Category Archives: Sam Houston Center

Searching for Historical African American Cemeteries

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By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian

Black and white photo of three people standing outside in front of a building. Two African American women in white blouses and long skirts stand on either side of an African American man in a suit and bow tie.
Group portrait of two African American women and one African American man standing by side of building, Batson, Texas, about 1905-1920. Clyde and Thelma See glass plate negatives collection, 1995.112-26a. Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (SHC). View in TDA.

Finding historical African American cemeteries is a challenge for those seeking to know their history. Often, these cemeteries were unmarked, forced to be separate from the named burial sites, destroyed or displaced due to city development, or forgotten when the communities moved away. However, they may be mentioned in government records, local historical organizations, historical newspapers, and many other places. While we do not know of any comprehensive sources for finding an individual’s burial location or final resting place, the following resources may be helpful in tracking down relevant resources and conducting your search.

Black and white photo of white headstone in a cemetery with fence and trees in the background
Cemetery presumed to be in Liberty area and connected to African American burials from collection context. One photo included with others attached to: Essay,” The Negro of the South, “Molly Smith, May 1932, 1977.047-1. Lois M. Short collection, SHC.
Two white headstones in cemetery with other graves in the background.
Cemetery presumed to be in Liberty area and connected to African American burials from collection context. One photo included with others attached to: Essay,” The Negro of the South, “Molly Smith, May 1932, 1977.047-1. Lois M. Short collection, SHC.

Searching the Web
The following websites are registries specifically for African American cemeteries.
Texas African American Cemetery Registry – The Texas Freedom Colonies Project
Site Directory — Black Cemetery Network

The site Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/) may prove less useful for a researcher looking for African American cemeteries but is still a good resource that you won’t want to miss.
Search Cemeteries – Find a Grave

Searching our Catalog
One resource that the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) holds that many people may not know about are the archaeological reports done before some construction projects. Before construction is begun, the site is evaluated for historical significance. If it is determined to be historically significant, an archaeological investigation is done to see what the construction would be displacing. Through these investigations, burial sites that were once lost can sometimes be rediscovered. Search for archaeological reports in the TSLAC catalog, including keywords to target your area of interest, to see if any discoveries have been made.

Cover of publication with logo of Texas Department of Transportation. Title in caption.
Bioarcheological Investigations of Nineteenth-Century African American Burials at the Pioneer Cemetery (41B0202) in Brazoria, Texas, [2016]. Texas Documents Collection, H2000.7 P422 NO.5058.

Try using a special kind of search, called a Boolean Search, in our catalog with keywords such as “African American” AND “cemetery.” The all caps “AND” tells the search engine to use both terms at once. This can show resources such as Investigation of the Hockley Cemetery, 41BX911, and African American family of the Wetmore Community, in northeast San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, or Bioarcheological investigations of nineteenth-century African American burials at the Pioneer Cemetery (41BO202) in Brazoria, Texas.

Searching Local Resources
We also suggest that you contact libraries in your area of interest about their local history and newspaper collections. You may search for Texas libraries on our Find a Library page.

Another great strategy is to contact a local genealogy or historical group, like Travis County Cemetery Project. FamilySearch has wikis to help your search for sources by location.

Searching for the Funeral Home
Private funeral home and crematory records are not maintained by TSLAC. If you know the name of the funeral home or crematory that performed the burial, you may wish to contact that entity about available records. 

If you do not know the name of the funeral home or crematory that performed the service, you may try using some of the tips from our Business and Company History Research Guide to try locating the entities that served your communities of interest.

Searching for a Death Certificate
You may want to search for the individual’s death certificate, which may have burial information. Although we do not have the certificates themselves, we do have some Texas vital statistics indexes available for on-site research at our library in Austin, Texas.

FamilySearch.org has some Texas vital statistics collections available to search online:

Searching Newspapers
Newspapers from the date(s) and area(s) of interest may have published an obituary, which can provide funeral home or cemetery information. Visit our website for information about newspaper resources, including online newspaper databases.

Historic Texas Cemetery Designation
If you locate a lost or threatened cemetery, you may be able to get it registered as a Historic Texas Cemetery (HTC). You can read more about this designation on the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) website. THC has several grants that support care of these historical cemeteries. Care for these historic cemeteries is vital in preserving history and comes from grassroots volunteers like you. If you know of a historical burial site that needs care, reach out to THC for their support in maintaining this Texas landmark.

