The people of Texas are renowned for their can-do attitude, and Texas women are no exception. Across Texas history, they have been part of statewide and nationwide movements. These items from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s shelves highlight some of the leadership roles of Texas women, what their goals were, and how citizens and government have interacted over time.
Search the TSLAC catalog for more publications about Texas women. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455. You can find a list of titles displayed below. Visit our reading room to access even more!
As our archives staff work on an ongoing basis to arrange, preserve, describe, and make available to the public the materials under our care, we spotlight new additions to the website in a regular feature from Out of the Stacks. The column lists new and revised finding aids recently made available online, along with fresh uploads to the Texas Digital Archive, our repository of electronic items. For a comprehensive list of all recently added and updated finding aids visit Archives: Finding Aids (New & Revised).
FY2024 Q3-Q4
New Finding Aids
State Records
Texas Air Control Board records The Texas Air Control Board (TACB) was created by the Texas Clean Air Act in 1965 to monitor and regulate air pollution in the state as a part of the Texas Department of Health. In 1973, the Texas Legislature removed the TACB from the Department of Health and made it an independent state agency. These TACB records are the agency’s meeting minutes and agenda, correspondence on paper and microfiche, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant files on microfilm, executive office files, and permit applications, dated 1963-1993 and undated.
Texas Department of Agriculture producers board records The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) promotes production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development, and healthy living. These Texas Department of Agriculture producers board records, dating 1965-2007, and undated, bulk 1976-1991, document the creation, activities, and occasional dissolution of the local Texas producer boards operating under the oversight of TDA. The records include agendas, annual reports, audits, ballots, budgets, bylaws, correspondence, election returns, financial records, financial statements, forms, membership lists, minutes, oaths, plans, press releases, research proposals, and reports concerning the boards’ administrative tasks, such as obtaining certification, developing and managing budgets, assessing fees, and holding local referendums, elections, and meetings.
Local Records/ Manuscripts
Caroline Roget papers Caroline Roget became the secretary and romantic partner of Texas Governor Beauford H. Jester from 1940 until his death in 1949, after her earlier life in which she had trained and performed as a professional singer. The Caroline Roget papers, which date 1917-1958, bulk 1940-1949, document Roget’s personal and professional activities in Texas society and political circles. The papers consist of Roget’s personal and professional correspondence, personal and printed materials, and political office materials for Jester, along with photographs taken of him, Roget, and others at events and as portraits. Correspondence comprises the bulk of the papers, the majority of which is personal correspondence between Roget and Jester. A significant amount of clippings, a scrapbook covering Jester’s political career, and two of Roget’s diaries are also included. Hand-sketched floor plans and letters within the papers document Roget’s acquisition and renovation of the historic Bowie-Watson House in Austin, Texas.
Microfilm reel 01, Image 00164, General Correspondence, Colonial and National Government, Nacogdoches records, Nacogdoches archives from the Texas Digital Archive.
Nacogdoches archives – digitized version of the microfilm is part of the Texas Digital Archive Texas has been governed by six sovereign countries, including Spain from 1690 to 1821 and Mexico from 1821 to 1836. The Nacogdoches archives consists of records maintained by national, regional, and local officials—both political and military—of the Spanish and Mexican governments documenting their rule of Texas from the mid-eighteenth into the early nineteenth century, dating 1729-1836, undated. The bulk of the records consists of correspondence and copies of letters.
The records include Spanish colonial and Mexican national government correspondence, decrees, and reports; correspondence and reports of military and political officials stationed in the Provincias Internas (1776-1824) and later, the State of Coahuila y Texas; records of the Department of Nacogdoches (northeastern area of Texas), 1830-1836; and municipal records of Nacogdoches and vicinity. Until the 1830s, the records are written almost entirely in Spanish. The records of the Municipality of Nacogdoches (not to be confused with the Department of Nacogdoches) are a mixture of both English- and Spanish-language documents after 1830. Portions of these records have been digitized and are part of the Texas Digital Archive.
