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Texas: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide

Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of Texas.

Introduction

Texas was the 28th state to join the Union on December 29, 1845. Having established itself as a sovereign nation upon independence from Mexico in 1836, the ceremonial transfer of governance from the last president of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones, to the first U.S. governor of the state of Texas, James Pinckney Henderson, occurred on February 19, 1846.

This guide offers a selection of resources and strategies for Texas local history and genealogy research. These include the print and digital collections of the Library of Congress, as well as external repositories and web sites key to finding forebears in the Lone Star State. 

J. H. Young and S. Augustus Mitchell. Philadelphia. New map of Texas: with the contiguous American & Mexican states. 1835. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.

About Local History & Genealogy Reference Services

The Library of Congress has one of the world's premier collections of U.S. and foreign genealogical and local historical publications, numbering more than 50,000 compiled family histories and over 100,000 U.S. local histories. The Library's genealogy collection began as early as 1815 with the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's library.