For more information about the collections at the Texas State Library and Archives, contact our reference staff at 512-463-5455 or ref@tsl.texas.gov.

Learn How to Use Maps and Land Records for Family History Research at SHC

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The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (SHC), part of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), will host its annual Family History Day for new and advanced genealogists on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Presenters will explore the use of maps and land records for genealogical research.

Professional genealogist Teri E. Flack will teach attendees how to use maps to explore their ancestor’s lives and how to use property records to trace their family tree. TSLAC staff will share key map and land records available online and through TSLAC’s Austin and Liberty locations. Following the seminar, attendees will be given the opportunity to consult with TSLAC reference staff and conduct research within the Center’s collections.

This event is free and open to the public. To reserve your seat, please email samhoustoncenter@tsl.texas.gov or call (936) 336-8821. Seating is limited.

Schedule of Events:
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.   Using Maps to Explore Ancestor’s Lives
Teri E. Flack, Texas Institute for Genealogical Research Faculty and Texas State Genealogical Society Fellow

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.  Introduction to TSLAC Map and Land Records
Traci Reece, TSLAC-Austin Reference Staff
James Anderson, TSLAC-Liberty Reference Staff

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Connecting Generations Through Property and Probate
Teri E. Flack, Texas Institute for Genealogical Research Faculty and Texas State Genealogical Society Fellow

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.

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The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information needed to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.

African American Genealogy Event at SHC

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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. 

Family History Day at SHC: Preserving and Digitizing Photographs and Media

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graphic promoting event.

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. 

The Olympic Torch Relay Comes to Southeast Texas

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Lisa Meisch, Sam Houston Center Archivist/Curator

Color photo of ceremony with torchbearer Mable McKnight at the lectern holding the torch. The flaming cauldron is to the right of the McKnight and other torchbearers are lined up behind the lectern.
Torchbearer Mable McKnight addresses the crowd at the Liberty Relay Event, with Mayor Paul Henry (left) and other Liberty County and Southeast Texas torchbearers behind her. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.

The Olympic Torch Relay begins at a ceremony in the city of Olympia, Greece, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, at the ruins of the temple of the goddess Hera. An actress playing the temple’s high priestess lights the flame using a parabolic mirror that concentrates the sun’s rays. She then passes it to the first torchbearer, and the relay begins, carrying the flame to its final destination, the Olympic stadium in the host city of the Games. When the flame arrives, the final torchbearer lights the Olympic cauldron, which remains lit for the duration of the Games and is extinguished at the closing ceremony.

In 1996, the city of Atlanta, Georgia, hosted the Summer Olympics. The Olympic flame arrived in Los Angeles, California (site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games) from Athens, Greece, on April 27. During its journey across the continental United States, the relay passed for the first time through Southeast Texas, on May 22. In Liberty, a ceremony was held on the grounds of the Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center, and the city provided lunch to all the relay participants. Liberty was one of only five cities in Texas where the relay stopped for such an event. 

image of map depicting day 26 of 1996 olympic torch relay route from Houston to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Map of Olympic Torch Relay route through Southeast Texas on May 22, 1996. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.

The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center’s Olympic Torch Relay Collection documents the Olympic Torch Relay event in Liberty and the relay’s passage through Southeast Texas. The collection includes photographs of the Liberty event and local relay participants, clippings from various Southeast Texas newspapers pertaining to the relay as it passed through the area, event maps, meeting minutes and notes documenting the planning and organizing of the Liberty event by a local committee, posters and other publicity materials, and the torch carried by torchbearer Don Kelly of Beaumont in the Liberty area.

image of flyer advertising 1996 olympic torch relayreads: A once in a lifetime opportunity to see the 1996 olympic torch relay; olympic torch relay celebration day, liberty, texas, may 22, 1996; humphreys cultural center 11:00a.m. -2:00p.m.
Liberty Relay Event Poster. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
Image of event map for the liberty relay event. Map of square blocks and streets and arrows depicting route.
Event map for the Liberty Relay Event.  Arrows show the torch route into and out of the event. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.

