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Republic Claims
ref@tsl.texas.gov
or
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Pension Republic claim for John P Borden, Republic Claims records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The Republic claims series of the Texas Comptroller's Office claims records 
at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) include requests for payment, reimbursement, or restitution submitted by citizens to the Republic of Texas government from 1835 through 1846, records relating to Republic pensions, and claims submitted as public debt against the Republic after 1846.
The files include supporting documents such as vouchers, financial accounts, military records, receipts, notes, or letters.
The records are organized into four series of payments made for services rendered:
- Audited Republic claims 1835-1846
- Public debt claims records 1848-1863, 1866-1867, 1871-1873, undated
- Republic pension records 1870-1920
- Unpaid and miscellaneous Republic claims 1836-about 1879
.
Because the original records are fragile, access is restricted to digital images available online through the Texas Digital Archive (TDA) or high-quality microfilmed copies available at TSLAC and through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Search or browse the Republic Claims Custom Search on the TDA to find digitized claims documents and microfilm locations for more than 48,500 names.
Search claims by name of claimant, additional names, claim type, or claim number.
- Start with the search feature if you have the claim details, or if you want to see multiple types of claims for one individual.
- Search results will be displayed by title (claim type and claimant name) in a list that can be sorted or filtered.
- Click on a title to view images and microfilm details in the TDA or download images in PDF format.
Browse claims by claim type.
- Start with the browse feature if you want to see one type of claim for an individual.
- Results will be displayed in a table that can be filtered by claimant name, additional name, or claim number.
- Click “View Claim” to view images and microfilm details in the TDA or download images in PDF format.
Details for each claim are found in the title or description for each digitized record. Common included details are:
Claimant Name and Additional Names: the name(s) on the voucher or record file. Those indexed as either Claimant Name or Additional Name include most, but not always all, the names found on documents in a claim file record. Typically, these include:
- Claimant
- Heirs
- Commanding officers
- Persons associated with the transaction (on a county court docket, received supplies purchased, etc.)
- Person(s) certifying or affirming claimant's testimony
- Texas auditor, comptroller, or treasurer for non-routine work associated with auditing a claim
- Plaintiffs and witnesses in court cases
- Court officials, including judges and sheriffs
- Government officials associated with a claim
- Attorneys
- Appraisers
- Ships or newspapers
Names of witnesses to signatures on a document, officials signing a pay warrant for routine departmental staff salary claims, and Adjutant Generals verifying military claims were not indexed.
Claim Number: the number assigned to the voucher or any of the following:
- Unnumbered xx indicates voucher with the control number is missing, torn or illegible.
- Cert. xx indicates the file does not include a Public Debt voucher. The voucher may be the only document missing, or the certificate and its associated documents may have been part of a larger claim covered by a single voucher in another, unknown person's name.
- Wrapper x indicates the only record in the file is a piece of paper with the person's name on it and an unidentified file number.
Microfilm reel number: this number is needed to request the microfilm at TSLAC or through ILL.
Please Note: Items with a reel number of 999 were not microfilmed. Only the electronic images of these files are available.
Check all surname variations to get a complete record of the information available on an individual. The records have been indexed as the name is spelled on a document. For example, if you are looking for Horace Arlington Alsbury, you will find that his name is spelled several ways according to the Handbook of Texas: "Horace (Horatio, Horacio) Arlington (Alex, Alexander) Alsbury (Alsberry, Allsbury; variant spellings occur in the surname of related Alsburys)." His name appears on various claims as:
|
Allsbery, H. A. |
Allsbury, Horatio A. |
Alsbury (Capt.) |
Alsbury, Horatio A. |
|
Allsberry, Horatio A. |
Allsbury (Doctor) |
Alsbury (Doctor) |
Alsbury, Horatio Alex |
|
Allsbury, H. A. |
Alsberry, H. A. |
Alsbury, H. A. |
Alsbury, Horatious |
|
Allsbury, Horatio |
Alsberry, Horatio A. |
Alsbury, H. A. (Maj.) |
Aylesbury, Horace |
There are a few exceptions for prominent individuals such as Stephen Fuller Austin (who often used S. F. Austin) and commanding officers’ names reduced to a uniform spelling to allow a researcher to access all military references with a single search.
Some claims were issued to entities or individuals with no surname, for example, "Civilian & Galveston Gazette (newspaper)," Castro (Chief of the Lipans), or Jerry ("free boy").
Where a name was only partially legible, the legible portion of the name is provided and a guess at the missing letters is added, enclosed in brackets, for example, “Camp[bell?], Joseph.”
If you would prefer to view images via microfilm rather than digitized images, you may request to borrow the microfilm through ILL by providing your library with reel numbers you wish to borrow. Reel numbers for each record can be found in the digitized claim details on the TDA and in the online finding aid for these records. Specific regulations for ILL vary by individual library, so call or visit your local library for details.
Contact the TSLAC Reference Desk about in-person access by emailing ref@tsl.texas.gov.
Microfilm vs. Digitized Image Quality
During both microfilming and digitization, TSLAC staff made every effort to obtain the best possible image. Staff digitized high-quality microfilmed copies of the documents to create the PDF format images available on the TDA.
As part of digitization, TSLAC created documents at a size of 300 dpi (dots per inch) to show the detail visible in the microfilm. Despite these efforts, there are cases in which the original documents were so faded that some details are not readable, even under magnification.