Resources of the Republic of Texas and Pre-Republic Era (1820-1845) at TSLAC

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) holds many archival records and library materials documenting the Republic of Texas and the pre-Republic era, including the Texas Revolution. This research guide presents an overview of these materials. 

1893/001, William B. Travis's 1836 Victory or Death Letter from the Alamo, second page. You can read more about the famous letter in the Travis Letter finding aid .  The letter is also available on the Texas Digital Archive . 

NOTE: Regional Historical Resource Depositories (RHRDs) may have local Republic-era resources. This guide does not cover those materials. Researchers should contact the individual local depository institutions for more information. 

TSLAC’s collections include some records documenting Spanish (1773-1821) and Mexican (1821-1836) government rule; records that document settlers in Texas prior to and during the Texas Revolution, including manuscript collections. Records of organizations created during the Revolution are also at TSLAC. These materials represent an important source of information about events and individuals prior to the creation of the Republic of Texas. A listing of government records from this period is below, with links to online research guides and finding aids. The bulk of the documents are written in Spanish. [Click or tap for an example of a mission census.]

• Nacogdoches Archives: Records of the Spanish and Mexican government from the mid-eighteenth to nineteenth centuries. TSLAC’s webpage about this collection provides more detail about online and microfilm access.
• Department of State Records of Legislative and Executive Bodies Prior to the Republic [finding aid] :  Records of governmental bodies that existed before and during the Texas Revolution, which document the lead-up to and activities during the Revolution.
• Laredo Archives Transcripts and Microfilm :  Records of Spanish, Mexican, Texan, and the United States governments from the Laredo area. The originals are housed at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, but microfilm and transcripts are held by TSLAC.

See the Manuscript Collections and Other Archival Holdings section for additional pre-Republic resources. 

TSLAC holds many records of the Republic of Texas government. These records document diplomacy, domestic affairs, economics and finance, emigration and colonization, legislative activities, and other governmental activities. It is important to note that manuscript collections often supplement these records. Researchers will benefit from searching multiple categories of records. Military records are listed in their own section below. [Click or tap for a sample government record.]

Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs
During the nine years of its existence, the Republic of Texas engaged in diplomacy with other nations, including the United States and Mexico, and Native American tribes. These records document negotiations, agreements, and treaties.

Texas Department of State and Secretary of State - Finding Aids

• Department of State Diplomatic Correspondence 
• Texas Secretary of State Consular Correspondence 
• Texas Department of State Treaties Between the Republic of Texas and Other Nations 
• Texas Secretary of State Boundary Records 
• Texas Legation (U.S.) Correspondence 

Domestic Affairs
The executive branch of the Republic of Texas government conducted elections, operated a post service, issued passports, established seats of government, and corresponded with officials regarding these duties. The finding aids listed below describe records that document these activities.

Texas Department of State and Secretary of State -  Finding Aids

• Texas Secretary of State executive record books 
  • More information about these microfilmed records is available on our microfilm web page.
• Texas Secretary of State general correspondence of the Department of State, Republic of Texas 
• Texas Secretary of State records relating to passports issued by the Department of State, Republic of Texas 
  • These records are available on the Texas Digital Archive 
• Texas Department of State Election Returns 
• Texas Department of State Post Office Records 
• Texas Department of State Seat of Government Papers 
• Texas Secretary of State Fugitive Records 

Economics, Finance, and Commerce
Records concerning the finances, economics, and commerce of the Republic of Texas are included in documents maintained by the Comptroller’s Office and Treasury Department, such as warrants and appropriations. Some of these records continue into statehood. 

