Texas Biography

Online Resources

 * County and Town histories with biographies
 * Texas, Index Card Collections, 1800-1900, ($), index
 * The Handbook of Texas, index

Biographies provide useful genealogical information such as an individual’s birth date and place (including foreign birthplaces where applicable); family members; occupation and education; and social, political, and religious affiliation. They may also contain a physical description of the person, his or her previous residences, and immigration information. Biographies are the product of family knowledge or previous research compiled about early settlers and prominent citizens of the state, county, or town. Many lesser-known individuals may have biographical sketches written about them in local histories.

Biographies in Local Histories

 * Biographical information is often found in state, county, and town histories.
 * Towards the end of the 19th century, began publishers soliciting short biographical/family histories from local founding families, offering to publish them in an upcoming local history. This then became an incentive for family members to buy a copy of the book.
 * Families represented were not necessarily prominent. Practically everyone living there, especially in the Midwest, counted as an early settler.
 * These biographies often start with the first member of the family to settle in the area, and detail their descendants at the time of publishing. They may tell where the family moved in from. Children's marriages often are given, with maiden names included.

Finding Biographies
See United States Biographies for information on nationwide biographical collections. See also the "History" and "Genealogy" sections for additional sources.
 * The county Wiki page lists several county histories. It also lists local libraries, and societies which probably have copies of local histories.
 * Many histories are no longer under copyright and can be found in the following online, digitized book collections. Search with keywords "History" and "the name of your locality" (state, county, or town).
 * FamilySearch Books
 * Google Books
 * World Cat
 * HathiTrust
 * Internet Archive
 * The FamilySearch library has extensive collections of these local histories. Many are digitized. Search the FamilySearch Catalog under your locality for the topics "Biography" and "History".

Most of the major archives mentioned in Texas Archives and Libraries have collections of biographical materials.

Biographical Gazetteer of Texas

 * An ongoing project to index more than 200 biographical and historical publications in the Texas Collection at Baylor University has produced the Biographical Gazetteer of Texas. An online index is available in the Baylor University Texas Collection and University Archives. Also available through the Family History Library, Austin, Texas: W.M. Morrison Books, 1985- Volumes 1-6, alphabetical;

The Handbook of Texas
The Handbook of Texas is a encyclopedic collection of history, geography and biographies. It is now available on line through the Texas State Historical Association.

Family History Library Collection

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; A genealogical cardfile of approximately 270,000 cards compiled by Rudolfo Gonzalez de la Garza representing thousands of families of Southern Texas and Northern Mexico. The cardfile is in the Laredo Public Library.


 * 1892-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection


 * Bailey, Ernest Emory. Texas Historical and Biographical Record With a Genealogical Study of Historical Family Records. Austin, Texas: Texas Historical and Biographical Record, N.d.


 * Bailey, Emory E., et al. Who's Who in Texas. Dallas, Texas: Who's Who Publishing, 1931.


 * Biographical Souvenir of the State of Texas, 1889. Reprint, Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1978. and  Digitized version available through the FamilySearch Catalog entry.


 * Davis, Ellis Arthur and Edwin H. Grobe. Encyclopedia of Texas. Dallas: Texas Development Bureau, 190? ; [larger print] or


 * Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas. 1880. Reprint. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1978. 1978; 1880 edition: ;  Digitized version available through the FamilySearch Catalog entry.


 * Crockett, David. Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas. (New York : Wm. H. Graham, Tribune Buildings, 1848. Free digital copy.


 * To locate biographical material available through the FamilySearch Catalog, use the Place-names Search for:


 * TEXAS - BIOGRAPHY
 * TEXAS, [COUNTY] - BIOGRAPHY
 * TEXAS, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - BIOGRAPHY

Websites

 * Historic Texas.net
 * The Handbook of Texas An encyclopedia of Texas history, georgraphy and culture. Includes biographies.

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