Genealogy Resources Available at Our Library

Our collections include microfilm of the federal census schedules for all states through 1910; selected states from the 1920 and 1930 censuses; printed family and county histories; and a variety of Texas government records. In addition, many of our frequently requested resources are highlighted below. Please use our Online Public Access Catalog to determine the cataloged titles in our collections.

Internal Links
Vital Statistics Indexes | Index to Confederate Pension Applications | Adjutant General Service Records | Republic Claims | Confederate Indigent Families Lists | County Tax Rolls | County Records on Microfilm | City Directories | Telephone Directories | Newspapers on Microfilm | 1867 Voters' Registration | Texas Convict Record Ledgers and Indexes | Republic of Texas Passports | Government Links | Other Online Resources

• Vital statistics indexes are an important part of the genealogical resources available at the library. While we do not have access to the certificates themselves, the library does own selected indexes to Texas births, deaths, marriages and divorces. The indexes are available for on-site use.
• The Index to Confederate Pension Applications provides the name, county of residence, and pension number for some 54,634 approved, rejected, and home pensions issued by the Texas government between 1899 and 1975.
• Texas Adjutant General Service Records, 1836-1935. The Service Records Series combines both official service record files from the Adjutant General's Office and alphabetical files created by other agencies which contain records related to an individual's service in a military unit. The database provides the name, the military organization, and the call number. Please note that the listing does not include the names of ALL persons who served in Texas military organizations. It indexes only the names of persons who have files in this record series.
• Republic Claims. This series is now available in digital form as well as microfilm. It includes claims for payment, reimbursement, or restitution submitted by citizens to the Republic of Texas government from 1835 through 1846. It also includes records relating to Republic pensions and claims against the Republic submitted as public debt claims after 1846.
• Confederate Indigent Families Lists. View the names of families that received aid through the 1863 "Act to Support the Families and Dependents of Texas Soldiers."
• Texas County Tax Rolls on Microfilm are available for on-site use from the early years of each county through the late 1970s.
• Index of County Records on Microfilm is available online, along with instructions for borrowing rolls through interlibrary loan. Although the microfilm is housed in depository libraries throughout Texas, the Genealogy Collection houses the film for the following counties: Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Caldwell, Comal, Frio, Galveston, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hays, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Llano, McMullen, Medina, Uvalde, and Wilson.
• Selected Texas city directories from the past are available for on-site use.
• In July of 2001, our collection of past Texas telephone directories merged with the Center for American History's. The directories are available for on-site use in their reading room at 2313 Red River in Austin.
• Newspapers Available on Microfilm. The microfilm is available for on-site viewing or to be borrowed through interlibrary loan.
• 1867 Voters' Registration. On March 23, 1867, Congress passed legislation that called for a registration of qualified voters in each military district. The text of this legislation can be found in the Statutes at Large in volume 15, page 2 (15 Stat 2). The commanding officer in each district was required to have, before September 1, a list of these voters from each county. These lists would be used to determine all who would be eligible to vote for any proposed Constitutional Convention in the state.
• Texas Convict Record Ledgers and Indexes. The record ledgers are excellent sources of individual convict descriptions and information regarding their incarceration. This series, available for use only on microfilm, may be viewed on-site or borrowed through the interlibrary loan program.
• Republic of Texas Passports. The collection of 55 documents has been digitized and a complete listing of names is available.

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Government Links

• The task of recording all the births, deaths, marriages and divorces in Texas belongs to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics Unit. For information about other states, visit Where to Write for Vital Records.
• Addresses and telephone numbers for Texas County and District Clerks are available online.
• Responsible for preserving and providing access to 35.5 million documents containing information about land grants and transactions dating back to the 18th century, the Texas General Land Office Archives is an important resource for genealogists.
• The Texas State Cemetery, the Lone Star State's version of Arlington National Cemetery, is where some of Texas' most notable sons and daughters are buried.
• Visit the Texas Historical Commission site to learn about their projects, including the Texas Historic Cemetery Designation program.
• The genealogy page of the National Archives provides comprehensive information about the research facilities, policy issues, publications, genealogical workshops, and so much more.
• Although census records remain confidential for 72 years, limited information may be obtained from more recent counts. Visit the Bureau of the Census for details about the Age Search Service.

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Other Online Resources You May Find Helpful

• Search for your ancestors at Family Search, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints.  In addition to free access to numerous historical record collections from around the world, this site also offers a free, searchable name index to deaths reported to the Social Security Administration from 1962 forward, and a few from 1937 to 1961.  For information regarding changes in access to the Social Security Death Index, please see the Social Security Administration Web site.
• RootsWeb is a free genealogical resource with searchable databases, free Web space, mailing lists, message boards, and more.
• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet provides subject access to almost every genealogy topic imaginable!
• Switchboard.Com is one way to search for the addresses and phone numbers of living relatives. Other links can be found at Library Spot's White Pages and Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet's Finding People.
• The Center for American History, Texas Newspaper Collection allows searching for newspaper titles in a variety of ways.
• The Texas Ranger Research Center has been designated as the official state repository for the Texas Rangers.
• The RootsWeb Town Search may help you determine the county in which a town is located.
• The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries allows tracking of every day-to-day change in the size, shape, location, name, organization, and attachment of each U.S. county and state from the creation of the first county.
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Texas, 1877-1922, large-scale maps of major cities and towns, have been scanned by the University of Texas Libraries and are available for viewing online.
• TXGenWeb is the Texas component of the USGENWEB project--a group of volunteers working together to provide Internet Web sites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.
• Use the RootsWeb Surname List to find others who may be researching the same families or geographical areas.
• Libraries, archives and museums. Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet devotes an entire section to libraries, archives and museums.
• Societies, groups and organizations. Once again, Cyndi's List provides access to a wide variety of societies, groups and organizations.
• List of Private Researchers is available to help you find professional assistance for your family search.