At the Liberty ceremony, a small Olympic cauldron was lit by incoming torchbearer Sharon Davis, a message from the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games was read, and the four Liberty County torchbearers (Larry Wadzeck, Mable McKnight, Sharon Davis, and Timothy Daniel) were introduced and spoke to the crowd. Combined bands from Liberty, Barbers Hill, and Huffman-Hargraves high schools provided Olympic-themed music, including “Olympic Fanfare” and “Bugler’s Dream.” The flame resumed its journey when torchbearer Tim Daniel lit his torch from the cauldron and carried it out of the Humphreys Cultural Center and back to its U.S. Highway 90 route. The city’s Liberty Bell replica was rung during the arrival and departure of the flame.

color photo of ceremony featuring cauldron with gold olympic rings. Torchbearer Sharon Davis lights the cauldron while spectators cheer.
Torchbearer Sharon Davis lights the cauldron at the Liberty Relay Event. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
Color photo of torchbearer Tim Daniel running down the street with the torch and flanked by a motorcycle and other runners in white shirts and shorts. Spectators line the street.
Torchbearer Tim Daniel and his escort runner (unidentified). Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.

From Liberty the relay passed through the communities of Ames, Raywood, Devers, Nome, China, Beaumont, Vidor, and Orange before continuing into Louisiana.

Many of the torchbearers had been nominated as “community heroes.” Criteria included volunteer work and service as a community leader, role model, or mentor. The Olympic Organizing Committee selected 5,500 community heroes out of 40,000 candidates. Thirty-eight were from Southeast Texas, representing Dayton, Liberty, Devers, Orange, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Port Neches, Bridge City, and Vidor.  

color commemorative photo of torchbearer don kelly running down the street with the torch held high. Behind Kelly are motorcycles, cars and a bus. The top of the photo reads, Share the Spirit: the 1996 olympic torch relay/summer 1996. Sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Commemorative photo of torchbearer Don Kelly of Beaumont, who ran his leg of the Relay in Liberty. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
Color photo of artifact: olympic torch carried by Don Kelly during the olympic torch relay in Liberty on May 22, 1996. The wood baton is covered with a lavender and gold handle and lavender and gold upper portion.
Torch carried by Don Kelly during the Olympic Torch Relay in Liberty on May 22, 1996.  Made of aluminum reeds and Georgia pecan wood. Wide gold-plated band on lower half is engraved with the host city names and years of all the Olympic Games, commemorating the 100thanniversary of the modern Olympics. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.

The Olympic Torch Relay is a major event for every community through which it passes en route to the Olympics host city, and May 22, 1996, was undoubtedly a memorable and exciting day for the residents of Southeast Texas. As Brendan Harris, director of the relay event for sponsor Coca-Cola, told the Baytown Sun, “These people are the reason we do this. It gives people from these small towns a chance to share in the Olympic experience. And it gives a town like Liberty the chance to be the host city of the Olympics for a day.”

Visitors may view the Olympic Torch Relay Collection at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center during business hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The finding aid is on Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO): Olympic Torch Relay Collection.

Sources:

Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center

The Olympic Flame
https://olympics.com/en/news/the-amazing-story-of-the-olympic-flame

The Olympic Torch and the Flame Relay
https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/Documents/Document-Set-Teachers-The-Main-Olympic-Topics/The-Olympic-Flame-and-Torch-Relay.pdf

Atlanta 1996: The Torch
https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/atlanta-1996/torch-relay

Come Out to the Sam Houston Center for a Look at the Stars

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Mark your calendars for Friday, June 14, when the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center invites you to stargaze with an expert at the Center’s Amateur Astronomy Night. Village Creek State Park Interpreter Alex Stamatis will lead visitors on a tour of the night sky from 8:30 until approximately 10:00 p.m. Learn to locate constellations and view some of the season’s most fascinating celestial objects using telescopes, binoculars and the naked eye.  

With assistance from Trinity National Wildlife Refuge Biologist Laurie Gonzales and the Refuge’s interns, Stamatis will also explain the impact of light pollution on observation and the environment. Visitors are encouraged to bring along flashlights, especially red-light flashlights, and join the fun on the Center’s grounds at 650 FM 1011, Liberty, Texas. (In the case of inclement weather or poor viewing conditions, the event will be moved to Friday, June 21.)

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. 

For questions about events, collections, and services at the Sam Houston Center call (936) 336-8821 or send an email to: SamHoustonCenter@tsl.texas.gov. Visit their website at: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/shc.