Jackson County is in the Coastal Prairies region southwest of Houston. Edna, the county's largest town, is the county seat. Jackson County, one of the original counties of Texas, was formed in 1836 from the old Mexican municipality of Jackson. Both the municipality and the county were named after President Andrew Jackson and were settled predominantly by American colonists.

Karankawa Indians were the earliest occupants of the future county. Camping along a narrow strip of land along Matagorda Bay, they subsisted on a combination of hunting, gathering, and fishing. In 1528 Europeans made the first contact with Texas Indians. In 1684 René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explored the area and established a settlement called Fort St. Louis, which some claim was in the future Jackson County.

Six of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred families settled in the future county. So many of the early colonists came from Alabama that for a time the municipality became known as the "Alabama Settlement." During the early 1830s the area was also inhabited by Lipan Apache and Tonkawa Indians.

The year 1835 brought turbulent changes to the Alabama Settlement. On July 17, 1835, area settlers met for the Lavaca-Navidad Meeting, where they adopted resolutions protesting the actions of the Mexican government. On December 5, 1835, as American colonists and their Federalist Tejano allies fought to capture San Antonio de Béxar, the provisional government of Texas established Jackson Municipality. With the surrender and departure of Centralist forces in Bexar, citizens of Jackson Municipality mistakenly anticipated that 1836 would herald the beginning of a new prosperity.

The old Alabama Settlement continued to grow during the period of the Republic of Texas. In 1836 the municipality was organized into Jackson County. Camp Independence, near Texana, served as campsite and training ground for the Army of the Republic of Texas. Texana, in addition to being a military post, a port of entry, and an important trading center, was also named the county seat in 1836.

As national events brought about the unraveling of the Union, a strong majority of Jackson County voters stood with the South; the county voted 147 to 77 for secession. After the Civil War, Jackson County was spared a great deal of the violence that much of Texas suffered during Reconstruction, the county nonetheless suffered an extended period of lawlessness. The notorious Dalton Gang reportedly took refuge in a Morales hideout while eluding a posse. By the mid-1870s, however, order had been largely restored.

With the dawning of the twentieth century, Jackson County remained predominantly agricultural. Cotton was the leading crop, although sugarcane was also produced in sizable quantities. The mainstay of the economy, however, continued to be beef cattle. Toward 1920, however, the agricultural emphasis began to shift. Many farmers turned their attention to growing cotton.

While many county residents suffered during the depression, the discovery of oil in 1934 served to mitigate some of its worst affects. Oil helped some cashless farmers to settle long-standing debts and made a few landowners rich. Yet not all of the county's residents benefited. Some found jobs in the oilfields, but many were left to toil on the land in the face of slumping agricultural prices. Many others found themselves on the unemployment rolls.

Despite falling oil prices in the 1980s, oil and gas extraction remained the leading nonagricultural county industry. Although oil production had dropped off, Jackson County continued to be a leader in 1990, when crude production was 3,599,439 barrels. Other important businesses included concrete production, heavy construction, metal fabrication and tooling, and sheet-metal manufacture.

The county has a total area of 857 square miles, of which 830 square miles is land and 27 square miles (3.2%) is water. The population recorded in the 1850 Federal Census was 996. The 2010 census recorded 14,075 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Colorado County (north), Wharton County (northeast), Matagorda County (southeast), Calhoun County (south), Victoria County (southwest), and Lavaca County (northwest). The county seat is Edna. Other communities in the county include Francitas, Ganado, La Salle, La Ward, Lolita, and Vanderbilt.

Birth Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services has records from 1903 to present. Records for the last 75 years considered private and will only be provided to certain individuals. To obtain current information on who may obtain a record, how to submit a request and an official request form, see the Texas Department of State Health Services website or write to Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040.

For older birth records you will have to write to the County Clerk of the applicable county. The existence of birth records prior to 1903 will vary widely from county to county. Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.

Death Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services has records from 1903 to present. Records for the last 25 years considered private and will only be provided to certain individuals. To obtain current information on who may obtain a record, how to submit a request and an official request form, see the Texas Department of State Health Services website or write to Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040.

Marriage Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services can provide a verification letter of marriage for Texas marriages from 1966 to present. This is NOT a marriage license. To obtain a certified copy of a marriage license you must contact the County or District Clerk in the county or district where the marriage took place.

Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.

Divorce Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services can provide a verification letter of divorce for Texas divorces from 1968 to present. This is NOT a copy of the divorce decree. To obtain a certified copy of a copy of the divorce decree you must contact the County or District Clerk in the county or district where the divorce took place.

Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.