African American History Month

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.

Aly Head, Reference Librarian

In honor of Black History Month, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is featuring materials related to African American history. These materials range from historical accounts to genealogical guides and can be useful to researchers exploring the history of their own family or African American history as a whole.

Resources described in our guide, “African American Genealogy at the Texas State Library and Archives” may be helpful when researching family histories. The guide includes a mixture of resources available on-site and those digitized and available online and serves as a great starting point for a genealogical research adventure. We additionally have a variety of guidebooks for genealogy on display in our Reference Reading Room, with more information listed below.

Nell Plants a Tree, by Anne Wynter, 2023. TSLAC- Main 813.6 W993n.

This year, TSLAC’s Center for the Book named Nell Plants a Tree as their Texas Great Read Youth Selection. Exploring themes of family across generations through the lens of a pecan tree growing alongside Nell’s family, this beautifully illustrated book is perfect for introducing younger readers to genealogy. For those who wish to plant a genealogical seed of their own, this flier includes online resources that can be paired with the book to further familial research for all ages.

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