Tag Archives: civilwar

Monday Mystery – Terry’s Texas Rangers

Posted on by
2

We’re back with another Monday Mystery post. All of the images from this feature are available on the Texas Digital Archive (TDA), and we welcome folks to browse through all of the images available on this site. We’re looking to our community of patrons, which includes academic researchers, genealogists, photography historians, and Texas enthusiasts, to help us identify some of our photographic treasures.

This Monday Mystery is aided by the research of Dr. David Gracy II, former State Archivist here at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Dr. Gracy has helped staff identify and confirm the identities of many of the veterans in this image as a part of his research on George W. Littlefield. Archives staff are grateful for his perseverance and meticulous citations.

Terry’s Texas Rangers reunion panorama photograph, 1908.

Terry’s Texas Rangers reunion panorama. 1961/053-1, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

View or download this photograph on the TDA at: tsl.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/digitalFile_479a53ee-f6d4-4ee2-804f-c3b721407cfc/

Question: Can you help further identify some of the veterans in this image? Review the list of men already identified, get more information about this panorama, and read a brief history of the Terry’s Texas Rangers at the online finding aid: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/50140/tsl-50140.html.

And, as always, if you find an image on the TDA that you’d like to submit for a future Monday Mystery post please email archinfo@tsl.texas.gov and include “Monday Mystery” in the subject line.

Meet the Staff: Steven Kantner

Posted on by
Reply

Meet the Staff is a Q&A series on Out of the Stacks that highlights the Archives and Information Services staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Photo of Steven Kantner at a light table between two film reels.

In 50 words or less, describe what you do.

I oversee digitization projects for various formats in TSLAC’s holdings including photographs, documents, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film. I also prepare metadata for digitized items and manage our local file storage. In addition, I package metadata and files together for ingest into the Texas Digital Archive.

Why did you choose your profession?

The digital preservation of archival materials, especially audiovisual formats, combines my interest in media history, and history in general, with my technical skills from my previous experiences as a recording engineer and audiovisual media educator.

What is your favorite document, photo, or artifact in TSLAC’s collection?

It’s hard to choose just one. We had an interesting find recently while digitizing the original laws of Texas. We knew we were approaching the Civil War era, and upon opening the next volume in line to be digitized, the first document in the volume was the Ordinance of Secession from 1861. That pivotal moment in Texas and American history, done behind the back of Sam Houston, is documented on that one sheet of paper and was very interesting to read and handle.

Page one of the 1861 Ordiance of Secession from the Texas 8th Legislature, 1st Called Session.

An Ordinance to Dissolve the Union between the State of Texas and the Other States United Under the Compact Styled “The Constitution of the United States of America” Identifier: 08_leg_extra_ord_001

I suppose some favorites include old films we have digitized from collections such as the Texas Highway Department films and Governor Allan Shivers films. These aren’t available just yet online, but should be soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

When you’re not busy, what do you like to do for fun?

Smoking brisket or ribs; Movies; Travel; Long distance cycling.