Texas Department of State - Finding Aids

• Texas Department of State Financial Records 

Texas Comptroller’s Office - Finding Aids

• Texas Comptroller's Office Appropriations and Warrant Volumes 
• Texas Comptroller's Office General Revenue Volumes 
• Texas Comptroller's Office Ad Valorem Tax Volumes 
  • Only the records of property tax receipts and land sales date from the Republic.
• Texas Comptroller’s Office Claims Records 
  • Republic Claims are scanned and available through the Republic Claims database. This includes a searchable index.
• Texas Comptroller's Office Unprocessed Records 

Treasury Department - Finding Aids

• Texas Treasury Department Customs House Records 
  • Other records of the Treasury Department are unprocessed. The publication Texas Treasury Papers includes transcripts of portions of these records. 

Emigration and Colonization
The Republic of Texas also oversaw emigration, colonization, and land grants to Texans. Land records are still held by the General Land Office (GLO) Archives , but TSLAC does hold records about emigration, land grants, and colonization. Additionally, Memorials and Petitions and Texas Treasury Department Customs House records can also be useful. More information about these records is provided below. 

Secretary of State - Finding Aids

• Texas Secretary of State Colonization Records 

General Land Office - Finding Aids

• Texas General Land Office Colonization Certificate Records 
• Texas General Land Office Copies of County and District Clerk Returns (Reports of Headright Certificates) 
• Texas General Land Office Incoming Correspondence 
  • The collection includes name indexes. These indexes are not available online but can be searched in the Archives reading room.
• Texas General Land Office Records 
  • Only the land grant records, one commissioner report, and correspondence and legal papers date from the Republic.

Congressional Records
Records of the Republic of Texas Congress, the legislative body of the Republic include bill files, signed laws, and Memorials and Petitions. The President and Vice President were the Republic’s executive branch. Memorials and Petitions document individuals and groups petitioning Congress (and, later, the Legislature) about various matters, and can be an important resource for information about life during the Republic.

As per requirements of HB 4181 and HB 1962 (86th Legislature), legislative records from statehood, including bill files and records of legislators, are held by the Legislative Reference Library of Texas . 

Republic of Texas Congress

• Congressional bill files are available at TSLAC. While we do not have a finding aid for these records, staff can search an index on your behalf.
• Memorials and Petitions include requests to the Congress or legislature for action, including requests from those seeking relief. These records are digitized and available on Ancestry.com and Ancestry Library Edition through the database “Texas, Memorials and Petitions, 1834-1929.” Texans have access to these records for free through Ancestry.com Texas.
• Some of these Memorials and Petitions resulted in laws like relief acts for specific individuals or groups. Gammel’s Laws of Texas, available on the Portal to Texas History ,  includes the text of such laws. These publications can help you find out whether a petition resulted in legislative action. 

Texas Secretary of State - Finding Aids

• Texas Secretary of State Legislative Bills and Resolutions Filed (General and Special Laws) 
  • Select records are available online through the Texas Digital Archive 
     

Military records of the Republic of Texas include information about the activities of the Army, Navy, and Ranger units, as well as documenting the service of individuals. Manuscript collections may provide additional information about military activities during the Republic. [Click or tap for a sample military record.]

Texas Adjutant General’s Department - Finding Aids

• Texas Adjutant General's Department Army Papers 
• Texas Adjutant General's Department Navy Papers 
• Texas Adjutant General's Department Ranger Records , Republic Ranger records series 
• Texas Adjutant General's Department Service Records 
  • An online index allows you to search for names, which will note the organization that an individual belonged to and images of the documents. Not everyone who served in the Republic or State of Texas military has a service record. 
• Texas Adjutant General's Department Republic of Texas Military Rolls 
  • Few original military rolls from the Texas Revolution exist today. Most were destroyed in a fire in 1855 in the Adjutant General’s office, but copies are held by the Texas General Land Office Archives.
  • Information on individuals who are listed on military rolls were transcribed onto index cards in the 1930s. Images of these cards are available on Ancestry.com and Ancestry Library Edition through the database “Texas, Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900.” Texans have access to these records for free through Ancestry.com Texas.
  • The publication Defenders of the Republic of Texas, by Karen R. Thompson, also includes the names and units of individuals who served in the Republic of Texas Army between 1836-1841.