Revised Finding Aids
State Records
Texas Historical Commission meeting records – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas Historical Commission protects and preserves the state’s historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education, economic benefit, and enjoyment of present and future generations. Records are minutes, agenda, and exhibits of the Texas State Historical Survey Committee meetings, from 1953 to 1973; and of the Texas Historical Commission meetings, dating 1973-2018.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission records – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) inspects, supervises, and regulates the business of manufacturing, importing, exporting, transporting, storing, selling, advertising, labeling, and distributing alcoholic beverages in Texas. These records date 1964-2022 and include copies of minutes, agenda, and transcripts of meetings of the Texas Liquor Control Board (TABC’s predecessor from 1935 to 1969) and the TABC; correspondence, memorandums, and reports from the executive division; and press releases issued by the agency.
Sam Houston to Sam Houston, Jr. (February 18, 1859), Texas Governor Sam Houston records pages 1 and 2 from the Texas Digital Archive.
Texas Governor Sam Houston records – the manuscripts, some typescripts, and the letterpress book of outgoing correspondence have been digitized and are part of the Texas Digital Archive The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the state elected by citizens every four years. Sam Houston served as governor from December 21, 1859, to March 16, 1861. These records mainly document Governor Houston’s term in office. Types of records are correspondence; petitions from citizens of various counties; memorandums; proclamations; broadsides; resolutions; requisitions; military orders; minutes; a letterpress book; messages to and from the Texas Senate and House of Representatives; clippings; and related records, dating from 1824 to 1862, bulk 1859-1861. The manuscripts, some typescripts, and the letterpress book of outgoing correspondence have been digitized and are part of the Texas Digital Archive.
Texas Judicial Advisory Council meeting files – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Judicial Advisory Council advises the director of the Community Justice Assistance Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Texas Board of Criminal Justice on matters of interest to the judiciary. These files contain the minutes and agendas of the Texas Judicial Advisory Council and accompanying reports and documents presented to the council at its meetings, 1990-2022.
Texas Municipal Retirement System minutes – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS), created in 1948, administers a retirement and disability pension system for employees of participating Texas cities. Records of TMRS are minutes of its Board of Trustees and committees, 1947-2022, that were created to document in a thorough but summary fashion the actions of the board and committees at their meetings. Minutes since 2019 are in electronic format and are in the Texas Digital Archive.
Texas State Board of Dental Examiners records – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners serves the following functions: to license qualified dentists and dental hygienists (by examination and/or by credentials); to register dental assistants after examination; to register qualified dental laboratories; to renew licenses and registrations annually; to investigate all complaints; to prosecute complaints through informal or formal disciplinary means; and to monitor on-going compliance of disciplined licensees/registrants with board orders. Those functions are documented by these records, which include copies of minutes, agenda, transcripts, press releases, committee membership lists, and a brochure, dating 1961-2005, 2018-2020.
Alice Index Map, Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal fire insurance maps from the Texas Digital Archive.
Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal’s Office fire insurance maps – includes digitized records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas State Fire Marshal is a division of the TDI that promotes fire safety through prevention, education and protection. These Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal fire insurance maps are commercially printed and hand-drawn, and were used by the State Fire Marshal’s office to determine fire insurance rates for Texas cities and towns. Maps date from 1906 to 1992, undated, bulk dating from 1920 to 1980.
Texas Historical Commission History Programs Division records – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The History Programs Division of the THC provides preservation assistance to county historical commissions, museums, nonprofit preservation organizations, state and federal agencies, local governments, students, educators, and the general public. Records in these files include correspondence, memos, minutes, surveys, inscriptions, lists and project files of historical markers, membership lists and activity reports of county historical commissions, clippings, county historical commission newsletters and other publications, programs of local events, photographs, slides, negatives, maps, lists of donors to the Texas Historical Foundation, contracts, bids, and specifications for building historical markers, and electronic records. Dates covered are about 1880-2016, undated, with the bulk dating 1960-1975, 2007-2016.
Texas Health and Human Services Commission advisory committee meeting files – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is the oversight agency for certain state agencies with health or human services functions. Services provided include Medicaid for families and children, long-term care for people who are older or who have disabilities, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance for families, behavioral health services, services to help keep people who are older or who have disabilities in their homes and communities, and services for women and people with special health needs. Records are the meeting files of many of the commission’s advisory committees, dating 1996-2022.
