Genealogy & History

Online Genealogy & History Databases

• Ancestry.com (in-house library use only): A searchable databases of over 600 million names, as well as specialized databases, including census images. Ancestry.com is available to library users for in-house library access only. Please visit the Reference Desk for more information.
• Bibliography of Native North Americans: Bibliographical database covers all aspects of native North American culture, history, and life with more than 122,000 citations for books, essays, journal articles, and government documents.
• Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: A resource for open primary source documents that includes historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more, marking the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom. Resource supports student studies from middle school, all the way to college and independent researchers. Includes the following topics:
  • Resistance to Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790 to 1860)
  • The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861 to 1877)
  • Jim Crow Era to the Great Depression (1878 to 1932)
  • The New Deal and World War 2 (1933 to 1945)
  • The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946 to 1975)
  • The Contemporary Era (1976 to 2000)
• Handbook of Texas: A multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture.
• Heritage Quest: Find more than 25,000 family and local histories, the complete U.S. Federal Census from 1790 to 1940, the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), the Revolutionary War Pension Applications and Bounty Land Warrant Applications, and the Freedman's Bank Records.
• Newspaper Archive: Explore billions of newspaper articles from all over the world. Find births, deaths, news and more! Powerful search tools to help you find exactly who or what you are looking for.
• The Portal to Texas History: The Portal to Texas History is a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas. Created and maintained by the University of North Texas Libraries, the Portal leverages the power of hundreds of content partners across the state to provide a vibrant, growing collection of resources.
• Texas Digital Sanborn Maps: Digital Sanborn® Maps (1867 to 1970) delivers detailed property and land-use records that provide an unparalleled picture of life in American towns and cities. The maps provide a wealth of information, such as building outline, size and shape, windows and doors, street and sidewalk widths, boundaries, and often include details on construction materials and building use; and also depict pipelines, railroads, wells, water mains, dumps, and other features likely to affect the property's vulnerability to earthquake, fire, and flood.
• Texas Reference Center: More than 80 full-text journals and books about Texas history, ethnic and cultural diversity, gender studies, literature, public health, business as well as home and garden and sports and leisure.