Additionally, the following publications include transcriptions from Adjutant General’s Department records from the Revolution. These publications also have transcriptions from other TSLAC collections and resources at other institutions.

• The Alamo Reader, by Todd Hansen
• The Papers of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836, by John Holmes Jenkins

Texas Comptroller’s Office
Republic Claims, from the Texas Comptroller's Office Claims Records ,  document attempts by individuals to seek payment for goods and services provided to the Republic of Texas, including military service. To improve access, microfilm of these records were scanned and added to the Republic Claims database. 

Texas Supreme Court Records include some case files from the Republic era. Unfortunately, many records from this period are missing. See a listing of missing Supreme Court Records (PDF). It is important to note that case files dating from statehood may concern events that occurred during the Republic-era. You can search for Supreme Court case files from this period on the custom search on the Texas Digital Archive .  Other court records that can provide additional information about case files include dockets, minutes, and opinions.

In addition to government records, personal papers, maps, artifacts, broadsides, prints and photographs, and newspapers may also provide information about the Republic-era. [Click or tap for an example of a manuscript.]

Manuscript Collections
Manuscript collections are archival holdings created, collected, or donated by private individuals or organizations. These collections sometimes include records created by government officials that were not maintained in government offices at the time. For example, the Andrew Jackson Houston Collection includes records from the Texas legation finding aid . 

Manuscript Collections with Finding Aids

• Andrew Jackson Houston Collection
  • Finding aid 
  • Searchable index 
• Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar Papers
  • Finding aid 
  • Calendar 
  • Published transcripts of the Lamar Papers are also available in our library holdings. More information is provided below. 
• Memucan Hunt Papers 
• Samuel Hamilton Walker Papers 
• Washington Daniel Miller Papers 
• Additional finding aids of manuscript collections with Republic-era documents are listed on our Processed Manuscript and Photograph Collections webpage.

Manuscript Collections Without Finding Aids
Although some manuscript collections do not have a full finding aid, they can be accessed by a name and subject index in the Archives reading room or by submitting a reference request. When requesting a search of the manuscript collections index, it helps to provide specific names, dates, and subject terms. 

Some manuscript collections are also described in our online library catalog . 

Contact us at ref@tsl.texas.gov for more information about searching for manuscript collections.

Artifact Collection
The Texas State Archives Artifacts Collection [finding aid]  includes many objects from the Republic-era, such as stones from the Alamo, as well as objects created to commemorate the Texas Revolution. Images of these Texas Revolution artifacts are available on the Texas Digital Archive .  

Broadside Collection
The Texas State Archives Broadsides and Printed Ephemera Collection [finding aid]  includes many printed announcements, posters, and other items that relate to the Republic of Texas and Texas Revolution. Images of the broadsides are available on the Texas Digital Archive . 

Map Collection
The Texas State Archives Map Collection includes items dated from the Republic-era and ones created later concerning Republic-era topics. You can search the Map Collection database several ways, including by subject, year, and cartographer. Digital images of many maps are included in the database. Please contact us at ref@tsl.texas.gov if an image is not available for a specific map.

Prints and Photographs Collection
During the Republic-era, photography was a new technology that was not widely used in Texas. The earliest dated image in the TSLAC collection is a daguerreotype of Samuel Waller Cole taken June 25, 1846. We do have photographs of individuals active during the Republic that were taken later in life, including Sam Houston and Edward Burleson. We also have paintings and drawings of individuals from the Republic-era. The online index about the McArdle Notebooks has more images of Republic-era individuals. Our Prints and Photographs Collection webpage gives more information about searching for images of individuals. 

Newspaper Collection
TSLAC holds newspapers from the Republic-era, both in microfilm and original formats. Information about accessing newspapers can be found on our newspaper research webpage. 

Many Republic-era documents known to have been held by TSLAC are missing from our collections. Read more about materials missing from the Texas State Archives and ongoing recovery efforts.