Texas
Texas
Pop quiz. Did Texas fight in the Civil War? You betcha! Find out details at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Overall, the Archives are thin on the type of art and photograph collections that make up so many other state collections. But there's a rich record here of documents and databases that should thrill genealogists and others with an historical bent. Start at the (somewhat misnamed) Search Page, where you'll find a list of their key online resources. These include:Texas Adjutant General Service Records: Military and Ranger Records, 1836-1935. There's a lot here (but no Chuck Norris!): * Army of the Republic Service Records, 1836-1845 * Confederate States Army Service Records, 1861-1865 * Frontier Battalion Service Records, (1874-1898)1901 * Frontier Forces Services Records, 1870-1871 * Loyalty Rangers Service Records, 1918 * Minute Men Service Records, 1855-1862, 1872-1874 * Mounted Volunteers Service Records, 1854-1861 * Navy of the Republic Service Records, 1836-1845 * Railroad Rangers Service Records, 1922-1935
* Regular Rangers Service Records, 1855-1861(1901-1935)
* Special Rangers Service Records, 1916-1934
* State Police Service Records, 1870-1871
* Texas State Troops Service Records, 1861-1865
* Texas Volunteer Guard Service Records, 1881(1886-1902)1903
* United States Volunteers, Spanish-American War Service Records, 1898
Confederate Pension Applications, 1899-1975, is a searchable index of more than 50,000 pension records.
State Archives Map Collection, some dating back to the 1600's. Another collection can be found at the TX General Land Office Maps page.
Republic of Texas Claims, 1835-1846. An assortment of payments, reimbursements and restitution records. Some records after 1846 are also included.
Texas Treasures...the usual paean to glorious state history (but guys...why such low-res pictures?).
Texas Online Exhibits are similar to the Treasures, and include exhibits on Indian Relations, paintings from the Alamo, and even an exhibit on the Texas Navy!
The Texas Record and Information Locator finds government reports and records from state agencies.
The TX Genealogy Resources page gives an overview of both online and offline family history resources at the Archives. In addition to the the databases listed above, it also includes the Confederate Indigent Families Lists, concerning aid distributed from an 1863 law.
Texas Prison System, an online exhibit of its history.
Under the Rebel Flag, an online exhibit about the Civil War and Texas.
You might also want to take note of the Texas Ranger Research Center: Electronic Books collection, at the online Texas Ranger Hall of Fame (and again, no Chuck Norris).
More historical archives and research materials can be found at these excellent resources:
