Welcome to Archives & Manuscripts
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 will move offsite and will be unavailable
for viewing, circulating, and interlibrary loan. Please visit
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/renovation frequently to learn more
about the renovation and service impacts.
The Texas State Archives preserves and documents the heritage and
culture of Texas by identifying, collecting, and making available
for research the permanently valuable official records of Texas
government, as well as other significant historical resources. Maintaining
the official history of Texas government, the State Archives includes
archival government records dating back to the 18th century, as
well as newspapers, journals, books, manuscripts, photographs, historical
maps, and other historical resources. By these records, all three
branches of Texas government are accountable to the people. Taken
together, the holdings of the Texas State Archives provide a historical
foundation for present-day governmental actions and are an important
resource for Texas studies.
Guidelines for Researchers
Visitors to the Texas State Archives are asked to review our guidelines
for researchers. Every researcher is responsible for assisting
in the preservation of the documents deposited in the Texas State
Archives. Our rules are intended to protect and preserve these materials
to ensure that the information they contain is available for subsequent
visitors.
Records of the legislative and executive branches of state government
and local government records held by the State Archives are subject
to the provisions of Chapter 552 of the Texas
Government Code, also known as the Public
Information Act. The Act makes records open for research with
certain exceptions. For additional information, please review our
page Texas Public Information Act and Research
in the State Archives.
When citing materials used from the Archives collections, please
use the suggested formats outlined in the Texas
State Archives Citation Form.
Archival Finding Aids
Finding aids guide researchers in the use of archival holdings
that have been prepared for research. Many of the finding aids to
the holdings of the State Archives are available on the Web at TARO
(Texas Archival Resources Online).
Processed State
Records and Processed
Manuscript Collections are indexes to the finding aids of the
prepared holdings of Texas State Archives. The indexes include finding
aids available only in print in the Archives search room as well
as links to those finding aids that are also available on the Web
at the TARO site.
Unprocessed State
Agency Minutes is a list of the minutes transferred by state
agencies to the State Archives that are not described in finding
aids.
Map Collection is a searchable
database to descriptions of over 8,000 maps. Digital images of some
700 maps are also accessible through this database.
Republic
Claims 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 Pension Applications
is a searchable database of some 54,634 approved, rejected, and
home pensions issued by Texas between 1899 and 1975. A database
entry provides a pensioner's name, county of residence, and pension
number. A widow's entry includes her husband's name.
Adjutant
General Service Records is a searchable database to the official
service record files from the Adjutant General's Office and alphabetical
files created by other agencies containing records related to an
individual's service in the military. 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.
Confederate Indigent Families List
is an index to county-wide lists of the dependents of soldiers serving
the Confederacy during the Civil War eligible for relief.
Annual Reports of
Railroad Companies is an index to reports 1859-1867, 1873-1885,
1890-1996. Each report details the company's organization, operation,
and financial condition. The index includes the names of the railroad
companies and the dates of the reports as well as the call numbers
for the reports, annotations made on the reports, the forms used,
and the companies' alphabetical rankings.
The Records
of Governor George W. Bush are available for research despite
the fact that they have not been fully prepared for research. As
the Archives' staff prepares each group of records, this finding
aid is updated on the Web at TARO
(Texas Archival Resources Online). Other finding
aids listed here will also assist researchers in locating records
of interest.
Brief descriptions of the finding aids can be found in the Library
Catalog of Texas State Agencies.
Selected Records Available on Microfilm
1867 Voters' Registration The
Reconstruction Act of March 13, 1867 required the commanding officer
in each military district to have, before September 1, a registration
of all qualified voters in each county. These lists would be used
to determine all who would be eligible to vote for any proposed
Constitutional Convention in the state.
Election Registers The
law defining the duties of the Secretary of State, passed in 1846,
includes a provision that he shall, "in a separate book, suitable
for the purpose, keep a complete register of all officers appointed
and elected in the State..."
Executive Record Books "Executive
Record Book" is a general title including 1) records of the Executive
Department filed in the Secretary of State's Office, and records
proceeding from executive functions which were originally filed
by law in the Office of the Secretary of State, and 2) records created
by the Department or Secretary of State.
Nacogdoches Archives These
archives include a variety of records maintained by national, regional,
and local officials--both political and military--of the Mexican
government from the mid-eighteenth into the early nineteenth century.
Texas Convict Record Ledgers and Indexes
The record ledgers are excellent sources of individual convict descriptions
and information regarding their incarceration.
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, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hays,
Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, LaSalle, Llano, Maverick, McMullen,
Medina, Uvalde, Wilson and Zavala.
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Local Records
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, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hays,
Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, LaSalle, Llano, Maverick, McMullen,
Medina, Uvalde, Wilson and Zavala.
Local Records Available at
the Sam Houston Center are available only for on-site use in
Liberty, Texas. The county records listings shown here represent
the paper holdings of the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research
Center only. The records represent the following counties: Chambers,
Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto,
and Tyler.
Archival Appraisal
Archival
Records Appraisal Reports
Reports of the archival appraisal of records present in state
agencies.
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Online Exhibits
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission produces online
exhibits showcasing various topics in Texas history, displaying
many documents and photographs from our collections. Click
here for a complete list of our online exhibits.
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Missing List
Click
here to learn more about the list of materials missing from
the Texas State Archives, as well as read our statement about the
sale of government records.
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The State Archives Answers FAQs
from State Agencies
Click
here for answers to questions the State Archives frequently
gets from state agencies.
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The State Archives Answers
FAQs for Legislators
Click here for answers
to questions the State Archives frequently gives to state legislators.
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