Local Records/ Manuscripts
Texas Library Association records – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive The Texas Library Association (TLA) is a non-profit organization whose goal has been to promote, support and improve services for academic, public, school, and special libraries in Texas since its establishment in 1902. These records document the TLA’s own work and its history with other organizations such as the American Library Association, the Southwestern Library Association, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Records of the Texas Library Association consist of executive board and TLA Council reports, planning and promotional material for annual conferences, meeting minutes, and documentation relating to the nomination and selection of their numerous annual awards. The records are dated 1902-2018 and undated, bulk 1970-2017.
Contact ref@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455 with questions about using TSLAC’s archival resources. For a comprehensive list of all recently added and updated finding aids visit Archives: Finding Aids (New & Revised).
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) will host the Society of American Archivists (SAA) two-day course, “Arrangement and Description: Fundamentals,” April 24-25, 2025, at the State Archives in Austin. A requirement for the SAA Arrangement and Description Certificate program, the fundamentals course introduces the basic principles, concepts and tools that archivists use to establish both physical and intellectual control over archival records. These include developing accession records and processing work plans, identifying common arrangement schemes for certain types of collections, as well as various formats and how to physically organize materials during processing.
Participants will also learn about the essential elements of a finding aid and the major descriptive standards that support these elements. The instructor will place particular emphasis on the day-to-day decisions made in arranging and describing archival materials. The course includes exercises designed to highlight the principles and concepts of arrangement and description.
The in-person, two-day course will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at TSLAC’s headquarters in downtown Austin. For more information about visiting TSLAC see: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/visit.
The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (SHC), part of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), will host a presentation on African American genealogy on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. Presenters will explore key resources and collections for genealogy research, with a focus on those of most use in locating African American ancestors.
Harriett Hobbs Paine, 1890s. Hardin Family Papers, 1974.002. SHC.
TSLAC’s Information Services Supervisor Tonia Wood will explore records available online and through TSLAC headquarters in Austin, like voter registration lists of 1867-1869. SHC Reference Services Coordinator Darlene Mott will share resources available in Liberty, such as poll tax lists and probate files. Southeast Texans are invited to come out and learn how to use TSLAC and Sam Houston Center collections to possibly discover more about their family’s story.
This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. Contact the Center at (936) 336-8821 or SamHoustonCenter@tsl.texas.gov for more information.
The Sam Houston Center is a component of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and serves as the official regional historical resource depository for the 10 Southeast Texas counties of Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, and Tyler. The Center’s primary mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to historically significant state and local government records and publications of the designated region and secondarily to serve as a library of Texana and genealogical resources.
Featuring recent selections from our “Throwback Thursday” and other posts on TSLAC’s social media platforms. No subscription required.
July 2024
Ferry crossing on an unknown river, 1939. Texas Department of Public Safety photographs, 1978023_73a. TSLAC.
#TBT from the State Archives: No bridge? No problem! Ferry crossings over Texas rivers and other waterways have been a transportation feature for centuries. Governments and communities regulated the ferries and ferrymen had certain responsibilities, such as ensuring the inclines for entry and exit were sufficiently graded. This flat wooden ferry was attached to a cable above the river and the ferryman pulled ropes through pulleys to cross to the other side. View more historical photos from the Texas Department of Public Safety online at https://bit.ly/TDA_DPS.
August 2024
Searching for flood victims on Waller Creek, Austin, Texas, undated. William Deming Hornaday photograph collection, 1975/070-3119. TSLAC.
#TBT from the State Archives: On April 22, 1915, a devastating flood swept through downtown Austin destroying homes and lives. Heavy rain caused both Waller and Shoal Creeks to rise high enough to demolish surrounding structures and leave more than 1000 people without homes. An estimated 57 lives were lost. This photo captured the aftermath of the flooding along Waller Creek. The dome of the State Capitol Building is visible in the background over the trees.
September 2024
Laurent Quintle House & Store, Medina River off Highway 90, Castroville, Medina County, TX. Built about 1850. Fannie Ratchford photograph collection, 1970/101-273. TSLAC.
