Reference Services
Public service hours in the Archives and Reference reading rooms in Austin are 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month.
Our Reference collections include federal documents distributed by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Texas state agency publications, and publications about Texas history and government. To learn more about our collections, search the online library catalog.
Researchers intending to use archival materials are encouraged to review the online descriptive guides and contact staff ahead of their visit. For more information about visiting the Texas State Library and Archives, please visit our Before You Visit page.
Frequently Asked Questions
To assist you as quickly as possible, we've listed answers to our most frequently asked questions below. Click a topic to find out more.
Visiting TSLAC
Library materials and public computers with internet access are available in the Reference reading room. Appointments are not necessary. Individuals who wish to conduct on-site archival research in Austin are encouraged to set an appointment in advance so that our staff can ensure the requested research materials are available for your visit.
For more information, see our Before you Visit webpage.
Individuals who wish to conduct research in either library or archival materials at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty are encouraged to set an appointment in advance.
- For the Texas State Library and Archives in Austin, email ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-463-5455.
- For the Sam Houston Research Center in Liberty, email samhoustoncenter@tsl.texas.gov or call 936-336-8821.
We suggest you begin with our Processed State and Local Records webpage, which lists our finding aids.
The Texas State Archives Material Request Form must be submitted to request archival materials as required by Texas Government Code, Section 441.1935. Please refer to page 2 of the form for directions on how to submit your request. We recommend downloading and completing the form in Adobe Reader. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Once staff receive your Material Request Form, we will be in touch with further instructions.
See our webpage to learn about our current lobby exhibit.
We do not have the Texas Declaration of Independence or William B. Travis’ 1836 Victory or Death Letter (the “Travis Letter”) on display. Due to preservation concerns, we no longer pull these items for patrons. Both of these important documents have been made available digitally:
- Images of the Texas Declaration of Independence handwritten manuscript are available through our website.
- A high resolution image of the Travis Letter is available to view and download from the Texas State Archives Flickr
account. Images of the Travis Letter area also available through our webpage from a previous Lobby Exhibit.
Our archival collections also include drafts of the Texas Declaration of Independence and other letters written by William B. Travis from the Alamo during January and February 1836. You are welcome to view these materials in person. For more information, email ref@tsl.texas.gov.
You can explore other commonly requested TSLAC Texas Treasures online.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service that allows us to share resources with other libraries. We will lend our materials to other libraries, and we may request to borrow materials from other libraries. Please note that we borrow materials through ILL on behalf of our registered patrons.
Texas residents may register for a TSLAC patron account to place ILL requests online through the Texas Group Catalog. See our Interlibrary Loan webpage for current ILL policies and step-by-step instructions.
If you do not live locally, contact your local library for assistance in locating and borrowing items through the ILL network. If you are interested in an item from our collection, we will work with your local library to arrange a loan depending on the item availability and our circulation policy. Your local library may be able to assist you in locating libraries closer to you that have the materials of interest. Specific regulations for ILL vary by individual library, so call or visit your local library for details.
Common Research Topics
Although we do not have the official copies of Texas birth, death, marriage, and divorce records in our collections, we do have resources that can assist you with locating these types of records, such as the Texas vital statistics indexes. The Texas vital statistics indexes list the name(s) of the individual(s), date of event, county where the event occurred, and in some cases a certificate or file number.
For more information about Texas vital statistics, please visit our Vital Statistics webpage.
U.S. military service records, including separation documents such as DD Form 214, can be ordered from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) through their webpage: Request Your Military Service Records .
For more help, we suggest contacting NARA’s National Personnel Records Center .
If you served in the Texas National Guard, the Texas Military Department may also be able to help you. Contact the Texas Military Department or request records using their downloadable form .
If you chose to file a copy of your discharge papers with the office of the County Clerk in your county of residence, you may want to contact them for a copy of your DD214. A complete listing of County Clerk addresses can be found on the County and District Clerks’ Association of Texas website.
You may also want to contact the Texas Veterans Commission or visit the Texas Veterans Portal for more help.
Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos and documents of the men and women who served. TSLAC’s Austin and Liberty locations provide on-site access to this resource.
