| Sorted by Texas census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Texas, U.S., Voter Registration Lists, 1867-1869Updated | 140,267 |
| Texas, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1820-1890 | 79,060 |
| Republic of Texas Poll Lists for 1846 | 193 |
| U.S., Census Records and Cherokee Muster Rolls, 1835-1838 | 56 |
| View other census & voter lists collections related to Texas (33) |
| Sorted by Texas birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997 | 48,129,978 |
| Texas, U.S., Marriage Index, 1824-2019 | 18,866,113 |
| Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982 | 13,614,520 |
| Texas, U.S., Divorce Index, 1968-2015 | 7,841,747 |
| Texas, U.S., Death Index, 1903-2000 | 7,256,186 |
| View all Texas birth, marriage & death (22) |
| Sorted by Texas military | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 | 54,144,553 |
| U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 | 14,501,913 |
| U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 2,049,383 |
| U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 837,569 |
| Alabama, Texas and Virginia, U.S., Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958 | 219,155 |
| View all Texas military (14) |
| Sorted by Texas immigration & emigration | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Border Crossings from Mexico to U.S., 1895-1964 | 5,878,587 |
| Texas, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1852-1991 | 1,183,282 |
| Texas, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1893-1963 | 1,079,513 |
| U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940 | 320,331 |
| Texas, Index Card Collections, 1800-1900 | 102,875 |
| View all Texas immigration & emigration (8) |
| Sorted by Texas newspapers & periodicals | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current | 898,944,995 |
| Amarillo Globe News (Amarillo, Texas) | 67 |
| View other newspapers & periodicals collections related to Texas (72) |
| Sorted by Texas pictures | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Texas, U.S., Select Headstone Photos, 1850-2005 | 94,225 |
| View other pictures collections related to Texas (16) |
| Sorted by Texas directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 | 210,143 |
| Texas, U.S., Prison Employee Ledgers, 1861-1938 | 207,611 |
| U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 | 52,945 |
| An Enduring Legacy | 26,448 |
| Texas, U.S., Capitol Building Payroll, 1882-1888 | 6,906 |
| View all Texas directories & member lists (6) |
| Sorted by Texas court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Texas, U.S., County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910 | 3,852,784 |
| Texas, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1833-1974 | 632,992 |
| Texas, U.S., Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008 | 442,615 |
| Eastland County, Texas, U.S., County Records, 1868-1949 | 364,267 |
| Texas, U.S., Convict and Conduct Registers, 1875-1954Free | 263,765 |
| View all Texas court, land, wills & financial (10) |
| Sorted by Texas dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| A bibliography of Texas | 283 |
| Texas county histories : a bibliography | 230 |
| A gazetteer of Texas | 184 |
| Index to the calendar of the papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar | 38 |
| View other dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference collections related to Texas (89) |
| Sorted by Texas maps, atlases & gazetteers | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| A gazetteer of Texas | 184 |
| View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Texas (8) |
| Sorted by Texas stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Texas, Gonzalez de la Garza Genealogy Collection, 1800s-1900s | 270,253 |
| Texas, Index Card Collections, 1800-1900 | 102,875 |
| An Enduring Legacy | 26,448 |
| A history of Texas : from wilderness to commonwealth | 2,176 |
| A history of Texas and Texans | 2,157 |
| View all Texas stories, memories & histories (94) |
A genealogical history
Statehood: December 29, 1845
Capital: Austin
Largest City: Houston
Counties: 254
State motto: Friendship
State nickname: The Lone Star State
Neighboring states: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana
Guadalupe Mountains, near El Paso, Texas, c. 1856
Interesting facts
- Present-day Texas was settled in 1682 by the Spanish at Isleta, near what is now El Paso. The Spanish set up military outposts (presidios) in the eastern part of the state. The Franciscans were also establishing missions throughout the state during the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Native American tribes resided in the area when present-day Texas was settled in 1682 by the Spanish at Isleta, near today’s El Paso. Between 1685 and 1700, Franciscan missions and Spanish military outposts (presidios) were established in east Texas at Nacogdoches, Goliad, and San Antonio.
- On 02 October 1835, American colonists rebelling against the policies of the Mexican government under the leadership of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna successfully held off Mexican forces at Gonzales, Texas beginning the Texas War of Independence. In February of 1836, the famous battle took place at the Alamo in San Antonio. The defeat became a rallying cry and in April 1836, Texans defeated the Mexican forces at San Jacinto, securing their independence.
- The Republic of Texas remained independent until it was annexed to the United States in 1845. Texas' legal entry as a U.S. state was 29 December 1845, although a formal ceremony transferring power from the Republic to the State of Texas wasn't held until 19 February 1846.
Texas admission to the United States spurred the Mexican American War in 1846, which was fought over boundaries and territory to the west. It ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in which Mexico ceded much of what is now the American southwest.
Featured Texas collections
Famous people
Help and advice
Resources
Texas Census Research
Federal censuses for Texas begin in 1850. Some Texas schedules survived for the mostly destroyed 1890 population schedules, including:
- Ellis County (Justice Precinct 6, Mountain Peak, and Ovilla Precinct);
- Hood County (Precinct 5);
- Rusk County (No. 6 and Justice Precinct No. 7);
- Trinity County (town of Trinity and Justice Precinct 2); and
- Kaufman County (Kaufman).
Although Greer County in present-day Oklahoma functioned as part of Texas between 1886 and 1896, the 1890 census for this county was enumerated under Oklahoma Territory.
Some censuses of ranchos are available for the years between 1797 and 1826. An 1828 Padron which listed home, age, occupation, marital status, religion, and family members is available at the Texas State Library as part of the records group contained in the Nacogdoches Archives section for 1753-1836 on microfilm.
No censuses were taken under the Republic of Texas (1836-45), although an 1830 territorial census of Miller County, Arkansas included an area that is in present-day Texas. Tax records provide a substitute for 1840.
Texas Vital records
- Texas Vital Statistics: Holds records of births and deaths from 1903. Marriage and divorce records are available from the county where the event was recorded; however, the Vital Records Department can verify marriages and divorces from the mid-1960s to 2008. Indexes of marriage applications and divorce indexes are available for download from the web site. See the vital records FAQ for more information.
- Texas State Library and Archives – Vital statistic indexes: The FAQ provides information about indexes and records available at the Archives and how to request a search for a specific name.
- Texas Death Records Index, 1964-1998 (RootsWeb)
Texas Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Texas history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
Statewide Research Resources
- Texas State Library and Archives: The Genealogy page provides an overview of the extensive resources held at the Archives, including indexes to vital records and military service, tax rolls, voter registration, convict registers, Republic of Texas claims, and more.
- Dallas Public Library – Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division: The collection includes newspapers, directories, photographs, telephone books, yearbooks, and more
- Houston Public Library – Clayton Library for Genealogical Research and related Special Collections
- Texas State Historical Association
- The Portal to Texas History: This project from the University of North Texas Libraries' Digital Projects Unit offers digitized books, newspapers, maps, and photos.
- Texas Genealogical Society
- Texas GenWeb
- The National Archives at Fort Worth: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Texas, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office Records: The BLM administers Federal Land for public land states including Texas, and maintains records of land patents which granted land from the Federal Government to individuals. Use the Land Patent Search to locate land grants by name. Many record images are available on the web site. See the FAQ for more information on how to locate and use land patents.
Specialty and Regional Research
- Chronicling America: Online newspapers: Provides searchable online versions of selected Texas newspapers.
- Montgomery County Memorial Library System – Genealogy Room