Jump to main content
 
link to the Texas State Library Home Page
Genealogy - Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Agency Information Our Areas of General Interest Our Services to Librarians Our Services to Government Agencies Catalogs and Searches Our Publications Our News and Events TRAIL: Texas Record and Information Locator

Genealogy Resources Available at Our Library

Please note that we are experiencing difficulty with receiving email. If you have not received a response within two business days or you wish to check on the status of your Confederate Pension Application request, please contact us directly at 512-463-5455.

TSLAC's building is being renovated. We are pleased to be able to stay open throughout most of the renovation; however, many of our collections have moved offsite and will be unavailable for viewing, circulating, and interlibrary loan. If you wish to use official state records, please visit http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/renovation for information about accessing these records.

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
Index to Adjutant General Service Records | Index to Republic Claims
Confederate Indigent Families Lists
| County Tax Rolls | County Records on Microfilm
City Directories | Telephone Directories | 1867 Voters' Registration
Texas Convict Record Ledgers and Indexes | 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 in the Genealogy Collection, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m - 5 p.m.
  • The Index to Confederate Pension Applications provides the names, county of residence, and pension number for some 54,634 approved, rejected, and home pensions issued by the Texas government between 1899 and 1975.
  • Index to 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.
  • Index to 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 1921.
  • 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, 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 the Genealogy Reading Room, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • 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.
  • 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 in the Genealogy Reading Room, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. or borrowed through the interlibrary loan program.

return to top


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.
  • 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.

return to top


Other Online Resources You May Find Helpful

return to top