#OTD September 12, 1844, French baker and businessman Henri Castro established the town of Castroville on the Medina River. Castro contracted with the Republic of Texas government to attract settlers to the area in exchange for land. He brought families from Europe, notably the Alsace region of France, who built homes, shops, a mill, and other features of rural nineteenth-century living. The Laurent Quintle House and Store in Castroville was built around 1850 and photographed as part of the Historic America Buildings Survey, evidenced by the number TEX-3-62 in the bottom right corner. Find more images of architecture in Texas towns in the 1930s and 1940s in the Fannie Ratchford photograph collection online: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/tda/prints-and-photographs/#ratchford
October 2024
Old Statesman Office between Seventh and Eighth on Congress, Austin, undated. Mabel H. Brooks photograph collection, 1932/005-17. TSLAC.
#TBT Texas Archives Month continues as we recognize the importance of newspapers in the archive. This undated photo of the Statesman (now Austin American Statesman) office in Austin captures early methods of printing newspapers using ink on individual metal plates. View in the TDA: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/…/IO_2e9a3654-bf99…/
November 2024
Autumn in East Texas, undated. Texas Tourist Development Agency photographs and audiovisual material, 2012/193-A0627-5-382. TSLAC.
#TBT Admiring the changing colors of the leaves each autumn is a popular tradition across the country and is currently the perfect time for the activity in Texas. This undated image from the Texas Tourist Development Agency’s slide collection captures a lovely drive in East Texas during the fall foliage season.
December 2024
The Making of the Texas Constitution, Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974 audiovisual recordings. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2024/080.TSLAC.
Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974 audiovisual recordings are now online in the Texas Digital Archive (TDA). The Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974 was the culmination of a three-part process to revise and simplify the 1876 Texas constitution, which had been amended 218 times. The State Archives has digitized recordings documenting the convention (convened on January 8 and closed on July 30), including original film footage and audio recordings regarding the convention, and film productions about the convention. Ultimately, the convention did not succeed in producing a new constitution for Texas. Explore the audiovisual materials online here: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_6da8e784-45af-4282-97f9-00b37e36a362/
American colonist’s home, Colombia, Mexico, (undated). William Deming Hornaday photograph collection, 1975/070-155.
In 1967 the State University of New York in Oyster Bay held the first International Conference to discuss “Mexico in Microfilm,” an ambitious co-operative project to microfilm great quantities of Mexican documents before they were unrecoverable due to neglect, loss, or destruction. The thirty-four institutional representatives present at the conference supported the importance and purpose of the project, and the following year a national consortium was organized with a priority in filming archives in Guadalajara.
The five Texas delegates who attended the Oyster Bay conference returned to their home state energized and motivated to create a Texas Consortium to support the national consortium by focusing on microfilming documents from different parts of Mexico besides Guadalajara. This passion and collaborative spirit for archiving and making Mexican archival resources accessible to Texas scholars came to fruition in 1969 with the adoption of “Articles of Agreement for a Texas Consortium to Microfilm Mexican Archival Materials” and an organizational meeting of thirteen Texas institutions to implement the work necessary.
Map of southwest Texas and northern Mexico, about 1861. Texas State Archives Map collection, map no. 01423.
Each member of the consortium agreed to assume responsibility for leading a microfilming program targeting a geographical or functional area of Mexico. In 1971, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) joined the Texas Consortium and shared responsibility with Trinity University in San Antonio and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) for microfilming in Nuevo León and Coahuila. The Texas Consortium was active for only a few years before problems and challenges put an end to their efforts.
Now, over fifty years later, you can access a portion of this microfilming project at TSLAC!
There are 380 microfilm reels available that record Nuevo León government and church documents such as birth, death, marriages, baptisms, church and judiciary records, and a miscellany of other records dating 1701 – 1966.
Microfilm screenshot of baptism record, Fondo de documentación para la historia del noreste [i.e. nordeste] de Mexico microform collection,1745-1797.
This Nuevo León Microfilm Inventory list describes the general contents of each reel to help pinpoint which reel will benefit your research. The list is organized by locations in Nuevo León (i.e. Abasolo, Agualeguas, Villa de García, and Villa de Santiago), document type, dates of the records, the repository the records came from, and the microfilm’s reel and camera number. You can find the catalog record under the title Fondo de documentación para la historia del noreste [i.e. nordeste] de Mexico microform. If you can’t find what you are looking for in TSLAC’s collection, try searching through Trinity University’s Special Collections and Archives microfilm records of Nuevo León and Coahuila. Their contact us page will direct you on how to get in touch to access their collection.
