

In Texas, the taxes aren't necessarily paid to one central county tax office. Some cities and school districts collect their own taxes which is really confusing for most people. The person elected to oversee this office of Collecting taxes is the "Tax Assessor/Collector" and the only function of that office is to collect taxes. Our tax assessor/collectors office has two sections. One section handles the taxes for property and the other handles the taxes for motor vehicles and license plates. This office isn't referred to as the Treasurer's office like in normal states :-)

The tax roll is maintained by a different office called an appraisal district. The appraisal district handles everything associated with the tax roll whether it be setting values, ownership changes, exemptions, creation of new accounts such as when lots are created from large parcels of land, etc. I believe that Texas is the only state with "Appraisal District" offices. Many other places collect and maintain the tax roll in the same office.

At our county clerks office, they have a section that handles deeds and another that handles vital statistics, but both sections fall under the county clerks office. Many places I've written to for records have two separate offices for Register of Deeds and Vital Statistics, but here both functions fall under the county clerk. DBA's and assumed names are also handled in the county Clerks office.

Clerk of the court handles court filings.

I know my answer is probably clear as mud! LOL!

EDIT: You aren't going to get any arguement out of me, Wendy. I was just showing her the different functions of the offices where we are. I totally agree with you, different places do have different names for different offices. I believe I said this in an answer last week. Here is the link
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

I know in Texas we go to the County Clerk for any records, births, marriage and death. Also that is the office for wills, deeds etc.

We pay all of our property taxes, county, state, navigation district, city, school district directly to the county tax assessor, at least in our county. It makes it more efficient collecting to put them altogether. The county tax assessor collects for 9 municipalities and even more school districts. The Appraisal District actually determines the tax evaluation and rate.

Vital Records Office is in Austin. Counties send vital record info to them. It is with the state.
In some states you contact the Register of Deeds for vital records and in some states you get vital records from Probate Court.This is with county governments.

Probate Court probates wills, of course.

I keep thinking of new things. County government come under the state. We do not have a state income tax. So when we pay county taxes we are paying state taxes also. Until the mid 1950s when Texas passed a sales tax law, the only revenue the state had came from county taxes.

Edit: As HSK's Mama stated counties can do things differently in Texas.

In Georgia you get Marriage records from the probate court.

In Alabama you order from the Register of Deeds if you order from the county.

I don't know if we have a Register of Deeds.

Also, the cost of getting a copy of a marriage record can vary from county to county. I just sent an inquiry to Washington County and they only want $2 for a copy $10 for a certified copy. If copies of all records were that cheap, genealogy wouldn't be so expensive.

Actually if I had any question about the where to in Texas, I would contact the County Clerk's office. If they don't do it they can tell me where.

Wendy, I believe the license plates are really a state and county tax.

Edit again: I wish we could get a response from someone in Louisiana. Their laws are based on the civil law of France not the common law of England. They do a lot of things differently there.

Vital Records - births, deaths, marriages
Clerk of the Court - Processing Bail, Assessment and Distribution of Fines and Costs, Recording Verdicts and Sentences, Reporting Dispositions to State Agencies, Licensing of Private Detectives, Registration of Constables, Recording Tax Collector Bonds, Processing of Appeals to State Appellate Courts
County Clerk (in PA it is the Prothonotory) recording and filing of legal papers of a widely diversified character such as: protection from abuse; custody; secured transactions; quiet titles; change of names; administers oaths; power of attorney registrations; passports; school audit reports; treasurer sale deed records; petitions for opening ballot boxes on recounts; judgment notes; suspension of operators license; mechanical liens; municipal liens; county liens; State sales tax liens; State unemployment compensation liens; financial statement registrations; Federal income tax liens; issues divorce certificates; issues naturalization certificates; and certification of District Justice .
Register of Deeds - transfers of Real Estate
Assessors Office - assess property for levy of taxes
Treasurers office - collector of taxes, court imposed fines and costs

nope.
When I moved to Tx from CA... I expected to go to the Dept of Motor vehicles, to deal with the license plates. I was bewildered (still am) that this is handled here through a county based tax office.
So.. devil's advocate here, my answer is (x) none of the above. My experience is that all the jurisdictions (US or otherwise) seem to have their own definitions. What is common here, is totally different elsewhere.