The Texas State Library and Archives has many resources that may be helpful for genealogy research. For more information on the resources available, please see our Genealogy Resources webpage.
Our standard sources for Republic-era genealogy research are:
- Republic of Texas Audited Claims database
- Adjutant General Service Records database
- Adjutant General Ranger Muster Roll Index, abstract card file. Available on Ancestry and Ancestry.com Texas in the database, “Texas, Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900”.
- Adjutant General Republic of Texas Navy Muster Rolls Index, abstract card file. Available on Ancestry and Ancestry.com Texas in the database, “Texas, Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900”.
- Biographical Index, card file. Available on Ancestry and Ancestry.com Texas in the database, “Texas, Index Card Collections, 1800-1900”.
- Memorials and petitions. Available on Ancestry and Ancestry.com Texas in the database, “Texas, Memorials and Petitions, 1834-1929”.
- Thompson, Karen R. Defenders of the Republic of Texas. Austin: Laurel House Press, 1989. Check WorldCat to find a copy at a library near you.
Other resources that should be helpful to genealogists and others interested in this time period in Texas include:
- Resources of the Republic of Texas and Pre-Republic Era (1820-1845) at TSLAC research guide
- Recorded webinars about Republic of Texas research
Please email ref@tsl.texas.gov if you need help with these resources.
The Texas General Land Office Archives has other helpful resources for Republic-era research, including an online Land Grant Search and Surname Index . These resources can include muster roll information for individuals who received a land grant due to military service with the Republic of Texas.
The Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC) newspaper collections include newspapers on microfilm, original print newspapers, and online newspaper subscriptions. More information is on our Newspaper Research at the Texas State Library and Archives webpage.
The Texas State Archives does have many records from Texas appellate courts—the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, and several of the 14 other Courts of Appeals. Although we do not have a single, comprehensive source for all court records and filings in our collection, our descriptive guides are listed on our Processed State and Local Records webpage.
These descriptive guides do not usually lend themselves to a name search, since most court records are accessed through the case file number assigned by the specific court of appeals, though there are some indexes described in the guides. For more help accessing court records in our holdings, contact archinfo@tsl.texas.gov.
Some individual courts in Texas may have digitized their records and provided access to them on their websites. Information concerning the Texas court system and links to Texas courts are available through the Texas Judiciary Online .
In Texas, the district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction. To locate records from Texas district courts, contact the district clerk's office in the county where the court case took place. A complete listing of District Clerk addresses can be found on the County and District Clerks’ Association of Texas website. Links to some Texas county websites can be found through the Texas Association of Counties website.
A law library in your area may offer access to subscription court records and public records databases. Find Texas law libraries near you through the Texas State Law Library webpage: Law Libraries of Texas .
See also: Select Prison and Criminal Justice Resources handout.
Search the Texas State Archives Map Collection.
Many other resources for Texas maps are listed on our About Texas webpage under the Map section.
Student records are not usually considered state records to be maintained by TSLAC, but we do have some scholastic census records for some counties. These records include the name and number of the school district, name of parent or guardian, and the name, address, birth date, age, sex, and any physical handicaps for each child. For more information, including restrictions, please e-mail us at ref@tsl.texas.gov. Be sure to include the county name(s) and year(s) so we can confirm whether we have student records for that location and time period.
Typically the best source for student records is at the local level.
If the school was a public school, we suggest you contact the school district office. Search for Texas school district contact information using the Texas Education Agency (TEA)’s AskTED page . Click “Quick District Lookup” from the banner.
Another possible source for records is the County Clerk’s office. Search for contact information using the County and District Clerks’ Association of Texas website .
We can also suggest you check with local libraries and the Regional Historical Resource Depository (RHRD) for the county of interest about any student records in their holdings.
Researching the history of a business or property can involve compiling information from a variety of sources. Visit our Texas Business and Company Research and Property History Research guides for resources available at TSLAC and through federal, state, and local agencies.
Not finding an answer to your question?
Email ref@tsl.texas.gov or call the Reference Desk at 512-463-5455.