TSLAC holds publications helpful for Nuevo Leon genealogy and history that can be identified through a search in the online library catalog. If you don’t know where to begin your search, try TSLAC’s Mexican American Genealogy Guide as a starting point.
For more information on how to access the Nuevo León collection or any other materials, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-463-5455.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is now accepting applications for its 2025 Research Fellowship in Texas History. The fellowship includes a $2,000 stipend and is awarded for the best research proposal utilizing the collections of the State Archives in Austin or the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas.
The application must include the purpose of the proposed research, collections of interest, a discussion of how this research will contribute to a greater understanding of Texas history, plans for dissemination and a curriculum vitae. The recipient of the fellowship will be asked to present the results of their research at a TSLAC event. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion.
In Texas, the history of quilts is a long (and comfortable!) one. Settlers who came to the state made quilts for many different reasons: necessity, to commemorate a national event, or just as beautiful artworks. Here at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), you might be surprised to learn that we house several historical quilts in our artifacts collection. The description of this collection says, “Many objects in the collection have little or no accompanying information to provide context for when they were made.” Fortunately, quilts always reveal something of themselves and their makers, even without a written record.
Quilt, Isabel L. Clark collection, 1879 or between 1830-1849. Texas State Archives Artifacts collection, ATF0050. [Click image for larger version.]
For example, the first quilt is part of the Isabel L. Clark Collection, though the name of the maker is unknown. It is all hand stitched and is thought to be made some time in the between 1830 and 1879. The quilt’s pattern is “similar to Bride’s Puzzle, Twelve Crowns and / or Wedding March,” which probably means that this quilt was made by a newly engaged or married woman wanting to create something beautiful for her home. According to the record, “Of note is the use of tan fabric in place of the off-white fabric in several places.” This probably means that the maker was not affluent enough to purchase all the fabric she needed for this quilt and used some (or all) scraps to make it.
Close-up, Quilt, Isabel L. Clark collection, 1879 or between 1830-1849. Texas State Archives Artifacts collection, ATF0050. [Click image for larger version.]
Patrons curious about the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s (TSLAC) genealogy resources and interested in learning how to use them with the assistance of a professional librarian are invited to visit the Reference Reading Room on Second Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. for Hands-on Help Sessions.
TSLAC Reference Librarians will offer a brief overview of a particular collection or tool that family history researchers may find helpful in tracking down ancestors. No registration is needed, and the sessions are free and open to the public. Hands-on Help Sessions on Second Saturdays this fall are as follows:
Sept. 14 10:00 a.m. Vital Statistics at TSLAC Oct. 12 10:00 a.m. Newspaper Resources at TSLAC Nov. 9 10:00 a.m. City Directories at TSLAC
TSLAC’s collections include books, periodicals, documents, photographs, and artifacts related to Texas history, government, natural resources, businesses, culture, people, and more. Themed exhibits showcasing the wide range of materials available at TSLAC are on view in the lobby of the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building on the State Capitol grounds.
Visitors to the Reference Reading Room are also welcome to log on to computers and explore online databases such as Family Search, Ancestry.com, Fold3, and other products that may contain information available only to on-site patrons. The library is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 512-463-5455 or email ref@tsl.texas.gov for assistance. Learn more at www.tsl.texas.gov/arc.
The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty has announced that it will host its second Family History Day of 2024 on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Steven Kantner, Digital Assets Archivist at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), will share tips and tricks for preserving family photos and media. Photos from yesterday or centuries past all present challenges to those hoping to make the images last for future generations. Morning and afternoon sessions will offer instructions on how to properly care for family photographs and ensure the information is not lost to time. Participants will learn about photograph identification, proper storage and handling, safely creating digital images, digital archiving and other activities related to preserving personal collections.
Family History Day Schedule: 10 a.m. – 12 noon Identification and preservation session 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch break (on your own) 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Digitization and digital archiving session
A free preservation kit will be provided to pre-registered participants. Contact SHC via email at samhoustoncenter@tsl.texas.gov or call (936) 336-8821 to register. Seating is limited.
The Sam Houston Center is a component of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and serves as the official regional historical resource depository for the 10 Southeast Texas counties of Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto and Tyler. The Center’s primary mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to historically significant state and local government records and publications of the designated region and secondarily to serve as a library of Texana and genealogical resources.
